A figurative language anchor chart is a great resource to use to teach young students about the different types of figurative language.

This Language Arts Interactive Notebook is filled with over 30 pages of hands-on grammar activities for grades 4-8. Activities including everything from diagramming to figurative language.

Verbals lessons can involve more than worksheets. Add grammar sorts, online activities, mentor sentences for gerunds, participles, and infinitives.

Daily Grammar is a FREE curriculum that is thorough and easy to use and a comprehensive complete curriculum for older elementary and middle grade students.

Do you teach grammar and language effectively? Do you want to? We have a magical grammar and langauge formula that we want you to try for FREE!

Can you provide meaningful instruction without a grammar worksheet? You can, and here are ten alternatives to the grammar worksheet.

Jenga game cards are easily my favorite way to teach and reinforce basic math fact, phonics, or grammar practice.

Daily grammar practice is a tool that helps students practice and master grammar standards. Learn more about grammar spiral review in the classroom.

Wondering what grammar skills to teach to your Kindergarten, first grade, or second grade students? I’ve got you covered! In this “grammar skills by grade level” post, I’m listing out skills to teach in each grade level, K-2! Where did this list come from? Well, it reflects the Common Core Standards — but also what I’ve personally seen to be appropriate and helpful for each grade level. Of course, what you teach your students will ultimately depend on your own curriculum and your own standards — and most importantly, what you see that your kids need. Every class and school is different! So while I hope that these lists are helpful to you as a starting point, I anticipate that you’ll need to make some adjustments and adaptations. Let’s dive in! Each list includes grammar, language arts, and writing conventions skills. (Vocabulary skills are not included, nor are concepts that can be included in spelling instruction, like homophones.) Grammar & Language Skills for Kindergarten Use spaces between words Write from left-to-right, top-to-bottom Identify “sentence” and “word” by name (use those terms) Identify the period, question mark, and exclamation point by name Consistently use periods to end sentences With support, use question marks or exclamation points to end sentences Capitalize the first word in a sentence Capitalize the pronoun “I” Capitalize names of familiar people (i.e., friends’ names) Speak in complete sentences Write in complete sentences (may need support) Understand and use question words (who, what, where, when, why, how) orally Use common nouns to name people, places, and things — orally and in writing Use describing words to give detail — orally (adjectives, but I don’t require Kinders to know the word “adjective”) Use specific action words — orally (verbs, but I don’t require Kinders to know the word “verbs,” though I may use it myself) Use simple pronouns correctly — orally and in writing Demonstrate understanding of and use common prepositions — orally Use plural nouns with -s and -es — orally (should also attempt in writing but may not spell them correctly, especially the -es ending) Produce statements, questions, and exclamations with prompting — orally (I don’t require Kinders to identify these sentence types by name) Expand simple sentences by adding more details — orally, with prompting Discuss differences between present and past tense verbs and use them correctly — orally, should also attempt in writing Grammar & Language Skills for First Grade Use spaces between words Write from left-to-right, top-to-bottom Identify “sentence” and “word” by name (use those terms) Identify the period, question mark, and exclamation point by name Consistently use correct ending punctuation marks Use commas to write the date Use commas to separate words in a list or series Capitalize the first word in a sentence Capitalize words in the date Capitalize names of people Form the abbreviations Mr., Ms., and Mrs. — in writing, with support Speak in complete sentences Identify the subject and predicate of a simple sentence (know terms “subject” and “predicate”) Write in complete sentences (use knowledge of subject and predicate) Understand and use question words (who, what, where, when, why, how) — orally and in writing Use common nouns to name people, places, things, and ideas — orally and in writing Correctly identify nouns (using the term “noun”) Use proper nouns to name specific people, places, and things — orally (should attempt to use in writing but may not always capitalize correctly yet) Use possessive nouns (i.e., “the girl’s book”) — orally (may attempt in writing but correct spelling and punctuation are not yet expected) Use pronouns correctly — orally and in writing Use personal pronouns (i.e., “me”), possessive pronouns (i.e. “ours”), and indefinite pronouns (i.e., “someone”) correctly — orally and in writing Correctly identify action verbs (using the term “verb”) Use correct subject-verb agreement in simple sentences — orally and in writing Discuss the differences in meaning between the past-tense, present-tense, and future-tense forms of a verb Use past-tense, present-tense, and future-tense forms of verbs correctly — orally and in writing Discuss and use irregular past-tense verbs — orally and in writing Correctly identify adjectives (using the term “adjective”) Use adjectives to give detail and describe — orally and in writing Use common conjunctions (i.e., “and,” “but”) — orally and in writing With support, combine 2 simple sentences to form a complex sentence Expand on simple sentences — orally and in writing Use “a” and “the” correctly — orally and in writing Use “this,” “these,” “that,” and “those” correctly — orally Demonstrate understanding of common prepositions Use common prepositions correctly — orally and in writing Produce statements, questions, exclamations, and commands — orally and in writing (may or may not know names of these sentence types, although I use the terms with them) Discuss the meaning of simple contractions — orally Discuss how language is used differently in different contexts (i.e., formal and informal English) Grammar & Language Skills for Second Grade Identify the period, question mark, and exclamation point by name Consistently use correct ending punctuation marks Use commas to write the date Use commas to separate words in a list or series Use commas in the greeting and closing of a letter Capitalize the first word in a sentence Capitalize words in the date Capitalize names of people Capitalize names of products Capitalize names of holidays Capitalize geographic names Form and correctly punctuate the abbreviations Mr., Ms., and Mrs. Correctly form simple contractions with an apostrophe Correctly form simple possessives with an apostrophe Speak in complete sentences Identify the subject and predicate of a simple sentence (know terms “subject” and “predicate”) Write in complete sentences (use knowledge of subject and predicate) Understand and use question words (who, what, where, when, why, how) — orally and in writing Use common nouns to name people, places, things, and ideas — orally and in writing Use plural nouns correctly — orally and in writing Use pronouns correctly — orally and in writing Use reflexive pronouns correctly — orally and

I was desperate for a better way to teach grammar. On my end, I was overwhelmed with how much I needed to teach: how to get it all done and how to do so logically. For my students, I was concerned about their engagement (not tuning out or getting bored) AND how to ensure that they "got it". These worries are particularly valid if you KNOW your students have knowledge gaps, are going to need a LOT of practice, or aren't doing well with transferring knowledge into their writing. Solution: The Grammar House Cup (game) The idea for the GHC came partially from the "Grammar Olympics", a competition that I witnessed in another high school while student teaching. I decided to go with the Harry Potter theme instead and built my own game board system that differed from the Olympics' structure. The BENEFITS of the GHC game are: Clear organization of a single topic or unit (in the game board format) A "frame" or theme for the whole year Logical sequence of topics/units Increased student buy-in Increased student use of study tools and teacher-provided resources More students going "above and beyond" the minimum because they're motivated to earn points for their houses. The Basic Game Premise We have 4 houses of students (just like in Hogwarts). Students earn points for their house throughout the year, and whichever house has the most points at the end of the fourth quarter (end of the year) wins. Students earn points by completing tasks in the game board (see below). Sometimes the points are connected to an assessment (such as passing a quiz on the first try), and some point opportunities are directly within a student's control (such as doing more practice than is assigned). The biggest prize/motivator is bragging rights. We have an actual trophy, and the winning house/homeroom gets their homeroom name and year added to the trophy (AND gets to keep the trophy in their homeroom the following year). I have also given donuts or food to the winning house. Fortunately, we've been doing the GHC for enough years now that incoming 7th graders are looking forward to it, so that adds to the motivation as well. The Secret of the Game ...is that my game board is actually a very traditional learning sequence in disguise (see image below). For EACH grammar topic... Students watch a flipped video lesson (of me teaching) and fill in their guided notes. (See a DEMO VIDEO on commas here. This is a longer video, and most are shorter than this.) Students independently attempt a practice page after the guided notes. CHOICE practice: Before the quiz, students can get teacher help, do independent practice on IXL (a program we have), or do a "creative project". In-class quiz (after which they either get points for passing OR are required to do "quiz corrections" and show improved mastery). We move on to the next topic of the quarter. (There are 3-4 topics per quarter.) Closer to the test, students complete a practice test as homework (to review), and we go over the practice test answers in class. Students take the quarter test over the 3-4 topics, after which they get points or do corrections (just like they did for quizzes). MEANWHILE, during the game board, students have been picking up points for various reasons, such as... Doing more practice than assigned Doing a "creative project" to show application of learning Completing the game board EARLY (working ahead and not procrastinating). We call this reward "catching the golden snitch". (Scroll down to see the GAME BOARD later in this post!) Points & Grades It's important to note that a house's points are NOT directly connected to grades. ...However, students who earn more points DO tend to perform better on quizzes and tests, because they were earning points by LEARNING. So while GHC "points" and grades are correlated, the points have more to do with effort and participation. Putting Students into Houses I conveniently have a total of 4 class periods (2 each of seventh and eighth grades), and likewise we just HAPPEN to have four homerooms in the middle school. Therefore, I just assigned each homeroom one of the Hogwarts houses. (Obviously, my homeroom is Gryffindor. My social studies teacher in the room next door to mine is a huge ally of the GHC game and agreed to be Slytherin.) I know a sorting hat might have been more fun, but the positive of doing it by homeroom is that it promotes homeroom unity and enthusiasm; it also motivates the homeroom teachers to care about and support the GHC. Launching the Game Teacher setup on my part includes: Prepping this quarter's game board (and all of its respective lesson videos, guided notes, practice sheets, etc.). I organize it all in Google Drive and share a folder to students. Copies of this quarter's grammar notes. (I put ALL the guided notes, practice pages, and practice test into ONE packet for the quarter. If they lose it, they have to print their own replacement from what I shared with them in Drive.) When we begin in the first quarter, there is usually a diagnostic test (see above), and I have to do a lot of explaining of how the game works. However, students learn by doing as we go through the motions of the first topic, and then they learn the routine. What a Game Board Looks Like Here's the most updated view of what my game boards are going to look like this year. (The biggest change is that I'm digitizing more, with a heavily hyperlinked Google Docs game board instead of a paper one.) Let's break this down: Notice that the game board has... A "scoreboard" at left to collect points Deadlines built into the game board A sequence (trail) of action steps At the end of each quarter, I verify each student's points, collect all the totals, and update the scoreboard for each house. This Year's Improvements/Updates As I mentioned earlier, I plan to use the digital game board instead of a paper one, and I also plan to use these free Grammar Stations before each topic's quiz. I'm hoping the stations will help ME pinpoint student struggles in a small group format AND give students more practice time with all the resources I've made available to them. I will also be experimenting more with self-grading quizzes when possible (using Google Forms). I will try to update this blog post later in the year. What topics we teach There is SOME intentional overlap in 7th and 8th grade topics (especially when we are reviewing at the beginning of 8th grade), BUT there are some topics that only 8th graders get (such as verbals, verb moods, and active/passive voice, which are CCSS for 8th grade and not 7th). See my complete/current list of grammar topics here. Can I have all of your lessons, Sara? Yes! You can get all of my grammar topics (or just some of them) in my TpT store. The bundle includes game boards, all lessons/quizzes/tests, the diagnostic test, stations, premade Quizlet sets, and more! RELATED BLOG POSTS: How to Play Grammar Quidditch Turn Your Unit into a Game Board 12 Tips for Teaching Grammar like a Pro 10 Ways to Help Teen Writers Revise You might also like... Game Board Unit template Grammar bell-ringers: volume 1 and volume 2 Student Grammar Video Project "Why Grammar?" Nonfiction Reading Mini-Unit "Word Crimes" music video lesson/activity Grammar Poetry Do you have questions or ideas? Tell me in the comments!

Teach the eight parts of speech with creativity and engagement. The eight parts of speech should be fun grammar activities.

I love grammar. But convincing my students to love grammar sometimes feels like trying to convince a bobcat to enjoy a nice, relaxing ice bath.

Looking for free grammar games to make teaching fun? This list of games for teaching parts of speech, punctuation, and writing will provide fun all year!

As a primary teacher, it can be very difficult fitting in grammar instruction into your day. I also have a little secret you might not know about me. I used to loathe teaching grammar. Can any of you relate? It's so difficult to even WANT to teach grammar when we have so many other things we could be doing with our day. Plus, many of us are expected to "spiral" it in with the many other subjects we are expected to teach throughout the day. Although all school districts, programs, and teachers are different, I have found something that students love doing, and that is applying new information into something called an interactive notebook!! And so I created these for grammar...and the students loved them!

Learning to read is such a fun and special time: it's a valuable skill, and sparking an early love of reading can make it become a lifelong passion. In order

Fun and engaging grammar games for your secondary ELA classroom! These grammar games will get your students collaborating, moving, and discussing those critical sentence structure and grammar skills! Bring fun to grammar instruction!

Teaching figurative language is easy! Start with good definitions and examples, add a little practice, then apply in kids' writing.

Daily grammar practice is a tool that helps students practice and master grammar standards. Learn more about grammar spiral review in the classroom.

This post will give you more than 360 pages of 1st grade common core language arts worksheets with answer keys and posters to help your students learn!

Freedom Homeschooling lists free homeschool language arts curriculum for all grades. Grammar, reading, spelling, handwriting, and more!

This 9-week poetry study guide will take you through nine poems written by Helen Beatrix Potter. Each week (or longer) your student will study one poem.

Engage your students in great lessons using these videos for teaching figurative language! Check out the Top 5 here and save time searching!

Analyzing writing curriculums, planning writing workshop and teaching writing lessons can be overwhelming. You might think, how am I going to fit everything in and produce successful writers? Where do I start? What skills do they need? This post will share the 7 BASIC WRITING LESSONS that every teacher should teach! With this basic knowledge, students will be able to perform other writing assignments more effectively. The following skills are not only effective in upper elementary, they are often needed at the middle school level for review or the primary level for differentiation. So yes, every teacher should teach them! If you start with these 7 fundamental skills, it will set the expectations for your writing lessons and assignments throughout the year! Frequently Asked Questions What are the basic skills and what order should I teach them? Sentence Structure 1. Complete Sentences Lesson for complete sentences 2. Fragments Lesson for fragments 3. Run-ons Lesson for run-ons Paragraph Writing 4. Topic Sentences Lesson for topic sentences 5. Relevant Details Lesson for relevant details 6. Transition Words Lesson for transition words 7. Closing Sentences Lesson for closing sentences How much time should I dedicate to teaching these fundamental skills? I recommend one day for each skill. If you spend a whole writing block for each skill, students will benefit from the practice. How do I teach each skill? First: Start with an anchor chart explaining the skill. (See each lesson link above for effective anchor charts.) Second: Provide examples. Students can share examples too! Next: Students should take notes. I love using Interactive Writing Notebooks to take notes. Research supports the use of interactive notebooks through studies on multiple intelligences, the brain and note taking. Here are a few videos to Set Up Interactive Writing Notebooks. Click photo for the Upper Elementary Version. A Primary Version is also available. Then: Identify the skill. Provide practice sheets and task cards for students to practice identifying the skill in sentences and paragraphs. Last: Apply the skill. Students should have the opportunity to write their own sentence or paragraph to apply the particular skill. What if I can't fit the lesson in one writing block? If you can't extend the days to complete them, there are other ways to get the whole lesson in. You can put practice sheets or task cards in a center, or you can have students apply the skill for homework or morning work the next day. What if my students, some of my students, or absent students can't do interactive notebooks? Make a small anchor chart to put in their notebooks with the same information! If you don't have a printable poster, take a picture of the anchor chart you used in class and print them off! I hope you found this post helpful and your students become successful writers this year! Connect With Me! TPT Store Facebook Pinterest My Blog

Hi Friends…. The past two weeks we have been working on Prefixes and Suffixes in our second-grade classroom! My kiddos were having such a good time brainstorming words with prefixes and then figuring out the meaning. They really had a strong grasp of the concept… I was pretty impressed. After our whole … Prefixes, Suffixes and a FREEBIE Just for YOU! Read More »

Here are some great grammar games, ideas, and activities that will help early/middle elementary aged kids enjoy grammar just a bit.

Daily grammar practice is a tool that helps students practice and master grammar standards. Learn more about grammar spiral review in the classroom.

Teaching similes and metaphors is the first step in moving your students beyond literal meaning and teaching them to mature as writers. Students need to see and hear figurative language many times before they will use it in their own writing. Transferring these skills into writing is a long...

Sentence diagrams are another tool in your grammar toolbox when teaching students to be great writers. Learn more about sentence diagramming.

Help your beginning writer become an excellent essay-writer with this helpful proofreading practice sheet.

teaching ideas, upper elementary classroom ideas, reading ideas,resources for the upper elementary classroom, teaching grammar, graphic organizers

A collection of FREE grammar resources for teachers & homeschooling parents. These grammar activities come in printable and digital versions.

Do you need parts of speech posters for your classroom? This post has several classroom décor resources to help teachers prepare an engaging learning environment.

Kids will have fun looking for nouns all around them in this Grammar Activity for Kids. Simply print the Noun Hunt printable and head out for fun learning.

Teach adverbs with these adverb word card printables and fun elementary grammar lesson ideas.

Make learning figurative language fun with these engaging activities for elementary students! Activities to teach similes, metaphors, & more!

Jenga game cards are easily my favorite way to teach and reinforce basic math fact, phonics, or grammar practice.

The Giggly Guide to Grammar is the life's work of a dedicated language arts teacher with a life-sized sense of humor and the hand of an artist. Cathy Campbell has both illustrated and long tested the exercises in this guide with her 9th grade students in The Woodlands, Texas. It's a lighthearted and ludicrous guide to the essential elements of language and grammar (with a few writing tips tossed into the mix). It's Shel Silverstein meets Strunk and White and the results are both hilarious and instructive. Tried and true, and everyone a delight, there isn't a serious sentence in the group. But this is a dead-serious grammar book with the heart of a clown. Lessons include: parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, parts of the sentence, clauses of all kinds, quotation marks and italics and much more. The Deluxe Teacher's Guide has a CD-Rom that includes a full answer set, posters for the classroom and a set of transparency-ready exercises for each of the chapters. | Author: Cathy Campbell | Publisher: Discover Writing Press | Publication Date: Jul 17, 2023 | Number of Pages: 304 pages | Language: English | Binding: Paperback | ISBN-10: 1931492220 | ISBN-13: 9781931492225

Wondering how to sequence grammar instruction? You'll want this list that scaffolds grammar lessons so that one skill builds upon the next.