Thanks for popping in to read the fourth part of my ELA block blog series: teaching grammar and language! If you missed any of the posts, you can use the links below to get caught up.
Today I am sharing the final part of my ELA block, all about my grammar and language instruction!
I only have ten minutes to teach grammar. The good thing about that is that grammar can be sooooo boring to teach. The bad news is that there are lots of standards to cover and my students often act as if they have never even heard of a noun!
I tried a lot of different things, but nothing seemed perfect. Some resources were just worksheets that were boring and too much prep. Other resources were too complicated for my students, because they didn’t have the basic skills mastered. So, I made my own resource! BOOM!
I created a resource that was basic, engaging, easy to prep, and included assessment and review. The resource helps me to implement a consistent routine for grammar each week.
Monday
On Monday I use a PowerPoint to introduce the skill for the week. I am not much of a PowerPoint reading kind of teacher. So I made this PowerPoint short and sweet. Plus, the slides include tasks for the students to do so that they stay engaged.
Tuesday
On Tuesday my students complete a simple notebook activity. The activity is great practice of our weekly skill and the notebooks become a source of reference for the entire year. The activities include super simple cuts to make them quicker!
Wednesday
On Wednesday I like to integrate some quick writing into our grammar time. (This does NOT take the place of our writing workshop!) This is just another way to practice our weekly skill and allow students to see the skill in text.
I have PowerPoint presentations that give students a simple prompt each week. Then they are told to trade notebooks with a partner. If we are working on action verbs, students are told to underline the action verbs in their partner’s writing. If we have time, I ask students to raise their hand and share one action verb that their partner used in their writing. So simple!
Thursday
On Thursday we get out of our seat and SCOOT! Students complete task cards. This can be done many different ways, but I love to have kids up and moving around the room. I set the cards on desks and students roam around the room answering each of the questions. You can have them work independently or with a partner. Whatever suits your fancy!
Friday
After a week of working on one skill, we are ready for our Friday assessment. I give them a short assessment that is crazy easy for me to grade, but an effective tool to determine student mastery.
My Grammar Pacing
Are you wondering what skills to teach each week? It’s too bad you don’t know someone who would write a pacing guide for you… OH WAIT! You do know someone like that! ME!
Here is a full year of weekly grammar and language topics for grade 3.
You can find pacing guides for grades 2, 4 and 5 inside of my grammar bundles.
Free Grammar Posters!
I made some grammar posters for you and they are totally FREE! Sign up and I will send them to you right away.
Grammar Resources
If you don’t have time to make your own mini lesson PowerPoints, notebook activities, task cards and assessments- I have you covered!
I have full year grammar bundles for grades 2-5. Each full year bundle includes 32 weeks of grammar lessons that you can teach in just 10 minutes a day. They follow the same format every week to keep things simple. Each unit includes:
- Detailed teacher directions with a recommended schedule
- Mini-lesson PowerPoint presentation
- Student notebook activity
- Student writing activity
- 24 task cards with a recording sheet and answer key! (*Irregular plurals, subject & predicate and addresses only have 16 task cards due to their length.)
- Assessment with an answer key
The bundles also come with pacing guides, student notebook covers, and a table of contents to keep you organized.
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Free Grammar Games!
Want to make teaching and practicing grammar even more fun in your classroom?
Check out my FREE Grammar Games for grades 2-5! This resource contains two fun and engaging grammar games that review parts of speech and affixes. They’re easy to differentiate and perfect for test prep. Just print and play!
I can’t wait to hear what you think!
That’s a wrap folks! I hope that you were able to get some new ideas for your language instruction.
Are you ready to read all about my writing workshop? Click HERE to check out the last post in the series!
Where do you get those colorful plastic containers you use for your task cards?
Michaels Craft store or Amazon
Hi! Where can I find the free grammar notebook cover?
Hi Kristen,
Since writing this post, we finished the entire grammar bundles for grades 3rd-5th. The notebook covers are included inside each grammar unit. You can grab a free week of grammar lessons with this link
https://notsowimpyteacher.ck.page/weekofgrammar
Hi Jaime,
I bought the second grade growing grammar bundle and I do not see a pacing guide in the bundle.
Thanks
Hi Marriah,
Here is a list of the skills for second grade. This also includes the future units to come. I hope this helps!
Unit 1:
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
Pronouns
Regular plural nouns
Types of Sentences
Unit 1 review
Unit 2:
Irregular plural nouns
Punctuating Sentences
Common & proper Nouns
Collective Nouns
Possessive nouns
Reflexive Pronouns
Contractions
Unit 2 review
Unit 3:
Conjunctions
Verb tenses
Irregular past tense verbs
Context Clues
Simple & compound sentences
Compound words
Using Adjectives & Adverbs
Unit 3 review
Unit 4:
Commas in Letter writing
Prefixes
Root Words
Suffixes
Multiple meaning words
Shades of meaning
Dictionary skills
Unit 4 review
Hello!
Do you check their notebooks and task card responses to be sure they are completing them correctly? How does this fit into 10 minutes of instruction time?
Thank you!
Hi Liz,
Great question! You do a spot check of the writing notebooks as students are completing them and you circulate the room. If time permits, you can have students share some of their responses to make sure they are on the right track. If time permits for the task card assignment, you can discuss answers as a class. If time doesn’t permit you can have students turn in the answer sheet for you to review later.
How do I get the free Grammar posters?
Hi Sarah,
You can use this link to sign up for the FREE grammar posters. Enjoy! https://notsowimpyteacher.com/2018/06/free-grammar-posters.html