Monday Made It (A Little Late)

Happy Monday! (I started this post last night and fell asleep, oops!)

Today I'm linking up with Tara from Fourth Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It! I just am loving all these linky parties lately - such a great way to meet oh-so-many wonderful bloggers out there!

I'm pretty sure I could do this every Monday, since I'm always making something!

First on my list, is a little interactive grammar game. One of my fab professors in college taught me this game, and I've loved its simplicity ever since. All you really need for this game is a whiteboard (or SmartBoard if you're techy) and two flyswatters. Students split into two teams, and race to smack the correct word on the board with their flyswatter.

This works for literally any subject, and is one of those quick and easy games I have kept in my teacher toolbox. (It really comes in handy for subbing!) Truly, any age group (even adults) have fun with this easy game. Well, of course I had to take it to the next level and add some cuteness to it. Right now, we are learning about possessive nouns and how to correctly use apostrophes. Is it just me, or are these sorts of grammar concepts sometimes tricky to make an engaging lesson?  I decided that after I introduce how to use possessives, this would be an interactive way to check if students understand the concept.

All you do is cut out the little flies, laminate them, and tape to a whiteboard. I made two flies for each sentence - one with the correct use of the possessive and apostrophe, and one with the incorrect use. You could check it out at my TpT store (which is all freebies right now) and grab your copy! 

Second on my list is inspired from  Tara from Fourth Grade Frolics and the book Word Nerds. Once I saw her post, I did a little research and remembered I read that book, too! If you haven't read it yet, it provides so many creative ways of teaching vocabulary and getting students engaged in learning. If you don't have time to read (or buy) the book, you could check out this handy little summary from Mrs. Allen's Teaching Files or you could view the whole book here for free. 

One of the ways that they discuss getting students engaged in learning vocabulary is by using vocabulary lanyards. Each student wears a vocabulary word, synonym, or antonym on a lanyard. So to make my lanyards, I just took speech bubbles, printed on neon paper, cut them out, laminated them, and attached string. I plan on using dry erase markers for the vocabulary words each week. (This is my cheap alternative to lanyards!) Then, they can be used for many different activities! My three favorites: 

1. Counting Dude, Bragging Dude

Have students wear their vocabulary lanyards. Divide them into two groups - "Bragging" and "Counting." Then, have students meet in pairs with one of each and introduce themselves pretending that they are their word. The "Bragging Dude" must make a 7 word sentence using their word. The "Counting Dude" must determine if the sentence is long enough, and whether or not they used the word correctly. If they did, "Bragging Dude" gets to do a small quiet celebration, happy dance, etc. Then, they switch roles. 

2. Vocabulary Scramble

While students are wearing their lanyards, randomly call out "Scramble!" The kids have to get up and create a human concept mp with those wearing related words. So, all the synonyms and antonyms are grouped together with their main word. 

3. Chain Link Connection

While wearing their lanyards, choose one student to stand in front of the class, pronounce the vocabulary word, and say its meaning. The rest of the class thinks of a way to make a connection between their word and the first students's word. When some hands are raised, call on a student to explain their link. If it makes sense, they get to join the first student and link elbows. The next student can link their word with either the first word or the second word. Continue until all words are linked up! Challenge Bonus: Try to link up the first and last words!

What sort of interactive ways do you teach grammar and vocabulary?