Identify and use appositives and appositive phrases. Appositives - jeopardy type game. Appositives - print these exercise sheets for classroom usage. Jeopardy style game on appositives. Jeopardy style game on appositives. Copy this to my account E-mail to a friend Find other activities Start over. As an English teacher, I know how important mechanics, grammar, and punctuation are to any writing endeavor. However, I also know how dry and boring these lessons can become if we simply diagram sentences with students. For years, I have been searching for ways to ‘gamify’ my classroom a bit more to increase engagement in content learning. Last month, I wrote about my argument games- five games to incorporate into your argument/persuasive writing unit. Like these games, my grammar games work to practice these challenging skills in a fun, collaborative, and even competitive manner. Check these out to ‘gamify’ your grammar lessons and get your students excited about sentence structure and punctuation! To begin teaching compound and complex sentences, I quickly realized that I was going to need to refresh on the basics of simple sentences. I started by introducing the idea that sentences need a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. Then, I had students practice by writing two word sentences so that they could really grasp this concept. We generated a list through our discussion to display in the room. Then we played the Simply Sentence Smack Down game. For this game, you will need to invest in two fly swatters. You will also need to create examples of complete simple sentences, and fragmented sentences. I made these very large using chart paper, and I created 15 examples of each. Then, I laminated these and added magnets to the back so I could place them all over my whiteboard. These could easily be taped to the board as well; I just created them with the intention of using them each year. Then I split the class into two teams, and cleared the desks to the side of the room. One person is selected from each group (each student will have a turn). These two people will each receive a fly swatter, and stand at the opposite side of the room as these sentences are posted. I ask students to turn away from the board, so they cannot see the sentences. Then, I will call out either “simple sentence” or “fragment sentence”, and then I will say go! These two students will turn around, and RUN to the board searching for an appropriate example. The first student to use the fly swatter to ‘smack’ the correct example will win a point for their team! I then remove this example from the board and play continues with a new partner from each team! *Helpful tip. Have each team line up on either side of the room, so it is clear which student will go next in line. Also, be sure to have a quick safety and appropriate use discussion before playing. I have had students take this far too seriously and run right into the whiteboard! They were okay, of course, but it was unnecessary and distracting. After teaching students how to combine sentences with the appropriate punctuation and these amazing conjunctive adverbs, I ask students to practice with this Tic-Tac-Know game. On the projector screen, I will display two similar sentences that can be combined with a conjunctive adverb. I was thirsty. I drank some water. I ask students to combine these sentences together with a fitting conjunctive adverb as independent practice. Then, I will display eight more sentences and ask students to do the same. In the past, this is where the lesson ended. Now, as I work to incorporate these grammar games into my lessons, I play this Tic-Tac-Know game. Students are given a traditional Tic-Tac-Toe board and asked to partner with a neighbor. As I reveal the answers to these sentences (sharing possible conjunctive adverbs, and discussing these as a class), students that have created a sentence that applies these with the correct punctuation, can take a turn in the Tic-Tac-Toe board game. If students do not get the sentence correct, they cannot mark the board with an X or an O. Then we continue to reveal the answers as student partners play their Tic-Tac-Toe board game. This Tic-Tac-Know board could be used in so many practice applications in the classroom! After this initial practice with Conjunctive Adverbs, students are ready for the Conjunctive Adverb Ball Toss game. This game will get them working in collaboration with three peers, and incorporate movement into your lesson. To prepare for this game, you will need to purchase enough beach balls for each group of four in your classroom. I simply went to party city and bought two packs of 8 mini-beach balls for a minimal investment. Then, I used a Sharpie to write common conjunctive adverbs into each section of the beach ball. To play the game, one student (in this group of four) will toss this conjunctive adverb ball to one other student in the group. The person who catches this ball will create a compound sentence using the conjunctive adverb closest to their thumb. The person who tossed the ball will write down the sentence using the appropriate punctuation. The game continues until one group has created and written twenty sentences on their worksheet.
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March 2019
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