Have you searched high and low for grammar resources to use in your elementary classroom? Look no further here are ALL the grammar materials you need in one spot. Read on to learn about grammar resources for elementary students.
Teaching grammar can be difficult because most districts don’t give their teachers materials for grammar lessons.
Plus, grammar isn’t the most fun to teach . . . many even find it BORING.
Read on to find the steps in teaching grammar for elementary students and a list of grammar resources that will make teaching grammar to your third, fourth, or fifth grade students easy.
Steps in Teaching Grammar
Many teachers wonder how to set up a good grammar lesson. There are 5 easy steps:
- Introduce the Grammar Skill
- Practice the Skill with a game or in text
- Practice the Skill independently
- Use Grammar Skills in Writing
- Reinforce Grammar Skills
Sounds easy, but what exactly needs to be done in each step? And the big question is, what materials should be used to teach grammar?
Let’s break down each step and include the materials that you need to use! Most of these materials can be found in one place as well: Teaching Grammar Bundle
Introduce Grammar Skill
Start with your Grammar Lesson. This grammar lesson comes with a slide show, so you’ll be sure to hit the key point in every grammar skill.
Additionally, to keep students engaged, they will follow along with guided notes that match the lesson.
Also, Writing notebooks are necessary to store all the information about each grammar rule that upper elementary students learn throughout the year.
When students write or work on revise and edit questions, they can pull out their writing notebook to reference the grammar rules they learned.
TEKS aligned Writing Notebooks are perfect for your elementary students. They include all the grammar skills that need to be taught each year. If you want to learn more about using Writing Notebooks in your class, check out this blog post: Pros of Using a Writing Notebook
Many teachers struggle with the order to teach grammar skills, let me help! Fill out the info below, and I’ll send over my Grammar Pacing Guide ASAP!
Practice Grammar Skills in Text or Using Games
Elementary students achieve another level of understanding grammar skills when they observe grammar rules in authentic text.
First, as you read aloud to students, point out grammar rules in novels.
Next, give students a chance to find grammar in books themselves.
They can put the examples they find in their writing notebooks. Or students can create anchor charts with examples of specific grammar rules.
For instance, after teaching students compound sentences, put them in groups with several books. They search and find examples of compound sentences. Then they put what they found on the anchor chart.
Additionally, students love to work together by playing grammar games. They are perfect for small groups or to put in a literacy station
To learn more about Grammar Games, read my blog post: Grammar Games
Practice Grammar Skills Independently
Students need to practice grammar skills in isolation. However, teachers don’t want to make grammar practice for every grammar skill themselves! Who has time for that?
Here are print and go grammar practice for your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students:
Grammar Practice Pages– 27 pages over TEKS-aligned grammar skills.
NEW Grammar Practice BUNDLE– Teachers asked for more grammar practice and here it is! This bundle not only includes grammar skills practice, but it also includes revise and edit practice over specific grammar skills which makes it perfect prep for the STAAR reading test.
Grammar in Writing
Students should be able to use grammar correctly in their writing.
Applying grammar skills in writing is perhaps the most difficult thing for elementary students to do.
For example, when I go over simple sentences with my fourth graders, I am happy with how many students know that a sentence needs a subject, predicate, and needs to be a complete thought.
However, when I read the first writing sample of the year, students have many incomplete and run-on sentences.
This means I have to reinforce grammar skills constantly. Students must correct mistakes in their own writing. This helps them remember for the next time.
But, be sure not to point out too many grammar mistakes at one time. It will overwhelm students. Pick one or two grammar rules to focus on in each paper.
Reinforce Grammar Skills
Elementary students have a hard time remembering grammar rules if they are only taught once. A repetitive review of grammar skills is necessary.
In your classroom, display grammar rules. Writing Anchor Charts can be hung on a bulletin board.
Plus, a FANBOYS display is a must in my 4th grade classroom because it is one grammar skill my students struggle with the most.
A daily grammar-warm up will be a quick way for students to practice grammar skills. My grammar warm-up resource includes daily grammar review, revise and edit practice, plus a quick write for Friday.
Finally, assess your students to find out what skills they have mastered and what skills they still need to work on.
Assessments made easy: Grammar Assessment Bundle includes a beginning, middle, and end of the year assessment.
In summary, teaching grammar in elementary doesn’t have to be hard!
As long as you have a plan and the right grammar resources for elementary students, teaching grammar will be easy!
