Grammar skills are essential for all aspects of life. Children need to learn proper grammar in
order to effectively communicate. When
expressing your thoughts and ideas, it is important that the message is clear and
free from grammatical errors. In our
very busy world of teaching, sometimes grammar skills are put on the back
burner. As teachers we need to make sure
we are teaching students how to communicate in a way which will help them become
productive members of society.
So, where do you begin?
As in the Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning…”
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Teach grammar
vocabulary. Students needs to understand
and be able to identify the different parts of speech. Here are some essential parts of speech that
all elementary school students should know:
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Nouns
identify people, places, animals, or things.
o
People – teacher, mother, father, boy, girl,
baby
o
Places – school, farm, office, hospital,
library, restaurant
o
Animals – dog, cat, monkey, lion, tiger, pig, zebra,
giraffe
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Things – pencil, apple, bed, ball, bicycle, cup,
table
§
Pronouns
take the place of nouns.
o
Subject pronouns – I, you, he, she, it, we, you,
they
o
Object pronouns – me, you, him, her, it, us, you
them
o
Possessive pronouns – mine, yours, his, hers, its,
ours, yours, theirs
§
Adjectives
describe nouns and pronouns
o
What kind is it?
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How many are there?
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Which one is it?
§
Verbs
express action and states of being
o
Action verbs show action.
o
Linking verbs link the subject to a noun or
adjective. It describes a condition.
o
Helping verbs help the main verb describe the
action.
§
Adverbs
modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
o
Where?
o
When?
o
How?
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How often?
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Use literature books. It is important to teach grammar in a
meaningful way. There are so many
wonderful picture books that will help your students better understand the
grammar concepts and ideas. Here are
just some literature books that I highly recommend:
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Nouns
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One Sheep,
Two Sheep: A Book of Collective Nouns
by Patricia Byers
o
A Cat, a
Bat, Your Grandma’s Hat: What is a Noun? by Brian P. Cleary
o
Merry-Go-Round:
A Book About Nouns by Ruth Heller
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Herd of
Cows, Flock of Sheep: Adventures in Collective Nouns by Rick Walton
o
If You
Were a Noun by Michael Dahl
o
A Rattle
of Bones: A Halloween Book of Collective Nouns by Kipling West
o
Incredible
Ned by Bill Maynard
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Pronouns
o
Mine, All
Mine!: A Book about Pronouns by Ruth Heller
o
I and You
and Don’t Forget Who: What is a Pronoun? by Brian P. Cleary
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Verbs
o
It’s Hard
to be a Verb! by Julia Cook
o
To Root,
to Toot, to Parachute: What is a Verb? by Brian P. Cleary
o
Nouns and
Verbs Have a Field Day by Robin Pulver
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Adverbs
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Dearly,
Nearly, Insincerely: What is an Adverb? by Brian P. Cleary
o
If You
Were an Adverb by Michael Dahl
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Adjectives
o
If You
Were an Adjective by Michael Dahl
o
Hairy,
Scary, Ordinary: What is an Adjective by Brian P. Cleary
o
Many
Luscious Lollipops: A Book About Adjectives by Ruth Heller
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Use students’ actual writing pieces. Authentic use of grammar skills will enable
kids to apply their understanding of the parts of speech into their daily
writing.
ü
Use mentor texts. These texts enable the readers to authentically see authors write using the different parts of speech.
o Things
That are Most in the World by Judi Barrett and Pig, Pigger, Piggest by Rick Walton are wonderful literature books
to show how writers use superlatives in their writing.
o
Beast
Feast: Poems & Paintings by Douglas Florian is packed with adjectives
describing animals.
o
Alexander
and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst provides
the reader with loads of adjectives.
o
Come On,
Rain! by Karen Hesse enables the reader to clearly see the actions of the
characters through the use of vivid verbs.
o In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming readers follow a tiny tour guide as he travels through the book. The author describes his journey using strong verbs.
Check out these engaging grammar activities at my Teachers Pay Teachers store:
Nouns - Engaging Activities to Teach Grammar
Plural Nouns - Engaging Activities to Teach Grammar
Verbs - Engaging Activities to Teach Grammar
Remember, take the time to teach Grammar!
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