How do you fit it all in? That is the question I hear all the time. I used to ask myself the same thing. I teach reading, phonics, small groups, writing and all these essential skills but my time is limited. I know I need to teach grammar too though. Not only is there not a curriculum, but time is a struggle. If you have this struggle, I am here to help.
My Grammar Journey
A few years ago, I looked at my state testing data and the section on Editing and Language was super low. This didn't make sense, I felt this was an easy area for the kids to get all their points. The problem was that I wasn’t teaching it explicitly. I would have the students fix mistakes in their writing and talk about grammar but it wasn’t being taught. I didn’t have any grammar resources or the time. I knew I couldn’t use those excuses anymore. I looked at some of the main skills the kids needed to cover in my state (Florida) for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade and made a resource with quick daily practice lessons. I have used these lessons as morning work, in a weird 10-minute break between lunch and specials, and as a reading warm up. No matter where I found the time to implement them, I saw success. I started out using them 6 weeks before testing, which was helping with test scores but I realized these quick lessons would be beneficial for the kids to practice these skills and spiral them throughout the year. So I did what I love doing best and made a resource for it.
Why is it Successful?
How come the lessons are successful even though the lessons are simple and quick? The answer is simple, the repetition of practicing the skills and spiraling through them throughout the year. These aren’t hard concepts once they get used to them. There is a checklist to mark whether you need to revisit the skill and many of the skills spiral. Using this checklist to make sure you review as needed makes the impact of these lessons even greater. Check out the checklist below!
DIY Grammar Lessons
If you don’t want to buy a premade resource, no problem! Follow these steps to create mini lessons of your own. Just write them on the whiteboard and you will have some great mini-grammar lessons!
Paragraph Editing- Write paragraphs and make mistakes, then allow students to edit them on Mondays. I usually add answer choices for them to choose from so it mimics testing while they practice but both formats are effective.
Example:
Homophones and/or Easily Confused Words- Choose a set of words each week to practice on Tuesdays. The first time I use the words we talk about what they mean but then after that they must try and remember the meanings and proper use. I spiral through different word sets throughout the year. This repetition is what truly helps the students. The reason I use easily confused words and not just homophones is because words like 'were' need to be included with 'where and wear'.
Example:
Each week I do a different skill on Wednesdays and Thursdays including things like using commas, capital letters, punctuation, verb tense, plurals, and plural possessives, etc. I give a few sentences and have students correct them or choose the correct answer.
Example:
Friday-
Review one thing from each day for a quick student progress check every Friday. Fridays also can be used to practice one of the skills the class struggled with throughout the week.
Conclusion
After spiraling through skills and sets of words for approximately 6 weeks you can change out some of the skills and words being practiced. You know your students the best, so use what they need to practice the most in these mini-lessons. The spiral and repetition is good to help with retention. With practice, these mini-lessons can be completed and reviewed in about 5 -10 minutes. Completing these mini-lessons daily will truly help your students with grammar, editing, and language!
Pre-made Editing and Language Grammar Resources: