Make word study the highlight of your day! This category is packed with playful vocabulary activities, prefix and suffix lessons, and grammar strategies that work for busy classrooms. We move beyond rote memorization to offer interactive ideas—like cipher codes, word wheels, and context clue anchor charts—that help students expand their word consciousness. Whether you are tackling tricky word pairs, teaching root words, or looking for quick five-minute grammar games, these resources will help your students build the foundational language skills necessary for clear and effective writing.
Jan 22
Let’s face it—student writing can sometimes sound like a list of thoughts scribbled on sticky notes and shuffled around by a squirrel in a hurry. You’ve probably seen it: sentence after sentence with no clear connection. Sometimes student paragraphs read like GPS directions with half the turns missing. That’s where transition words come in. Think …
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May 22
Learning compound words can be a fun and engaging experience for upper elementary students. This post shares a variety of hands-on activities that build vocabulary and reinforce reading and word analysis skills. From anchor charts and cloze sentences to word games and foldable organizers, each idea helps students internalize the structure and meaning of compound …
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May 15
This post is a collection of many free resources from the web and some materials I have created that will help your students learn about contractions. Enjoy these contraction activities including online games. Discover great books to read. You’ll find songs and videos. The final activities are for more advanced students who know how to …
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Feb 27
Students should use different ways to start sentences. Teaching students to use a variety of sentence structures can greatly improve their writing. This post contains a step-by-step lesson plan with printables for teaching students this very important skill. The activities in this lesson can easily be divided across multiple days into mini-lesson or taught as …
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May 02
Are you looking for an engaging, ready-to-use resource to teach prefixes, suffixes, and root words? I’m thrilled to offer a free sample from my comprehensive Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots Series! This sample includes three activities for four different affixes and root words—12 fun, educational activities designed for upper elementary and middle school students. Why I …
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Feb 07
Make grammar lessons engaging by incorporating animated shorts! Grammar is often one of the least anticipated lessons for students, but with Teaching Grammar with Animated Shorts, you’ll find students asking when the next lesson is. This unit combines the excitement of animated short films with grammar practice, transforming a typically mundane subject into something interactive …
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Nov 29
Let’s face it. Some lessons are just more fun for teachers as well as students than others. Students would rather read the next chapter of an exciting cliffhanger, than study skills. So, how do you make teaching capitalization and punctuation fun for students? The answer is to use animated shorts and games. Free Capitalization and …
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