Parts of Speech ~ Nouns

Are you looking for some activities to teach nouns? Look no further. This post contains PowerPoints, posters, games, and more.

Something to think about . . . .

Prepositions and interjections are like the glue in our sentences. These short words are taught as early as kindergarten using flashcards. Students learn these words in the primary grades, whether you use the Dolch list, STAR, or some other list. Likewise, pronouns are taught at an early age. This means that when students reach the upper elementary grades, vocabulary lists comprise nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and occasional conjunction.

One way to help students master parts of speech is to include identifying words with each vocabulary study. I always introduce vocabulary words using the sentence from the text. Students must use context clues to determine the word’s meaning. After creating a word web, I have students evaluate the sentence to determine which part of speech the word is. [As mentioned earlier, vocabulary words are usually nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.] After routinely completing this simple daily practice, students become proficient in identifying these parts of speech.

If you would like to read more on teaching vocabulary, here’s a link to the blog post that describes teaching vocabulary in more detail.

Activities to Teach Nouns

Teaching Video with Organizer

This video is a great overview of several rules about nouns. It includes definitions and examples for the following:

concrete and abstract
common and proper
plural and singular
possessive

The lesson pairs with a provided graphic organizer. Students listen to the first part of the video to hear the definition of pronouns. When instructed to do so, students pause the video and complete their organizers. Finally, students watch the remainder of the video to check their answers.

This button takes you to the post handout. For your convenience, the handout includes everything from the post. You will find a printable organizer and a link to the Google Slide version. The handout also includes the posters, teaching ideas, and links to the activities mentioned in this post.

You can get the noun posters using this handout link.

Guess the Location

Have students think of a place they like to visit. On a piece of paper, students list things they would see, hear, taste, touch, or smell at this place. The list needs to contain all nouns. For example, if the location was the beach, the student might list sand, sunshine, shells, wind, umbrella, towel, castle, shovel, bucket, and salt.

Once the lists are made, have students divide into small groups to share them. After a student reads his/her nouns, the group members try to guess the location.

Elimination Noun Game

Setting up the Game:

You will need three sets of popsicle sticks.

#1 ~Write each student’s name on one stick.

#2 ~ Write the letters of the alphabet.

#3 ~ Write specific types of nouns such as singular, plural, collective, proper, abstract, concrete, etc.

The Object of the Game

To be the last student standing

Playing up the Game:

Have all students stand up. Draw one stick from each set. You may draw ~ Megan ~ A ~ Proper Noun. Megan has to quickly give you a proper noun that begins with the letter A. For example, Alaska, Atlanta, Alice, etc. If she cannot, she must sit down. Place these sticks aside and draw three more [one from each set] for the next turn. Once you run out of sticks in one set, you can dump the “used” sticks back into the draw piles.

Students must sit down if they give an incorrect answer or repeat any nouns already used during the game. Students must answer promptly. You may wish to start slowly, then increase the speed after students understand the game’s rules. If students hesitate, they must sit down and be eliminated from the game.

Nouns – Games for the Classroom

Mini Noun Book

Create a mini-book. Follow the demonstration on the YouTube video to fold a single 8 1/2 by 11-inch piece of paper to form a mini-book. Have students create a book on nouns.

Page Setup

1 – Title

2 – Definition

3 – Proper Nouns

4 – Abstract Nouns

5 – Concrete Nouns

6 – Plural Nouns

7 – Singular Nouns

8 – Collective Nouns

SchoolHouse Rock

YouTube has many videos on interjections. Try “A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing” from Schoolhouse Rock.

Online Activities to Teach Nouns

Here are a few links to help you find lessons and practice pages:

English Linx – Worksheets
ESL Printables

Picture Books that Help Teach Nouns

A Rattle of Bones: A Halloween Book of Collective Nouns by Kipling West
A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime: More about Nouns by Brian P. Cleary A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun? by Brian P. Cleary
Chicken in the City by By Maria Fleming and Liza Charlesworth
Merry-Go-Round: A Book About Nouns (Explore!) by Ruth Heller
Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day by Robin Pulver
Herd of Cows, Flock of Sheep by Rick Walton
One Sheep, Two Sheep: A Book of Collective Nouns by Patricia Byers
If You Were a Noun by Michael Dahl