Take some of the stress away from teaching endless rules for understanding pronouns with some of these fun hands-on activities. Try teaching pronouns using these posters as a classroom display for students to reference. Turn practice into game-like activities. Read fun books and play catchy songs. Finally, show videos that review rules. Your students will become experts in no time at all.
Teaching Pronouns Video with Organizer
This video is a great overview of several rules about pronouns. It includes definitions and examples for the following:
- pronoun uses
- subject-verb agreement
- rules and examples
- finding what is wrong in examples
The lesson pairs with a provided graphic organizer. Students listen to the first part of the video to hear the definition of interjections. 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.
Download free posters, the video organizer, and classroom handouts here.
More Pronoun Activities
Activity #1 – Task Cards
Turn pronoun practice into a game-like activity with these task cards. This collection of cards is set up to work well with the game Scoot. The cards use quotes from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but students do not have to read the book to enjoy using these task cards.
Scoot Activity
Playing Scoot turns using a set of task cards into a game. You play by placing one task card on each student’s desk. For easier recording, place the cards in numerical order. Give each student one copy of a sheet to record answers.
Directions
Each student will read the question on the activity card on his/her desk and will record the answer. After a length of time (approximately 1 minute),a signal is given for the students to scoot to the next desk. The signal may simply be the teacher saying “move” or noise such as a bell. The procedure repeats at each desk. The activity continues until all students end up at the desks where they began the activity.
You will find these cards in the post handout.
Activity #2 – Posters
This set of mini-posters may be displayed in the classroom during the lesson for students to reference.
Do you need additional posters? The Teaching Ideas website provides both banners and posters.
Activity #3 – Online Activities that Help Students Learn about Pronouns
These links take you to online games and lessons about pronouns.
(At this site, instructions are provided for a game activity in which students build sentences from words they have drawn from paper lunch bags.)
Here are a few links to help you find lessons and practice pages:
Activity #4 – Picture Books that Help Teach Pronouns
Use literature to teach pronouns in context. Recommended titles include:
- The Planet without Pronouns by Justin Mccory Martin and Justin Martin
- I and You and Don’t Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun? by Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable
- Mine, All Mine: A Book about Pronouns by Ruth Heller
- If You Were a Pronoun by Nancy Loewen and Sara Jean Gray
Activity #5 – Schoolhouse Rock – “Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla”
Bring music into grammar instruction with the classic Schoolhouse Rock song “Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla.” It’s packed with examples and rhythm that sticks.
Activity #6 – Grammar Games
- Play games like “The Bag Game” where students build sentences from words drawn from paper lunch bags.
- Create cards with pronouns and their antecedents. Students match them correctly, then write a sentence using both.
- Create a “Pronoun Relay.” Students race to match sentence halves using the correct pronoun (e.g., “Maria saw the dog” + “She fed it”).
Activity #7 – Pronouns Anchor Chart
This anchor chart is loaded with definitions and examples. Including an anchor chart such as this one is a great reference guide for students.
If you missed the link to the handouts, here it is again.
See the product that inspired this post.
Ready to dive deeper?
To look at how Teaching Grammar with Animated Shorts can transform your grammar lessons, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store. You’ll find detailed lesson plans, interactive activities, and everything you need to bring grammar to life in your classroom!
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1 comment
I am so impressed with all of your work. Thank you for sharing your ideas. I know my students will benefit from everything.
Teresa