Mar 31
Ever find yourself staring at a student sentence and thinking, “That punctuation mark is doing the absolute most”? Commas, parentheses, and dashes tend to sneak in when students add extra info—and knowing which one to use (and when) can be surprisingly powerful. Let’s break it down in a way that actually sticks. What Are Nonrestrictive …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=100
Apr 22
Double negatives have a way of creeping into everyday speech—and even more so into the music students love. That’s what makes them the perfect grammar target: tricky enough to challenge learners, but familiar enough to spark curiosity. Even better? You can turn their favorite songs into your secret weapon for teaching it. In this post, …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=1037
May 01
Do your students know when to capitalize directions? Most second graders proudly capitalize cities, states, and countries like seasoned travelers with a passport and a pencil—but those pesky direction words? A whole different compass. Whether it’s North Carolina or just “heading northeast,” students often struggle to decide when north, south, east, and west deserve their …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7361
Mar 27
Fifth graders + commas = chaos with a sprinkle of misplaced punctuation. If you’ve ever seen commas tossed into a sentence like confetti—“My dog, barks, loudly, every, morning,”—you know the struggle is real. Luckily, this post has everything you need to help students master comma rules and enjoy the process. From quick-reference charts to video …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=3095
Dec 16
Let’s be honest—teaching students to eliminate wordiness isn’t exactly the highlight of a student’s writing journey. Most upper elementary students believe that if they write more words, their story will be better. Meanwhile, you’re reading something like: “I went on a really long, extremely tiring walk across the very big and really wide field.” Good news: teaching concise …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=1990
Sep 16
Developing strong writing skills in upper elementary students isn’t just beneficial—it’s game-changing. One important area that helps build clarity and structure in their writing is understanding the active and passive voice. This post will walk you through the difference between these two writing styles, with hands-on activities to boost engagement and confidence. Grab the handout …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=102
Feb 18
Teaching grammar doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth—or pulling your students’ attention away from TikTok. Appositives might sound fancy, but they’re just sneaky little noun-revealers that give sentences a boost of flavor and clarity. And yes, I brought charts, organizers, and video reinforcements because you deserve backup. Here’s what’s in the lesson handout: a …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7356
