I’m always in awe of the wonderful, vibrant and colorful classrooms I see in the communities I frequent online. I really feel like, particularly in the past twenty months, educators all over the world have become even more creative with how they’re decorating their classrooms, whether it’s at home in a spare room, or in a typical school building.
Something which always catches my eye, without fail, are anchor charts to supplement grammar activities. They are so visually appealing, they help keep the students (and teachers!) organized, and when done right, creating them can be an interactive activity with the students.
Here’s an example of an anchor chart we’ve used in my classroom:
…and, of course, the subject is what I want to share today: Subject-Verb Agreement! I usually find this one of the most challenging but most rewarding areas of grammar activities to teach to my students, and when it’s perfected, it’s a joy to see and hear them grow in confidence and ability.
I find that short, punchy sentences on practice sheets are usually a great place to start. Keeping things simple and relatable really helps students to get a quick understanding, and we all know that practice makes perfect, so this selection of practice sheets can be helpful for routine practice. The image at the top of the sheet helps to build confidence in the subject matter, and students will be able to read the sentences silently or aloud, before circling the right answer.
Individual practice sheets and are good to start off with but eventually our students will want to do grammar activities that are a little more independent. To further build their knowledge of subject-verb agreement, task cards in a literacy center provide them with the chance to do something by themselves. Focusing on one ‘task’ or question at a time allows them to focus and build their knowledge and comfort piece-by-piece on their own. They’re not purely for solo work, though! I also use them for a whole class review at the end of the session. Students love to play the game of Scoot where they work they along the line from card to card, get their bodies moving, and have a little fun.
Who else is embracing all things digital in their classroom? All of us, right? Well, I’m a huge fan of PowerPoint lessons as grammar activities. They can be used for online distance learning, and via smartboards and similar technology in an offline setting. I don’t know about you, but having animation in my lessons takes me back to watching Saturday morning cartoons as a child (we all watched Saturday morning cartoons, didn’t we?), and I find students really engage with this method, too.
Speaking of animation and technology, there is a wealth of excellent content on the old favorite YouTube to further educate and inform about subject-verb agreement. These videos can be used to introduce grammar activities to individuals and groups, and links can be provided for students to review at home with parents and guardians.
Lastly, you may know about Boom Cards, and if not, why?! Boom Cards have been a real favorite of mine for a few years now, and some of you may have heard me extolling the virtues of them during that time. They are self-checking, allow for differentiated tasks, provide immediate feedback, and save time and paper (which is never, ever a bad thing!). Most of all, these grammar activities are fun! My students feel like they are playing games and want to do more and more whenever we have time.
I have two subject-verb agreement Boom Card sets available, covering linking and helping verbs, and action verbs respectively. As part of an overall learning plan for students looking to boost their subject-verb agreement capability, they can be a great resource to round-off any lesson. Like the YouTube videos mentioned earlier, Boom Cards grammar activities can also be done at home and, like me, you might soon be getting comments from parents and caregivers about how much the students have been enjoying them. Most importantly, you’ll notice that their ability is improving, and you’ll be able to enjoy their development together
Whichever way you choose to do it, I know you’ll enjoy seeing your students improve their ability, and I hope you’re able to invent even more creative and engaging grammar activities to aid their learning with subject-verb agreement.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day!
I’m always in awe of the wonderful, vibrant and colorful classrooms I see in the communities I frequent online. I really feel like, particularly in the past twenty months, educators all over the world have become even more creative with how they’re decorating their classrooms, whether it’s at home in a spare room, or in a typical school building.
Something which always catches my eye, without fail, are anchor charts. They are so visually appealing, and they are a great way to introduce grammar activities. They also help keep general education and ESL students organized, and when done right, creating them is a fun way to incorporate an interactive activity with the students.
Here’s an example of an anchor chart for grammar rules we’ve used in my classroom when introducing grammar lessons:
…and, of course, the subject is what I want to share today: Subject-Verb Agreement! I usually find this one of the most challenging but most rewarding areas of grammar activities to teach to my students, and when it’s perfected, it’s a lot of fun to see and hear young learners grow in confidence and ability.
I find that short, punchy sentences on grammar practice sheets are usually a great place to start. Keeping things simple and relatable really helps students to get a quick understanding, and we all know that practice makes perfect, so this selection of practice sheets are one of best ways to get this into routine practice. The image at the top of the sheet helps to build confidence in the subject matter, and students will be able to read the sentences silently or aloud, before circling the right answer.
Individual printable worksheets are good to start off, but eventually our students will want to do grammar activities that are a little more independent. To further build their knowledge of subject-verb agreement, a wide variety of task cards in a literacy center provide them with the chance to do this on their own. Focusing on one ‘task’ or different questions at a time allows them to focus and build their knowledge and comfort piece-by-piece on their own. They’re not purely for solo work, though! I also use them for a whole class review at the end of the session. Students love to play the game of Scoot where they work they along the line from card to card, get their bodies moving, and it’s a nice way little fun.
Who else is embracing all things digital in their classroom? All of us, right? Well, I’m a huge fan of PowerPoint lessons as grammar activities. They can be used for online distance learning, and via smartboards and similar technology in an offline setting. I don’t know about you, but having animation in my lessons takes me back to watching Saturday morning cartoons as a child (we all watched Saturday morning cartoons, didn’t we?), and I find students really engage with this method, too.
Speaking of animation and technology, there is a wealth of excellent content on the old favorite YouTube to further educate and inform about subject-verb agreement. These videos can be used to introduce grammar activities to individuals and groups, and links can be provided for students to review at home with parents and guardians.
Lastly, you may know about Boom Cards, and if not, why?! Boom Cards have been a real favorite of mine for a few years now, and some of you may have heard me extolling the virtues of them during that time. They are self-checking, allow for differentiated tasks, provide immediate feedback, and save time and paper (which is never, ever a bad thing!). Most of all, these grammar activities are fun! My students feel like they are playing games and want to do more and more whenever we have time.
I have two subject-verb agreement Boom Card sets available, covering linking and helping verbs, and action verbs respectively. As part of an overall learning plan for students looking to boost their subject-verb agreement capability, they can be a great resource to round-off any lesson. Like the YouTube videos mentioned earlier, Boom Cards grammar activities can also be done at home and, like me, you might soon be getting comments from parents and caregivers about how much the students have been enjoying them. Most importantly, you’ll notice that their ability is improving, and you’ll be able to enjoy their development together
Whichever way you choose to do it, I know you’ll enjoy seeing your students improve their ability with grammar concepts, and I hope you’re able to invent even more creative and engaging grammar activities to aid their learning with subject-verb agreement and other grammar topics for all students and english learners as well.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day, English Teachers!
