How to Effectively Teach Grammar

Learn how to effectively teach grammar using grammar gabs. Each part of the resource plays a role in helping your students not only learn grammar skills but also retain the information learned.

Don’t have time to teach grammar? Don’t have the right resources? What about understanding the craziness of all those grammar rules? Grammar tends to be one of those subjects that often takes a back burner for many reasons.

Effectively teaching grammar was something that I, as well as my colleagues, struggled with for many years. I have always taught in a tested grade which meant that most of the time had to be devoted to subjects that were part of the required state testing.

Grammar became my passion! I not only wanted to effectively teach grammar, but I also desperately wanted to help other teachers who were trudging right along with me.

I knew I had to come up with a way to not just quickly teach grammar but to also lay a foundation of learning for my students.

This is when my “Grammar Gabs” resources were born! The units have changed and morphed over the years and will probably continue to change and morph.

how to Effectively Teach Grammar with Grammar Gabs Using....

There are many components that make up the Grammar Gabs. The units include everything you need to teach a full week of grammar in a short amount of time. I have developed the resource to be fun yet effective.

Anchor Charts

Anchor charts are a great way to display the week’s grammar skill for students to reference if needed.

I typically first introduce a new grammar skill with an anchor chart. I will display the chart on the board or print a project size to display on the wall.

As a class, we will briefly go over the skill. I will quickly explain how the skill is used and give some examples.

This usually takes about 5 mins. You don’t have to spend much time on this because the bulk of the information will come with the guided notes.

Most of the time, I use the anchor chart that is already filled in because we take most of our notes with the guided notes, and students will keep those sheets in their binder for reference as well. You may choose one that you fill in with your class.

Each set includes 4 anchor charts. Two charts are filled in, and two are blank. I have also included a color version and a black & white version.

Guided Notes & Daily Lessons

For me, this is the fun part. This is where you see the light bulbs going off.

I used guided notes to truly break down grammar skills. Instead of telling students what commas in a series are, we break down how to find and use them in sentences.

I walk students through the guided notes by having them “take notes” related to the skill.

This is where they will fill in the definition and work through various types of examples.

After we complete the guided notes, students will work on the daily lessons. Each daily lesson usually consist of 8-10 questions for students to complete using the information from the guided notes. They are short, sweet, and require little time to complete.

The assessment at the end of the week is set up just like the daily activities. I created it this way, so students have a similar format for testing….no surprises!

Each unit includes a guided notes page that introduces the skill and helps students understand how to apply the skill in the activities. I also include a daily lesson for students to complete. There are lessons for days 1-4 and an assessment on day 5.

Fun Activities for practice

Learning how to effectively teach grammar wouldn’t be complete without some fun activities.

These are not your typical worksheet. I created the actives to be fun, engaging, but challenging at the same time.

Each activity consist of a puzzle, coloring activity, maze or something more to get your kiddos engaged in learning. No two activities are alike!

I usually assign one fun activity a day. The kiddos love the activities and often ask for more.

Each unit includes 4 fun activities to work on throughout the week. These activities can be assigned as morning work, homework, station work, etc…the options are endless.

Digital Link for online learning

Sometimes you have those students who can’t make it to class and need to be virtual, or you have a student who just needs some extra review.

The digital information is the same as the printable version. You may or may not use this in your classroom, but I wanted to give you the option you needed digital access to the resource.

There are two digital links. There is a link for the daily activity which includes slides for the anchor chart and daily lessons. The second link is for the grammar gab assessment.

PowerPoint for Whole Group

For me, this is a must! I am a visual learner; therefore, I prefer to have something visual for students to reference. I will display the guided notes and daily lessons on the board, so student can see each slide as we work through the grammar skill.

The PowerPoint is fully animated with answers and includes the guided notes and daily lessons for days 1-4.

Simply sit back, hit the button, and let the PPT do the work! …..If only it were that easy. 🙂

Final Thoughts on How to effectively teach grammar

There is so much that these units offer. I also include a recommended lesson plan as well as answer keys for all of the activities. These units have truly made a difference in my classroom as well as so many other classrooms.

I work to keep things exciting for the kiddos. Grammar is always a favorite subject for my students. They enjoy learning, but the best part is that they retain the information. That’s a win..win!

If you’d like to give Grammar Gabs a try, you can download a full week of lessons, activities, guided notes, and more for my unit on “Commas in a Series”. I give you everything that you need to try Grammar Gabs for one full week.

I am slowly working on adding skills to my store. If you want a skill that you don’t see in my store, please reach out to me and make a request. I have a ton of skills to add! Follow my store, so you can be notified when I release new Grammar Gab resources.