Grammar Games Lesson Plan: The Importance of Correct Grammar in Everyday Life

Submitted by: Angela Watson

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades K-12, students use BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. resources to explore the importance of correct grammar in real-life scenarios. Students will identify and analyze basic developmentally-appropriate grammar rules and create an ongoing review game to reinforce grammar skills for the class.

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:

  1. Explain the importance of correct grammar in real-life scenarios.
  2. Identify and analyze basic grammar rules.
  3. Create an ongoing review game to reinforce grammar skills.

Materials:

  • Computer and projector for showing BrainPOP resources
  • One index card for each student or pair of students
  • Optional: mobile devices with access to the BrainPOP app

Preparation:

This lesson can be used to introduce a review activity that will be revisited throughout the school year. You can use any grammar movie related to your current unit of study. (A list of all BrainPOP Jr. movies on grammar can be found in the Word and Sentence notebooks, and a list of all BrainPOP movies can be found in the Grammar unit.)

You can also have your students utilize the BrainPOP resources on their mobile devices using the BrainPOP app. They can explore the BrainPOP movies and also take the quizzes and see their scores. We recommend having students utilize the app in partners to encourage them to discuss and collaborate.

Students will create a game that helps them review the grammar rules you have introduced. As you teach additional topics and watch other BrainPOP movies, students can add to the game. By the end of the school year, they will have created a review for the entire year's grammar curriculum!

Lesson Procedure:

  1. Pose an open-ended question to get students thinking about the topic: Why is it important to use correct grammar? Have volunteers share their opinions and experiences in pairs or in a whole-class discussion.
  2. Tell the class they'll be creating a game to see how well they understand parts of speech and other aspects of grammar, and to keep this information in mind as they learn about the topic.
  3. Show the grammar movie related to your current unit of study.
  4. Use either the easy quiz or hard quiz from the movie to prepare students for creating the game. Click on 'Online Quiz' which will confirm the correct answers as you go. Show one question at a time and facilitate discussion. You may choose to have students indicate their answer choices with a hand signal, and in instances of disagreement, ask volunteers to share their thinking.
  5. Have students work alone or in partners to create a grammar question based on the movie topic. The question should address specific scenarios that students often encounter that are related to the grammar rules presented in the movie. Students should write the question (and multiple choice answer responses, if desired) on the front of an index card and the correct answer on the back.
  6. Collect the game cards and make sure the questions are appropriate and relevant. If the answers are incorrect or debatable, you may wish to discuss with the author of the card prior to game play, or open up the topic up for class discussion during game play.
  7. Divide the class in half or into teams to compete against one another in the game. Read each question aloud and take turns calling on teams to respond, awarding one point for each correct answer and a bonus point if they can explain the reason. Alternatively, you could have the entire class compete against themselves as a whole to see how many questions they can get right. Have a student volunteer keep track on the board.
  8. When the game is over, discuss the experience as a class. Which game questions made you think the hardest? Which were the most difficult to agree on?
  9. Revisit the initial question (Why is it important to use correct grammar?) and have students share whether their opinions changed after viewing the movie and playing the game.

Extension Activities:

After viewing other BrainPOP grammar movies, have students repeat the process of creating game questions on index cards. This can serve as an 'exit activity' or 'exit ticket'. Mix up the new game questions with the old game questions and play Grammar Games periodically throughout the year as a review.

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, Active and Passive Voice, Adjectives, Adjectives and Adverbs, Adverbs, Antonyms, Synonyms, and Homonyms, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.1