Busy Teacher
English is a Crazy Language
"There is no egg in eggplant. . . " You might not lett a letter but you can definitely post this poster to call attention to the wacky way words work in English. You could even follow up by asking class members to collect other examples...
Curated OER
Apostrophe Usage
Helpful as a review activity and a reference sheet for your middle schoolers' binders, this activity clarifies the proper ways to use apostrophes. Indicating that they should be used in three cases ("weird" plurals, contractions, and...
Curated OER
Homophones
Use this resource to provide learners with a quick review of common homophones. Learners read words, such as sail and sale, and identify the correct usage. It is a fun way to discuss this topic.
Curated OER
Homophones
Explore homophones with this presentation. Learners discuss the definition of a homophone, read examples, and come up with their own homophones. This is a topic that your class will love exploring. It is a great way to motivate them to...
Curated OER
Commonly Confused Words: Homonyms
Depending on the English language proficiency of your current class, you could use this online resource with learners across several grade levels. There are 20 questions included here; can your langophile identify which homophone fits in...
Virginia Department of Education
Developing an essay: Using specific nouns, strong verbs, and vivid adjectives
Feeling bored and unimpressed with word choice in your class? If so, consider this activity, which focuses on using specific and precise language. Pupils use highlighters, brainstorm independently and in small groups, and create a poster...
Curated OER
Weather and Seasons
Use pictures and manipulatives to develop vocabulary with your beginning language learners. This plan can be used with foreign language learners (although you'll have to provide the vocabulary), English language learners, or a young...
Curated OER
The Rooms in a Home
Enhance your foreign language students' skills to describe a house. After reading a description of rooms in a house in their target language, they work to answer corresponding questions correctly. Additionally, they view a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
What I need for School
You can use this lesson with English language learners, a young language arts class, or speakers of a foreign language. The phrases learned are I need and I don't need. The teacher collects several items around the room, and learners...
Curated OER
Let's Discuss Current Events
Investigate articles from the daily news and share opinions with classmates. Using current events, learners view a news program without sound and predict what news is being discussed by analyzing the visuals. Then they read news articles...
Curated OER
Shoes from Grandpa Lesson Plan
Students read a cumulative text. In this Shoes from Grandpa lesson plan, students examine language usage, different media sources, and literary devices.
Curated OER
Playing with Language
Try these parts of speech games and activities that will help your learners tackle using correct grammar.
Curated OER
Introduction to Primary Sources
Students explore the usage of primary sources, what they are and how they originate. Artifacts are compared and contrasted as part of this historical inquiry as questions are formulated and conclusions drawn.
Curated OER
Proper Nouns
Elementary schoolers analyze correct usage of proper nouns. They correct six sentences and rewrite them on the lines provided correctly capitalizing all proper nouns.
Curated OER
Ser y Estar
Are your beginning Spanish learners having trouble with the verbs ser and estar? This gives a comprehensive, detailed look at both verbs, their usage, and their conjugations. Also included are several great practice examples at the end...
Curated OER
CTBS Usage Practice #3
For this grammar worksheet, learners identify: topic sentences, simple predicate, simple subjects, and combined multiple sentences. They answer fifteen multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
Who/Whom Usage Practice
In this who and whom practice worksheet, students read an informative lesson. Students then respond to 10 questions that require them to use who and whom appropriately.
Curated OER
Barney Bear Gets Dressed
Students identify colors and use descriptive words to create a book about a bear. In this lesson on using descriptive language, students listen to a story and help the teacher explain what happened. Students then participate in...
Curated OER
Proofreading: Lesson 4
Examine the key strategies to proofreading a piece of writing for errors in sentence structure, usage, mechanics and spelling. Eighth graders practice putting into correct passage commonly confused words (too, two, to) when writing to a...
Curated OER
The Influence of Hip Hop
Students consider the influence of Hip Hop on their own language use and various segments of American society; they reflect on and demonstrate their knowledge of Hip Hop vocabulary and its use.
Curated OER
The Classification Station
Second graders identify proper nouns and categorize them by subject. They apply correct principles of grammar: they write complete sentences, use correct capital letters, use correct punctuation and apply correct rules of usage and...
Curated OER
Salinger and the Vocabulary of the Vernacular
Writers explore vocabulary and expressions used in the English language. They use visual word maps to become aware of the different uses of words which will allow them to more readily interpret texts. Then they listen to/read excerpts...
Curated OER
Regions of the United States
Your learners practice writing ideas on paper and logically presenting them in an organized manner. They brainstorm ways to write down ideas while creating a travelogue about a particular U.S. geographic region. When they present...
Curated OER
Its or It's
What's the difference between its and it's? Clear up any misunderstandings in your third grade language arts class. Practice sentences use its or it's twice, prompting learners to use context clues for each usage. At the end of the...