Making writing communicative

Writing, like all other aspects of language, is communicative. Think about what we write in real life. We write
e-mails, lists, notes, covering letters, reports, curriculums, assignments, essays perhaps if we study.

Some of us write articles or work on blogs, forums and websites. A few write stories and poems - but very few.
All of these writing tasks have a communicative purpose and a target audience. In the English language
classroom, however, writing often lacks this. Why? There are lots of reasons, as there are lots of ways to make
the writing we do with learners more communicative.

 Why writing is difficult to teach

 Some solutions

 Ideas for communicative writing tasks

 Conclusion

Why writing is difficult to teach

By its nature, writing is often a solo activity, done silently, involving physical effort and taking a lot of time. This
may not make it attractive to learners or teachers as a classroom activity. In addition to this, writing is difficult,
even in L1. There are linguistic, psychological and cognitive problems involved, making teaching it and learning
it a considerable challenge. It is also important to remember that many people never write anything of any
length in their daily lives, or anything using paper and a pen, or without using a spellchecker. But this is often
what we ask them to do in English.

Responding appropriately to writing that learners give us is time-consuming and taxing, whether we are
addressing errors or the content. We often have to work as hard as our learners have done. Our response is
also often dictated by our concern with sub-skills and so correction is often at this level rather than at that of
communicative competence. This is aggravated by the fact that it is not easy to evaluate this competence,
especially formally - as can be seen in the complexity of the speaking criteria for exams such as IELTS and
Cambridge Main Suite. In addition, it is important to recognize that learners are equally concerned about
correctness in writing at a sub-level, in areas such as spelling and punctuation. This is especially true when
compared to speaking. This inhibits communication.

The kinds of tasks we set learners may not be motivating, relevant or indeed very communicative. Writing is
rarely incorporated into a lesson, ending up relegated to homework - which reduces the possibilities to be
communicative. We need to give learners tasks that are intellectually satisfying, especially when writing. Adult
learners become aware of their limitations very quickly when they try to express complex ideas on paper. As a
 final note course books don't necessarily always help us develop writing. We need materials that provide
relevant, real and communicative practice. This is rare.

Some solutions
We need to make a distinction between writing to learn (other things, like structures, spelling and vocabulary)
and learning to write. If we understand this distinction and make sure our learners do too then the
communicative purpose of writing will be clearer.

We need to work hard on developing ways of responding to the content of what our learners write - the
message - and not just the level of language. If we can do this effectively, then our learners will make more
effort to communicate when they write for us. This can support an emphasis on the importance of writing for
a real audience, but we do also need to find real audiences for learner writing. This could include ourselves if
we can respond as readers, other learners and groups, and public forums such as blogs, websites and letter
pages.

We need to find ways to integrate writing with other skills and activities, giving it more relevance and
importance - and also making it more interesting. We need to use meaningful, realistic and relevant writing
tasks, based on our learners' needs and interests. We may need to design individual tasks based on what
individual learners need to write. In addition we should talk about writing with our learners, how we write
well, why we write and for who, and what makes it difficult. Learner training like this can provide valuable
support and motivation.

Finally, we need to evaluate the impact on our learners' written English when most of our focus on writing is
as homework. Are we supporting them as well as we could as they tackle the difficulties we discussed above?

Ideas for communicative writing tasks

 Find ways to publish learners' writing, on websites like Storybird

 They can also publish in blogs, in newspapers, and on posters. Get learners to create individual and
group profiles on social utility sites such as Facebook. Publish a class magazine of previous writing work.

 Encourage learners to write with a clear purpose and for a clear audience, for example in letters to
newspapers, pen friends, to teachers and other students.

 Find challenging and rewarding tasks which can support a variety of learning aims and integrate other
skills and language systems, such as summarising, project work, translation, writing up notes from interviews,
and preparing a briefing or talk.

 Use relevant and realistic tasks such as writing notes, recipes, e-mails, filling in forms and preparing
signs for the class.

 Respond to the content of the work that your learners give you as well as correcting the errors they
make, by adding your own comments to their homework or establishing a dialogue through e-mail and learner
diaries.

 Make writing easier and more fun by doing group writing activities and group correction and editing of
work. Process writing includes elements of this.
 Support writing with reading. This not only helps learners develop the sub-skills they need but also
helps them understand that good writing is a powerful and important communication tool.

 Conclusion
Writing has been described as the Cinderella of the four skills - neglected, forgotten and left behind -
and with good reason. We don't do enough writing with our learners, we do the wrong kinds, we
forget what it is for, we forget we are readers. If by doing this we neglect its communicative essence in
our classes, then we are depriving learners of one of the richest, most rewarding and most powerful
forms of human communication.

Making reading communicative

If telling my students "And now we're going to practise listening," elicits looks of dread and fear, announcing
reading practice can often elicit yawns, heads descending to desks, or eyes ascending heavenwards.

And these reactions are from my adult students. My young learners' reactions may be even more extreme. "I
can read at home, I come to lessons to speak!" more than one of my students has told me. Many students do
seem to regard reading as a waste of class time but how many of these students will read outside class
without encouragement inside? The aim of this article is to consider a few approaches to making classroom
reading more communicative, by which I mean integrating it with other skills work, so that students can see its
value.

 Can reading be communicative?

 Strategies I use for communicative reading

 Pre-reading tasks

 While-reading tasks

 While-reading tasks leading into post-reading tasks

 Post-reading tasks

 Conclusion

Can reading be communicative?

Communication suggests interaction of some sort, perhaps in many students' minds between speaker and
listener. Is reading, therefore, since it is often a solitary activity, a non-communicative activity? Surely not
since the reader is interacting with the writer, albeit in a less direct way than speaker and listener. Reading is,
 of course, just as communicative as any other form of language use and as teachers our aim is to bring out
that communicative element. For example by establishing direct communication between reader and writer
by exploiting students' written work for reading practice (see below for ideas). Another feature of real reading
is that while we may read alone we communicate what we read to others constantly. Talking about what we
have read is a rich source of classroom possibilities.

Strategies I use for communicative reading

One of the things to bear in mind when lesson planning is that classroom reading is not the same as real
reading. Classroom reading aims at helping students develop the skills they need to read more effectively in a
variety of ways (the same variety of ways as they can employ in their own languages, of course). To enable this
we plan 'pre-reading', 'while-reading', and 'post-reading' stages. These stages can help us make reading more
communicative.
 

Pre-reading tasks
Pre-reading tasks often aim to raise the readers' knowledge of what they are about to read (their schematic
knowledge) as this knowledge will help them to understand the text. In our L1 we use this knowledge
subconsciously and as a result need to raise it consciously in an L2. This raising of awareness is most effectively
done collaboratively. Approaches I use include:

 Tell your partner what you know about the topic

 Do a quiz in pairs to find out what you know about the topic
 Look at some pictures related to the topic
 Skimming the first paragraph for gist and then predicting.

When reading in our L1 we are constantly using our schematic and linguistic knowledge to predict content
(both related to the topic and the language itself). In class, predictions can be communicated to colleagues, of
course. Some examples of what predictions can be based upon include:

 A title

 Visuals

 Knowledge of the author

 A skim of the first paragraph

 A set of keywords from the text

 Reading the end, predicting the beginning.

 Reading the middle, predicting the beginning and the end.

 
 While-reading tasks
Although reading is often a solitary activity and the idea of 'reading in pairs' seems odd, reading can be
collaborative. Approaches I use include:

Running and reading: this approach especially lends itself to scanning as the idea is to encourage the students
to read as quickly as possible in a race.

1. Divide the class into student A and student B pairs. Student A sits at one end of the classroom.
2. Stick the text to be read on the wall at the other end of the room.
3. Give student A a list of questions.
4. Student A reads the first question to student B who has to run down the classroom to find the answer
in the text, and then run back to dictate the answer to student A, who then tells B question 2 and so on.
5. The first pair to answer all the questions wins. (I ask the students to swap roles halfway through so
everyone gets a chance to scan).

Slashed / Cut up texts: This is a genuinely collaborative reading approach.

1. Photocopy a suitable text and cut it diagonally into four.

2. Seat students in fours. Give a piece of the text to each student. They mustn't show their piece to the
others.
3. Give each group a set of questions.
4. The group have to work collaboratively to answer the questions since no one has the whole of the text.
5. Groups can compare answers when they have finished.

Using websites: if you have a computer room available this is a very effective way of promoting
communication as students can work on a reading task in pairs reading from the same screen.

While-reading tasks leading into post-reading tasks

Jigsaw reading is an old favourite but perennially effective.

1. Divide a text into two parts or find two (or three) separate texts on the same topic.
2. Students A get one text and a related task, students B get the other text and task.
3. Students A complete their tasks in a group. Students B likewise. Compare answers in A & B groups.
4. Students get into A & B pairs and tell each other about their tasks.

Creating a class text bank: I encourage students to bring in interesting texts that they have found (perhaps as a
homework task using the Internet) which can be submitted to the class text bank. For weekend homework
each student selects a text to take away which they then discuss with the student who originally submitted it.
This is, of course, what readers do in real life.

Exploiting graded readers: this is a good way to help with detailed reading since this implies reading for
pleasure. I have used two approaches:

1. Using a class set of the same reader so that everyone reads the same book. This leads into class
discussions of what everyone has read.
2. Students read different books and then recommend their book (e.g. by writing reviews) to their
colleagues.
 Exploiting students' written work: I often put students written work up on the walls for the others to read.
Tasks can include guessing who the author is, voting on which is the most interesting, selecting some for a
class magazine.

Post-reading tasks
As mentioned above, telling someone about what we have read is a very natural reaction to a text. I have
already mentioned a few in connection to 'while-reading' (e.g. recommending readers to the class) but other
ideas I have used include:

 Discussions about the text

 Summarising texts

 Reviewing texts

 Using a 'follow-up' speaking task related to the topic

 Looking at the language of the text (e.g. collocations).

Conclusion
I would not be exaggerating to say that one of the things that all the most successful language learners I have
met have in common is that they are dedicated readers in English. They all recognised the value of reading as
a way to develop their language independently of the classroom but equally saw the value of investing class
time in becoming more effective readers in English. They were willing to make this investment because they
realised that reading could be fully integrated into other skills work and thereby be just as communicative as
any other classroom practice.

Communicative approach

The communicative approach is based on the idea that learning language successfully comes through having
to communicate real meaning. When learners are involved in real communication, their natural strategies for
language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language.

Example
Practising question forms by asking learners to find out personal information about their colleagues is an
example of the communicative approach, as it involves meaningful communication.

In the classroom
Classroom activities guided by the communicative approach are characterised by trying to produce meaningful
and real communication, at all levels. As a result there may be more emphasis on skills than systems, lessons
are more learner-centred, and there may be use of authentic materials.

Evaluating and Adapting Materials

Evaluating materials
 Evaluation of learning materials is usually integrated in the overall learning design and development
plan. It is considered to be a vital component of a quality assurance strategy and the expectation is that
evaluation activities can contribute significantly to the development of quality learning materials. 

The purpose is often to get an idea of how well the materials are aligned to the intended learning
outcomes and how well they support students in achieving these outcomes. Additional questions may be: how
accessible the materials are, how the students are using the materials, how up to date the content is, whether
the learning text is based on sound learning principles.

Evaluation can be conducted during each phase of the design and development process, during the
post development period when students are using the learning materials for the first time, and as part of a
review of a course or programme. Where the development of the materials has been sponsored, it is normal
practice to evaluate the materials and provide the funder with an evaluation report.

The most common methods used are qualitative in nature. The philosophy, which underpins the
qualitative approach, is one that stresses the importance of the experience of individuals and their reflection
on their experience as ways of constructing social reality. The responses to the materials from the perspective
of the learner, the facilitator and an external reviewer can offer a comprehensive insight into the learning
value of the materials. Responses are elicited by means of specially designed questionnaires and instruments,
which the various parties complete. Evaluation instruments are usually based on an agreed set of criteria.
Interviews with learners, facilitators, and learning material developers can be used to probe particular areas.
Quantitative methods can be useful in pinpointing learner behaviour in specific areas, e.g. learner interaction
with the learning activities: how many students complete all the activities, which activities are left out, which
activities present difficulties. The purpose of the evaluation determines the kind of methods that are most
suitable.

B.     Adapting materials

Adaptation is a process that often attracts a great deal of interest, yet remains less used than expected.
Although many organisations consider adapting materials, the cost, copyright implications, and practical issues
of techniques may form a sizeable barrier. However, the increasing use of multimedia and a number of other
forms of electronic publishing is stimulating both increasing options for and renewed interest in adaptation as
a source of learning materials.

The first two section of this unit include the same material as the Moltipalio Modole Materials and Media
for Open Learning (Unit 7). As a modolar series, it is included in both packs to ensure those using only one of
the packs have access to all parts of the material they need. If you have already completed activities in
Modole, you may wish to move onto the second part of the unit, beginning with Section 3 that cover
development issues.

Developing high quality learning materials can be complex, time consuming and costly. Many organisations
are not staffed to produce their own materials having insufficient resources or expertise. Adapting materials
can itself be a substantial materials development and production task. The decision to adapt will usually is
considered when a set of materials partially meet a specific need, but coold not be used in their current form.
At this point, you will need to identify the features that are absent or inappropriate and specify what form of
adaptation is needed.

C.     Principles in adapting materials

This adaptation may take a variety of forms :

1.      Modifying content. Content may need to be changed because it does not suit the target learners, may be
because of factors from learners such as age, gender, social class, religion, or background cultural.

2.      Adding or deleting content. As a teacher can add or omitted some materials suitable from the environment
contexts the learners need.

3.      Reorganizing content as a teacher may decide to reorganize the syllabus and arrange the units more
suitable order.

4.      Addressing omissions. If in some materials there are important particular, the teacher can add it. For
example adding vocabulary or grammar in those materials.

5.      Modifying task. Exercises and activities may need to be changed to give them an additional focus. For
example, a listening activity may focus only on listening for information, so it is adapted so that students listen
a second or third time for a different purpose. Or an activity may be extended to provide opportunities for
more personalized practice.

6.      Extending task [1] teacher can give insufficient practice and more extend in assignment their given.

D.    Procedures and techniques in adapting materials

To decide whether to adapt, you following procedures:

·  Step 1

Specify learning need in as precise terms as possible including a profile of characteristics of learners
and any implications this might have for learning materials e.g. does place of work restrict options for media.

·      Step 2

               Identify material for potential adaptation

·      Step 3

Identify effectiveness of material/need for adaptation covering the following features:

- learning objectives

- content level

- depth of coverage

- comprehensiveness of coverage

- media used

- presentation and style

- approach

- terminology

- fit with your organisation’s colture

·      Step 4
 Defining the extent of adaptation and the form this might take

·      Step 5

Produce a specification, budget and schedole for an adaptation to examine feasibility and cost
effectiveness.In the remainder of this unit, you can examine the areas of material which may need adapting
before moving on to consider different types. The Moltipalio Modole BA Developing Open Learning Materials
includes a unit on ‘How to Adapt’ which provides guidance on the development and production issues
involved.

There are many techniques in adapting materials :

o   Learning objectives

Most learning materials and most planning for a course or programme will include the definition of
learning objectives. Matching the objectives of your course/programme with those of existing materiall is a
usefol early step. In most subjects it may give a clear idea of match or variation and will usually indicate a need
for additional material or adaptation. Points to consider are:

·         check all aspects of the objectives not just the behaviour or knowledge desired. The standard or conditions
may be particolarly important in indicating whether the material is appropriate

·         examine how closely and explicitly the materials follow and meet the objectives set

·         do not let different forms of wording obscure any similar objectives i.e. two sets of objectives may be
written in different formats and styles, but may have very similar goals or outcomes.

o   Media used

The most rapidly growing area of interest in adaptation is the addition to or re-use of different media.
Stimolated by developments in moltimedia, the possibilities created by authoring and production tools have
made media related issues more important. There are several variations:

·         adding different media to a learning package e.g. supplementing text with video

·         drawing together different parts of existing material in a moltimedia package

·         revising existing computer based material into new formats.

When you are considering specific material for adaptation, you will need to consider whether the value
of adding or revising media justifies the cost. In many instances, this cost may be difficolt to justify when set
against that of an existing new ‘tailor-made’ set of materials or compared with the value gained from the
adaptation.

Increasingly, organisations are selecting media and methods to form part of organisation-wide delivery
systems. This can include following a specific house style and approach or delivery using learning technologies.
This type of development is inevitable as organisations move to embedding forms of open and flexible
learning within their provision. However, if you decide to adapt the media used you shoold seek to ensure
that:

·         choice of media remains appropriate to the learning needs and user group

·         media selection or technology selected does not become the dominant factor in your open learning
provision.
o   Presentation and style

The physical appearance of most learning material is often an area of concern. Most larger
organisations have their own house styles and may prefer learning materials to be consistent with their own
visual style. However, the impact and value of simply re-designing materials can be insufficient to justify the
expenditure. You will need to asses whether the visual appearance does have a major impact on learning.
There are groups or sectors where this may be a significant factor, but in many other cases, presentation alone
may not be sufficient to decide to adapt.

   CLOSING

1.      Evaluation of learning materials is usually integrated in the overall learning design and development
plan. It is considered to be a vital component of a quality assurance strategy and the expectation is that
evaluation activities can contribute significantly to the development of quality learning materials.  
2.      Adaptation is a process that often attracts a great deal of interest, yet remains less used than expected.
Although many organisations consider adapting materials, the cost, copyright implications, and practical
issues of techniques may form a sizeable barrier. However, the increasing use of multimedia and a number
of other forms of electronic publishing is stimulating both increasing options for and renewed interest in
adaptation as a source of learning materials. 
3.      Principles in adapting materials : modifiying content, adding or deleting content, reorganizing content,
addressing ommissions, modifiying task, extending task. 
4.      There are many techniques in adapting materials : learning objectives, media used, presentation and
used.

Creative Ways to Teach Parts of Speech in Middle School and High School

By:  Tiffany Rehbein

In this arti cle, you'll fi nd tips for reviewing or teaching parts of speech in middle school and high
school. Plus, download five creative printables for your classroom.

Keep scrolling to download free activities, worksheets, and games!

Memories of my middle and early high-school English class might be similar to your own: desks in
rows, quiet work time, and sentence diagramming. Remember sentence diagramming? That
tedious puzzle of using one line under the subject, two lines under the verb, a backslash to
separate the subject from the predicate that led to the more complicated algorithm of circles,
squares, and arrows. All of which was meant to do what? Improve writi ng? Increase identi fi cati on
of sentences? Keep students quiet?

Fortunately, research has led teachers toward practi ces that improve writi ng, namely, spending
ti me to write. The National Council of Teachers of English released a positi on statement in 1998
stati ng the following: "Decades of research and practice have shown that teaching of grammar in
isolati on does not improve composition skills, nor does it help students to acquire Standard
English usage." How might teachers of middle and high school students provide students with
relevant instruction around basic parts of speech?

Students need to be able to construct quality sentences that communicate informati on accurately
and clearly. Understanding basic parts of speech is the first step to this effecti ve communicati on.

The 8 Parts of Speech Students Should Know

#1 Noun

A noun is a word used to refer to people, animals, objects, substances, states, events, ideas and
feelings. A noun functions as a subject or object of a verb and can be modifi ed by an adjecti ve.

Types and Examples of Nouns

Nouns can be people as in the dancers, or a name: John.

Nouns can be things as in a lion, a table, or places as in Paris.

Example Sentences
John went shopping at the mall.

Explanation: This proper noun functions as the subject (John).

The lion slept peacefully in the bright sunlight.

Explanation: This noun (an animal) functions as the subject (The lion).

She set the table with linens and silverware.

Explanation: This noun (an object) functions as the object of a verb (table).

#2 Pronoun

A pronoun is used in the place of a noun or phrase.

Examples of Pronouns

I, you, he, she, it

Example Sentences
I went to the mall on Sunday.

Explanation: This pronoun functions as the subject (I).

Juan brought the papers with him.

Explanation: This pronoun functions as the object of a phrase (with him).

#3 Adjecti ve

Adjecti ves are used to describe or specify a noun or pronoun

Examples of Adjectives

good, beauti ful, nice, my

Example Sentences
The beautiful lion slept peacefully in the shade of the tree.

Explanation: This adjective describes the noun (lion).

My nice cousin likes to cook stew on cold winter evenings.

Explanation: This adjective describes a noun (cousin).

 
#4 Verbs

A verb is used to show an action or a state of being

Examples of Verbs

am, is was, are, go, write, exist, be

Example Sentences
Val writes to share her ideas.

Explanation: This verb shows an action (writes).

He will be late to the movie.

Explanation: This verb shows a state of being (will be).

#5 Adverbs

An adverb is used to modify a verb, adjecti ve, and other adverbs.

Examples of Adverbs

completely, never, there

Example Sentences
He completely forgot to take the trash outside to the bin.

Explanation: This adverb modifies the verb (forgot).

She worked really hard on her project all night long.

Explanation: The adverb modifies the adjective (hard).

#6 Prepositi ons

A prepositi on is a word that relates a noun or pronoun to some other word in the sentence and
oft en forms a phrase that shows where, when, how, or why
Examples of Prepositions

in, above, to, for, at

Example Sentences
She never remembers her car keys in the morning.

Explanation: This preposition tells when she remembers (in the morning).

The water runs under the bridge.

Explanation: This preposition tells where the water went (under the bridge)

#7 Conjuncti ons

Conjuncti ons connect words, phrases, or clauses

Examples of Conjunctions

for, and, nor, but, or, yet,

Example Sentences
Tiffany and Beverly talked all night long.

Explanation: This conjunction connects two nouns (Tiffany, Beverly)

Students want to learn, and teachers want to teach.

Explanation: This conjunction connects two independent clauses (Students what to learn, teachers want to
teach).

#8 Interjecti ons

Interjecti ons are used to show surprise or emoti on.

Examples of Interjections

Oh!, Wow!, Ah-ha!

Example Sentences
Wow, she aced the test!

Explanation: This interjection shows surprise

He yelled in surprise, “Oh, I get it!”

Explanation: This interjection shows understanding.

Teaching Parts of Speech in the Middle School Grades

One way to avoid the traditional grammar instructi on done in isolati on, teachers can get students
up and moving. For grades 6-8, most state standards convey that students should know everything
from proper case pronouns (subjective, objecti ve, possessive), to intensive pronouns ( myself,
ourselves), to correcting vague pronouns. By including pronouns in student practi ce, teachers will
ensure these elements are taught.

In additi on, students need to use commas to set off nonrestricti ve elements – we will do this when
we use interjecti ons! Students must also explain the functi on of clauses, know how to use a
comma to separate coordinate adjectives, and how to form and use verbs in a variety of ways.

Creative Ways To Teach Parts Of Speech In Middle School

RESOURCE:  Pin the Part of Speech on the Pig Game

When you download the Pin the Part of Speech on the Pig  Game , your students will get much more
practi ce than is deemed important in state standards! This game is not only a creati ve way to
teach parts of speech, but it gets students up and moving while they learn.

The Pin the Part of Speech on the Pig  Game  combines learning/practi cing the parts of speech and a
modifi ed version of the game Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Although this game was originally
created for elementary grade levels, its a great acti vity for parts of speech practi ce in the middle
grades.

Objective of Game: Pin the part of speech on the pig! With a grammati cal twist on the classic
game, students will choose the part of speech that is the focus of the day. Monday = nouns,
Tuesday = verbs, Wednesday = adjectives, Thursday = adverbs, Friday = prepositi ons.

Materials: Pig Game, Parts of Speech cards, blindfold, tape.

How to play in the classroom: Middle school students love a competi ti on! Form groups of 3-5,
depending on your class size, and, start tallest to shortest. The fi rst student will choose a Part of
Speech card from the card pile. The person behind them will put the blindfold on them then slowly
spin them three times and set them off to pin the part of speech on the pig. Use a small piece of
tape to adhere the card to the pig. The blindfolded student will return to their team, exchange the
blindfold and repeat the process. The game can end at any time: when the first pin on the tail
happens, when everyone has gone once, or when all the cards are gone.

Download one or multiple copies of the game, depending on your class size and start playing
today.

D o wnlo ad No w

RESOURCE: Shamrock Parts of Speech  Game

Someti mes teachers tend to overthink things when trying to come up with creati ve ways to teach
parts of speech...especially in the middle and upper grade levels! The  Shamrock Memory
Card  Game  is a simple activity that will engage students in learning or reviewing parts of speech.  

Despite being created a couple years ago for the month of March, I use this game year round!
Download the Shamrock Memory Card  Game  now.
Objective: Match parts of speech with an example of that part of speech. Like all memory games,
the goal is to have paired the most cards when the round ends.

How to use in the classroom: Decide whether you want students to play individually or in two
small groups. Display the 48 cards face down. Choose who will go first. The fi rst person or group
will turn one card face-up. They will either see the part of speech or a word. Then turn over a
second card. The card must match the fi rst card with the correct part of speech or a word. For
example, if a student turns over a card with "noun" on it and then turns over a second card with
the word "leprechaun", the cards match! If the cards match, the student(s) gets to go again. The
student or group with the most pair of cards at the end wins the round.

D o wnlo ad No w

RESOURCE: Identifying Parts of Speech in a Complex Text Lesson

This next acti vity is not the most creative way to teach parts of speech, but it is effecti ve!
The Identifying Parts of Speech in a Complex Text   Lesson  has students read a complex text and
then identify various parts of speech. 

Students need to be able to construct quality sentences that communicate informati on accurately
and clearly. Understanding basic parts of speech is the first step to build effecti ve communicati on.
Reading complex texts to practice identifying parts of speech is a great way for students to see
how quality sentences are constructed.

Objective: Students will read a text to identify appropriate nouns, pronouns, and interjecti ons by
answering the question: What do you noti ce about the nouns, pronouns, and interjecti on in this
text?

How to use in the classroom: Handout the text excerpt to each students. Tell them their purpose
for reading the text is to identify and circle the nouns that  act as subjects in each sentence. Also,
ask students to underline all pronouns and put a box around all interjecti ons.
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Teaching Parts of Speech in the High School Grades

By the ti me students enter high school, the focus shift s from isolated parts to speech to more
complete understanding about the way sentences work. For grades 9-10, state standards require
students use various types of phrases, including noun, verb, adjecti val, adverbial, parti cipial,
prepositi onal, and absolute. Students should also use clauses such as independent or dependent;
and noun, relati ve, and adverbial to convey specifi c meanings and add variety and interest to their
writi ng.

Teachers can use a combination of hands-on acti viti es and individual work to assess students’
knowledge of language. Students will build on the basic parts of speech they learned in the middle
grades by understanding irregular verb forms, verb tenses, plural forms of words, reflexive
pronouns, and dependent clauses.

Creative Ways to Teach Parts of Speech In High School

RESOURCE:  Baseball Interactive Writing & Parts of Speech  Grammar Game

The use of sports in the classroom is a creati ve way to teach parts of speech and engage young
people! With the Baseball  Grammar Game  students will get students moving, writi ng, and
identi fying parts of speech.

Objective: Teams of students will participate in a classroom baseball game that requires they
complete a writi ng prompt and correctly identi fy parts of speech.

Materials: Plasti c bat (optional), Baseball Grammar Game Downloads

How to use in the classroom: Prior to playing the game, students will write short essays based on
a writi ng prompt provided by you, the teacher. Some examples of a writi ng prompt are:  Describe
your favorite outdoor activity or What is the best part of going to a baseball game?    The essay
should be short, perhaps 5-10 sentences. Have students write each sentence of their essay on the
Baseball Writi ng Activity Sheet provided in the Baseball Grammar Game download. These papers
will be wadded up and become your "baseballs."

The teacher will divide the class into two teams and assign each person a positi on. Each team
needs the following position players: pitcher, catcher, fi rst baseman, second baseman, shortstop,
third baseman, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder. All positi on players will play the field
and have a turn at bat. If you have extra students, use a rotati on system aft er each batter or each
strike-out. Students can also be “bat boys or girls”, scorekeepers, or baseball handlers.

The defensive team will take the field and the offensive team will line-up to bat.

The baseball handler tosses the first baseball to the pitcher who pitches it to the batter.
The teacher will ask the student a question about the sentence. To get a “hit” and advance to first
base, the batter answers the question correctly. (It is not important that the batter catches the
ball, only that their answer is stated correctly). If the batter gets the questi on incorrect, it is an
out.

The rotati on continues until there are three outs for the team. Aft er three outs, the teams switch
sides. Have the scorekeeper keep track of runs and outs.

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RESOURCE:  Hopscotch Parts of Speech  Activity

Hopscotch is a game whose origins date back to Roman ti mes. If you give the traditi onal game of
hopscotch a grammar twist you end up with a creati ve way to teach parts of speech. For the parts
of speech key with defi nitions and examples, download the  Hopscotch Parts of Speech  Acti vity !

Objective: Give an example of the part of speech.

Materials: Sidewalk chalk or hopscotch board, marker, parts of speech key.

How to use in the classroom: If the weather is nice, head outside with some sidewalk chalk and
create the hopscotch board. If the weather is not nice, teachers could use tape to create the
boards on the classroom floor. Use a small stone to use as a marker.

To begin, write the parts of speech into each square. Students will toss the marker onto a square,
then the student should give the example word, phrase, or sentence If correct, the student should
hop onto the board. If incorrect, the student goes to the back of the line. The stone is left on the
square where the student last got the correct answer. Depending on the size of your class, there
might need to be several hopscotch boards so 4-5 students can play at once.

If correct, the student who tossed the marker will complete the hops on the board. The person
who answered correctly will toss next. This process will be repeated until the game ends.

If the person answers incorrectly, the person who answered will go to the back of the line and the
next person will answer. This process will conti nue unti l the answer is correct.

If the weather is not nice, the hopscotch board can be designed on the classroom floor with duct
tape.
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In Summary

These creati ve ways to teach parts of speech are sure to engage middle school and high school
students! These printable resources allow students to move while learning and reinforce their
understanding of different parts of speech.

In additi on, I outlined eight parts of speech that every middle and high school student should
know and understand. Students need to be able to construct quality sentences that communicate
informati on accurately and clearly. Understanding basic parts of speech is the first step to build
effecti ve communication