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Home » Blog » Literacy » New & Fun Ways to Teach Contractions

New & Fun Ways to Teach Contractions

Grammar, Literacy, Writing & Language, Writing Instruction

Written by: Katie Palmer

The time has come to teach contractions! Teaching contractions can be fun and engaging for students (and their teachers)! Read below for tips & resources that will rock your contractions instruction!

new and fun ways to teach contractions

Enhance Literacy with Embedded Grammar Lessons

Research on the Science of Reading (SOR) dating back to the 1970s shows that teaching grammar as isolated rules doesn't effectively transfer to writing and speaking. What works better is embedding grammar within the context of writing. This is why our writing program Lucky to Learn Writing (LTLW) includes grammar skills integrated into writing lessons. This approach ensures that the same skills and standards are met, but in a meaningful context that connects with the rest of the literacy curriculum.

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toothy task kits

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We also recognize the value of targeted practice and intervention to reinforce these skills. That's why we've compiled a list of our favorite grammar activities that provide additional practice and intervention opportunities. These activities are designed to complement our integrated approach, ensuring students have a well-rounded understanding of grammar concepts. Let's dive into these engaging and effective activities!


Tips & Tricks for Teaching Contractions

First off, exactly what are contractions? Simply put, they are a shorter way to say and write two words. The apostrophe takes the place of the missing letters.

donut stacking contractions game to use as a grammar center in a 2nd grade classroom

Kids often like learning about contractions and it can also be fun to teach! Here is a short list of ideas to hammer out this skill.

  • Use macaroni: Kids can glue down a macaroni noodle where the apostrophe would go in a contraction. Kids will love the hands-on aspect of this and it is fun!
  • Contractions surgery: Give each student two words that they can put together into a contraction. Have them cut out the letters that will no longer be needed and put together the new contraction using a bandaid to hold the two words together. Tell them they just performed contractions surgery!
  • Use centers to practice and review: Lucky Little Learners has some AMAZING resources to help students cement their grammar skills. Take a look at our Grammar Centers in the video below!

The Grammar Centers pack has over 40 different standards-based grammar skill games. (Including a super fun contractions game!) BONUS: these centers are available in printable and digital formats. To learn more about these engaging centers, check out this post: Grammar Center Activities for 2nd Grade.

Contractions Resources

There are so many resources to help teach contractions. Below you'll find just a small sampling of what is available!

Contractions Anchor Chart

Kickoff your contractions lesson with this anchor chart.

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Try our Free Baseball Word Bonds activity!

free baseball word bonds activity to practice bonding together two words to make a contraction
Download Baseball Word Bonds FREE

Songs & Videos

Songs and videos are always an engaging resource to use with students!

  • Jack Hartmann has TONS of educational songs and his Contractions song does NOT disappoint!
  • Scratch Garden is another YouTube channel with amazing learning videos.
  • Learning Time Fun has this video that lists many of the contractions teachers will be teaching.

Wait, have you tried Toothy??

In addition to the Grammar Centers mentioned above, Lucky Little Learners has some other GREAT activities your kids will LOVE to achieve contractions mastery!

Grammar & Contractions Toothy

Toothy is a MUST do to have super engaged learners! If you are new to Toothy, start here: Toothy Task Kits.

Grammar Toothy practices 28 different grammar skills including contractions.

Also, to exclusively focus on contractions, check out the Contractions Toothy Task Kits. (These are part of the bigger Grammar Toothy Bundle!)

Download Contraction Toothy Here

Hopefully these resources help you in teaching contractions! Happy Teaching!


How to Teach Other 2nd Grade Grammar Skills:

Is it time for a new concept in grammar? We have a post for that!

new and fun ways to teach contractions

1 Comment

  1. Fatima Tariq

    Brilliant work Lucky Little Learners!

    Reply

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Hey there!  I’m Angie, owner of Lucky Little Learners. Our #1 goal is to support K-2 teachers.  We provide unlimited access to over 20,000 printables that are aligned to your standards.