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Teaching Pronouns in 2nd Grade

Written by: Katie Palmer

Here we are with another post to add to our grammar teaching post series! This time, the focus is on teaching kids pronouns! Kids usually are able to catch on to what nouns are pretty quickly, but pronouns can be a bit more difficult. Read on for tips & tricks to make this grammar skill stick!

What are pronouns?

To put it simply, pronouns take the place of the proper name of a noun in a sentence. This makes it so writing about a noun doesn’t sound repetitive. For example, if we are writing a story about Grandma, we wouldn’t want to use the word Grandma repeatedly:

My grandma makes the best cookies.

Grandma makes chocolate chip and sugar cookies for the holidays.

Grandma likes to make cookies for my birthday too.

I love helping Grandma bake.

That is a lot of Grandma mentions! Now, check out the same story using pronouns:

My grandma makes the best cookies.

She makes chocolate chip and sugar cookies for the holidays.

Grandma likes to make cookies for my birthday too.

I love helping her bake.

Using “she” and “her” to replace the word “grandma” made the writing sound less repetitive and gave it a better flow.

Demonstrative Pronouns

While pronouns take the place of a word in a sentence, demonstrative pronouns point to a specific word/noun in the sentence.

This is my house.

That is his lunchbox.

These are my toys.

Those are your shoes.

Pronoun Examples

Here are some examples of pronouns to share with your class:

Singular Pronouns

I
me
you
her
him
it
she
he

Plural Pronouns

we
they
them
us
you

Demonstrative Pronouns

this
that
these
those
such
none
neither

Introduce an Anchor Chart

When teaching pronouns, try to create an anchor chart as a class, similar to the one pictured below. Another idea is to create student-sized ones for kids to keep handy. Then, they can reference their very own chart when writing independently.

Classroom anchor chart to define what a pronoun is with examples of subject, object and reflexive pronouns and how to use them in sentences.

Make sure to remind students to look at the chart/poster to keep their writing from being boring!

Resources for Teaching Pronouns

Need a little help teaching this skill? Check out the resources below.

Videos

1- Pronouns- Grammar Songs by Melissa

This video is an easy to understand and image filled to give a clear introduction to using pronouns.

2- Pronouns Song-Silly School Education

Who doesn’t love to learn using songs?!

3 – Demonstrative Pronouns Song, Leah May Linomta

This catchy song will be stuck in your head all day!

Books

We have included Amazon affiliate links below. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

1- If you were a Pronoun

This fun book by Nancy Loewen puts kids in the shoes of a pronoun!

2- I and You and Don’t Forget Who: What is a pronoun?

This book by Brian Cleary is a great choice if your students love a dash of humor in their lessons!

Centers & Small Group Activities

Practicing grammar skills independently is a must for mastery! (Also these activities could be beneficial in small groups for students who need it!)

1st/2nd Grade Literacy Centers

The “Pronouns Replace It Strips” Center has students replace a proper noun name with a pronoun and record their answers.

pronoun grammar center activity for second grade in which pronoun cards are placed on sentence strips to complete a sentence — *The “Pronouns Replace It Strips” is included in the 1st Grade Literacy Centers.*

Literacy Centers are an amazing way to practice not only pronouns but A TON of grammar skills!

Read more about the Literacy Centers here: 1st Grade Literacy Centers | 2nd Grade Literacy Centers

Shop them here: 1st Grade Literacy Centers | 2nd Grade Literacy Centers

Download Literacy Centers HERE

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Grammar Day-by-Day

Grammar Day-by-Day is a resource that allows differentiation and can match any curriculum! There are many days devoted to each of the 38 grammar skills featured!