Paper Plate Grammar Review Game

Learning Resource Type

Learning Activity

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

3, 4, 5

Overview

The students will work as a team to accurately answer the question posed. Students must agree on the answer, gather the letters needed to spell it, and arrange themselves so that they hold the letters in order and right side up. The first group to correctly answer is awarded the point(s) for that question. This review game requires communication, collaboration, and creativity and can easily be adapted to any subject area.

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

Phase

After/Explain/Elaborate
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.36

Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of standard English grammar including punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling appropriate for third grade.

UP:ELA21.3.36

Vocabulary

  • Demonstrate
  • Knowledge
  • Rules of standard English grammar
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization
  • Sentence formation
  • Spelling

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Standard English grammar and spelling conventions.
  • Punctuation marks and their appropriate usage.
  • Capitalization rules for standard English.
  • Complete sentences have a subject and predicate and end with an ending punctuation mark.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of standard English grammar.
  • Use appropriate punctuation.
  • Use correct capitalization.
  • Form sentences correctly.
  • Spell third grade level words correctly.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are rules to forming grammatically correct sentences in standard English.
  • When writing, they must use punctuation correctly, capitalize appropriate words, form complete sentences with subject-verb agreement, and spell the words that are appropriate for third graders.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.39

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage.

UP:ELA21.4.39

Vocabulary

  • Demonstrate
  • Command
  • Conventions
  • Standard English grammar
  • Standard English usage

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Standard English grammar and usage conventions.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate correct standard English grammar and word usage in writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Demonstrating command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing is necessary to convey meaning.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.39

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage in writing.

UP:ELA21.5.39

Vocabulary

  • Demonstrate
  • Command
  • Conventions
  • Standard English grammar
  • Standard English usage

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Standard English grammar and usage conventions.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate correct standard English grammar and word usage in writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Demonstrating command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing is necessary to convey meaning.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage.

form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.

form and use regular and irregular verbs.

form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses. 

use parallel structure.

Activity Details

1. Students will be divided into groups of four to six.

2. Each group will be given a set of A-Z Paper Plates.

3. The teacher will discuss expectations (noise level, scoring, participation, etc.)

4. The teacher will explain the following rules:

  • The answer must be formed so that the teacher can read it from left to right.
  • The answer must be spelled correctly.
  • If the answer requires multiples of the same letter, the students must move from spot to spot (in order) Ex. The desired answer is BABY. The student holding the B must, while the teacher/judge is watching, either move their body from the 1st B position to the 2nd B position or pass the B plate to another student who is standing ready in the 2nd B position.
  • The teacher will observe the first group that signals they are ready. If they are not correct the teacher will move to the next group until someone gets the answer.

5. The teacher will display questions/prompts for the students. 

  • Plural/Possessive Nouns-Ex. I need the plural form of the word CHILD. Students would spell CHILDREN. I need the singular possessive form of BUSH. Students would spell BUSHES. 
  • Regular/Irregular Verbs-Ex. Please complete the following sentence. The players have _______ (play) their last game. Students would spell PLAYED. She ______ (see) an airplane yesterday. Students would spell SAW. 
  • Parallel Structure-Ex. Change the underlined word to create a parallel sentence structure. I enjoy golfing, reading, to cook, and hiking. Students would spell COOKING. 

6. The teacher can pull questions from any appropriate source, i.e. the text, internet, tests, teacher-created materials, etc. to find appropriate questions.

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will ensure each team is spelling each word correctly and the correct form of verbs and nouns are used.

Variation Tips

Number sets could be created for math problems.

Upper and lowercase sets could be created (or a "capitalizer" plate) to review capitalization rules (proper nouns).

These plates can be used for reviewing any subject or grade level content. You could ask a question and have the teams spell out the correct answer for science, history, math, etc. 

Younger students could use plates to practice spelling or vocabulary words.

Since students are reviewing in teams, you could award bonus points for the winning team(s) or you could give points for participation.

Background / Preparation

The teacher will need to supply the following materials: 1 package of 150+ white paper or styrofoam plates (8" or larger).

Plates will be divided into stacks of 27. Each stack will contain a plate labeled with each letter of the alphabet (A-Z) and one apostrophe. Use a different color marker to label each set as it will be easier to manage later. (Those colors may serve as team names.)

Write each letter on the plate using a clear, bold print.

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