Kinaesthetic Grammar and Punctuation

What a challenge! How do we get the paper tasks off the page and into the body? Want a creative way to have students more engaged in grammar and punctuation lessons? Here are three of the ideas I have come up with:

Martial Arts PUNCHuation:

1. Brainstorm with students all the punctuation marks they are familiar with. Generate a list on the board. Optional: introduce any new marks.
2. Explain that you have been trained in the secret ways of punctuation martial arts and would like to share your secret. This step works especially well if you say you are not sure, however, if the students are ready for that type of intensity.          Explain that you will start small and see how things go. (Boxing gloves are optional)
3. Start with the period. Extend your fist outward with a simple fist punch. This, of course, if the PERIOD. This martial marks move is quick and clean. It is the ideal move to cut off a sentence in its tracks.
4. Have students model the PERIOD punch while they say a simple sentence: “The weather is nice.” will do.
5. Next, use the same punch but curve your hand downwards when your hand is extended, like a COMMA. This martial arts move, the punch and twist, demonstrates the need to continue a sentence, but allows for a brief pause. (Have students model with a sentence)
6. The third move is the COLON. This requires a double hand punch, like the period, but sideways. This move calls your opponents attention to an upcoming list. (Have students model with a sentence)
7. The fourth move is the SEMI-COLON. This complicated move is for the pros. It is a combination of a colon and comma. Extend two hands outwards in a punch; at the last second, curve your bottom fist downwards. This graceful move is used to take a breath and connect two sentences. (Have students model with a sentence)
8. The last move is the QUOTATION mark. This move requires two upturned arms that make a double, open-handed strike in the air. This move is to about quick repetition of a persons words or an author’s ideas.
9. Have the students come up with their own moves to show off. Once you feel they have the language and usage down, have them write out the new words with visual mnemonics and an example sentence.

Wanted: Grammar/ Writing Culprits:

1. Test students on their grammar prowess with the inquiry activity.
2. Assign each student/ group of students a culprit of their choosing from the following worksheet.
3. Allow students to create a wanted poster with clues about why this culprit is wanted. For example: a noun was seen being used as a VERB rather than a person, place or thing. The Creepy Colon was trying to pass as a colon.
4. Students should create at least three examples of situations where the grammar was used incorrectly. They should also provide tips for the public on how to use the grammar correctly to avoid criminal writing of their own.

SLAP JACK grammar, punctuation and new vocab: This is a favorite of students, especially boys. It can get wild unless refereed properly. This game works well with either words or pictures.

1. Create the vocabulary or key terms that you wish to study (for example, parts of speech). Print each word on a piece of paper. It is best to laminate the cards, as the nature of the game is  hands-on and cards will soon get crumpled…
2. This activity works well with magnets placed on laminated cards and stuck to the board, OR as a floor game, where students sit in a circle with words in the center.
3. Call out a key word. For example, in one slap jack game I created for Parts of speech, I printed off tons of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, pronouns, etc. I placed the cards in the center of the circle. When I called out the word “noun” the students had 5 seconds to find any nouns. (this is where the mad scramble can sometimes get crazy as kids get very excited!)
4. Students sit back and show which card they found. If it IS a noun, they can keep it to add up at the end of the game. If it is NOT a noun, they must put it back AND an additional card they have won or miss a turn.
5. Play until until all the cards are collected.
6. Students count up their cards to see who won!

Alternatively, if the cards are places on the board with magnets, students go two-by-two. When you call out “noun” two students rush to the board, the first student to slap a noun gets to take the card. This works better than the ground/ circle because everyone has a 50% chance of winning the card and students do not get trampled…