How to Teach Contractions
Contractions can be such a tricky skill for our students to learn, so let’s make it fun! When I first begin a lesson on contractions, I love to read the book I’m and Won’t, They’re and Don’t: What’s a Contraction? By Brian P. Cleary. The story introduces what a contraction is and gives so many examples of contractions.
I like to use this book to teach contractions over the course of 3 days. Each day we read the story one time, but we spice it up the second and third days.
- First read: Read the story from cover to cover
- Second read: Have students clap each time they hear a contraction. This really keeps students engaged!
- Third read: Have students write all the contractions they hear on a whiteboard as I read, then make a chart of all the words they wrote down.
Contractions Activities
After you have introduced contractions, here are two fun activities you can add to your lesson plans:
Contractions Flap Book
After reading the story the first time, I love to have my students set up our Contraction Flap Books. Then we add a few contractions to our book over the course of the week.
Contractions Puzzles
Our Contractions Puzzles are always a student favorite during our center rotations. Just laminate the pieces and you can use them for years to come!
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Written on September 23rd, 2018 by Laurin Brainard