Mr. Nale’s Virtual Classroom:
Lots of activities tied to Journey’s Units
http://www.mrnale.com/Journeys_Lesson_Activities.htm
Grammar Games
http://www.softschools.com/language_arts/
Phonics Games
http://www.softschools.com/language_arts/phonics/
Pronouns on Paper
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Read "I and You and Don't Forget Who: What is a Pronoun" by Brian P. Cleary,
or "Grammar Tales: The Planet Without Pronouns" by Justin M. Martin, with the
children. Make a chart and ask the children to help you come up with definitions
for what is a pronoun. Write down the pronouns you found in the books, and the
types of sentences in which they can be found. After you've posted the chart on
the wall or bulletin board, leave it up for a few weeks or the whole semester so
that it can be a constant reminder to the children. The kids will start to remember
the different instances of pronouns and how to use them.
Proper Pronouns
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Write many sentences on different boards or large pieces of paper without using
pronouns. Prepare little cards featuring proper names and names of people and
places, and affix magnets or tape to the backs of them. Make sets of these cards
in two different colors. In teams of two, have children run up and place as many
pronouns as they can before the other team. You'll know who placed more
because each team has a different color. The next team will have different
sentences to use.
Pronoun Parables
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Stand in a circle and use a Nerf ball to throw to the children. Have them make up
a story on the spot. Start the story by saying something like, "Jessica was having
a bad day." Pass the ball to the next student and have them continue the story,
using a pronoun. Each student must continue the story and use a pronoun. If you
want to prompt the student, write a few plot points on the board to help the
children think of sentences to say. Involve a guy friend, a parent, an activity after
school or an exciting adventure in Africa.
Rainbow Dice Spelling
Grade Level(s): K, 1-2, 3-5
By: Erika Duran, 2nd Grade, Lincoln Elementary, Colton
This is a fun spelling game your students will enjoy!
Materials:
dice, crayons, markers, spelling words
Plan:
Grab a die, roll it, count it, and write a spelling word that many times with each
crayon/marker in rainbow color order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Right
before your very eyes, students will learn and create colorful spelling words.
For example, if a 4 was rolled, then your students would write the word "school" 4x's
each with 4 different colors to create a rainbow effect.
Selling Spelling
Grade Level(s): 3-5
By: Peggy Hibbard, Pine Tree Intermediate 3/4
This spelling activity combines social studies, art, and spelling for an exciting way to
learn spelling words.
New Use for an Old Game
Objectives:
Students learn about marketing strategies and put them into action. Students take
ownership of getting 100% of the class to spell their word correctly on the test by
advertising and selling their "word"..
Materials:
Spelling words
Large Manilla Paper
A variety of art supplies available
Colored construction paper
Appropriate Magazines
Plan:
1. Have a class discussion about advertisements. Brainstorm what makes a good
advertisement.
2. Look through magazines and pick out advertisements and let each student tell
briefly what it was about that ad that "caught their eye" and what it is about the
ad that will make them "remember" that product.
3. Assign or let each student pick a spelling word to "sell" to the class.
4. Students then use any mediums they have available to create an "advertisement"
selling their assigned word. ...i.e. collage, watercolor, tempera, markers, crayons,
stencils, cutouts from magazines, etc. Possibly go "online" and download
graphics and fonts they could print out.
5. Students then present their advertisement or commercial to the class with the
objective of getting the class to remember their word.
6. Hang the posters advertising their words on the walls of the classroom.
7. Give a practice test about Wednesday. Let the students know what words were
missed and by whom.
8. Students can then target the students who don't know "their word".
9. Give the final test on Friday. Give the results and appropriate rewards for words
that were 100% correct in the classroom. Ex: John's word was "store". Everyone
got John's word correct, so he gets recognition. Suggestion: Put a star or sticker
on the posters that were 100% correct in the class.
Optional activity:
1. Hang their word poster on the front or side of their desk.
2. When calling on students to go to the restroom, answer a question, read, etc.,
have them spelling "their" word out loud first.
3. Have a spelling break. Students are allowed to go freely around the room and get
as many students to spell "their" word. When someone spells "their" word
correctly, they document the information.. Whoever can't spell their word is then
targeted for additional help by the "seller of the word".
Peggy Hibbard
Pine Tree Intermediate 3/4
Pine Tree ISD
Longview, Texas
Spark (a variation on Sparkle spelling game)
Grade Level(s): 1-2, 3-5
A variation of Sparkle, Spark allows mis-spellers to rejoin the game after practicing
words.
Plan:
I don't ask students to sit down unless they have misspelled a word, so this is really
"Spark," not Sparkle."
This is a variation of "Sparkle." It seems that exactly those students who need to keep
spelling are eliminated from the game, so in my variation, when a student sits out, he or
she has a choice: either stay out and write the spelling words starting with the missed
one x 5, or write that word 5 times and then rejoin the game. That way attention remains
focused on spelling.
There are a couple of rules to the re-joining process, since students re-joining the group
can be confused and can cause confusion:
1. I need to see the words written correctly. (otherwise a student may be
reenforcing misspelling)
2. Students may rejoin between words, not during--you may decide whether they
rejoin where they were or at one end of the line.
3. There should be a designated waiting place and (you know we need to state the
obvious) a line needs to form behind the first person waiting.
Students seem to like the opportunity to get back into the action, although there have
been some students who would rather practice writing the words.
Different Spelling Activities
http://margdteachingposters.weebly.com/spelling-investigations--activities.html
Spelling Basic Sight Words
Grade Level(s): K, 1-2, 3-5
By: Sebrina, LD resource grades 1-7 teacher
This lesson is developed for students who have difficulty remembering spelling words.
Materials:
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
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Puffy Paint
Basic Sight Spelling Words
Paper
Plan:
1. The teacher or the student uses puffy paint to write each spelling word. It is vital
that the words and written very neatly in manuscript writing.
2. After paint dries, 10 to 15 minutes, the student begins by reading the first word.
3. Then the student traces each letter with his/her finger while he/she says the
letter. Student continues until each word is traced. Student repeats 2-3 times.
4. The student is assessed by a spelling quiz.
Comments:
I found that this lesson is very successful with students who have auditory and visual
processing delays. These students tend to do better if they are give kinesthetic and
tactical activities to complete

After doing a mini lesson on pronouns and the nouns they can replace in
sentences, we made our Pronoun Pockets in about 15 minutes. The outside of
the flaps have the pronouns, and the inside features a noun that they could
replace with that particular pronoun. The kids loved it, and it was quick and easy!
Vocabulary Post It Note Game
Put students in groups of 3 or 4.
One student has a vocabulary word on a post it note on their forehead.
Other students give clues until the one student guesses it.
Crown with Word
Using Sentence Strip, tape around head… vocabulary idea students have a vocab word
on head and have to walk around room and ask synonym, antonym, rhyming word etc...
to guess their word. Vocab on the Move form to fill out as they walk.
See the handout VOCAB ON THE MOVE