8 Awesome Grammar Activities For Middle School Classrooms
Let’s face it! English grammar is not the most exciting topic to teach or learn, especially for middle school students. The challenge is that when lessons are too boring or complex, students quickly lose interest. That’s where engaging English grammar activities come to the rescue. Below, you’ll find our favorite grammar activities for middle school students that make learning fun and interactive. These activities are designed to capture students’ attention, encourage participation, and help them master English grammar concepts in an enjoyable and engaging way. Let’s get started!
Middle School Grammar Games And Activities
Activity 1: Grammar Jeopardy
Top of our list is English Grammar Jeopardy! This activity helps middle school students review and reinforce their understanding of various grammar topics in a fun, competitive environment.
To play, first set up a Jeopardy-style game board with categories and point values. You can write this out on the whiteboard or use our free Jeopardy PowerPoint Template.
Next, create your English grammar Jeopardy questions. Categories could include Parts of Speech, Sentence Structure, Tenses, Punctuation, and Common Errors. Prepare questions for each category with increasing difficulty and point values.
Once you have prepared your Jeopardy game, categories, and questions, the game can begin. Divide the class into teams and have the teams take turns selecting a category and a point value (for example, “Parts of Speech for 100 points”). Read the question, and the first team to raise their hand gets to answer. If they answer correctly, they earn points; if they answer incorrectly, another team can try.
Here are some example Jeopardy-style grammar questions you can use:
- “This part of speech describes a noun.” (Answer: “What is an adjective?”)
- “This tense is used for actions that are currently happening.” (Answer: “What is the present continuous tense?”)
- “This part of a sentence tells who or what the sentence is about.” (Answer: “What is the subject?”)
- “This type of sentence asks a question.” (Answer: “What is an interrogative sentence?”)
- “This punctuation mark is used to indicate possession.” (Answer: “What is an apostrophe?”)
This activity not only makes English grammar practice engaging but also fosters teamwork and quick thinking, making learning more dynamic and enjoyable for middle school students.
Activity 2: Mad Libs
Mad Libs is a fantastic way to make grammar lessons fun and engaging for middle school students. This activity helps reinforce the understanding of different parts of speech while sparking creativity and laughter.
To play, first create your Mad Lib story or use our free Printable Mad Libs. If you’re not sure what Mad Libs are, they are short stories that require students to fill in blanks with different parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.).
Next, without showing the story, ask students to provide words for the blanks by specifying the part of speech needed (e.g., “Give me a noun”). Write these words down as they are given. Once all blanks are filled, read the completed story aloud for a fun and often hilarious result. For example, a Mad Lib might look like this:
“Yesterday, I saw a [adjective] [noun] at the [place]. It was [verb ending in -ing] and everyone was [verb ending in -ing]!”
With students’ contributions, it might become:
“Yesterday, I saw a [pink] [elephant] at the [bank]. It was [swimming] and everyone was [fighting]!”
This activity reinforces students’ understanding of parts of speech, encourages creativity, and makes grammar practice enjoyable. It provides a break from traditional lessons and helps students see grammar in action in a fun context.
Activity 3: Grammar Auction
Grammar Auction is an exciting way to engage middle school students in grammar practice. This activity encourages critical thinking and collaboration while making grammar lessons fun and interactive.
To play, first create a list of sentences, all of which contain grammatical errors. Assign a price to each sentence based on its difficulty level – sentences with minor errors should be cheaper, while those with more complex errors should be more expensive. Provide each student or team with a set amount of “grammar money” to use for bidding.
Next, conduct the auction by having teams take turns choosing a sentence to bid on. Teams continue taking turns until each team has an equal number of sentences and all sentences have been purchased.
After the auction, give the teams 10 minutes to correct all the sentences they bought. Once the time is up, students “sell” their sentences back to the teacher. If the sentence is correct, they earn double the money back. If there are still mistakes, they lose the money they spent on it. The team with the most money at the end wins!
This activity not only makes grammar practice engaging but also fosters teamwork and quick thinking. It helps students learn to identify and correct grammatical errors in a dynamic and enjoyable setting, reinforcing their understanding of grammar rules through an interactive and competitive format.
Activity 4: Grammar Relay Race
Grammar Relay Race is a dynamic and interactive way to get middle school students excited about grammar. This activity combines physical activity with grammar practice, making learning more engaging and fun.
To play, first prepare a set of sentences with grammatical errors. Write each sentence on a separate sheet of paper or on a whiteboard. Make sure you have enough sentences for each team to have several turns.
Next, divide the class into teams and line them up at a starting point. Place the sentences at a designated spot some distance away from the starting point. Each team will need a marker or chalk to correct the sentences.
When the race begins, the first student from each team runs to the board, identifies and corrects one error in a sentence, and then runs back to tag the next teammate. The next teammate runs to the board and corrects another error or moves to the next sentence if the previous one is correct. The race continues until all sentences are corrected. The first team to correctly correct all their sentences wins the race.
This activity not only makes grammar practice engaging but also encourages teamwork, quick thinking, and physical movement. It helps students learn to identify and correct grammatical errors in a lively and enjoyable setting, reinforcing their grammar skills through active participation.
Activity 5: Punctuation Detective
Punctuation Detective is a fun and engaging activity that helps middle school students sharpen their punctuation skills. This activity encourages attention to detail and critical thinking while making grammar practice interactive and enjoyable.
To play, first prepare a set of passages with incorrect punctuation. Ensure each passage contains multiple punctuation errors, and make enough copies for each student or pair of students.
Next, distribute the passages to the students. Explain that their task is to act as detectives and find and correct all punctuation errors in the passages. Students can work individually or in pairs to identify and correct the mistakes.
After students have had time to correct the passages, review the corrections as a class. Discuss why the changes were necessary and how correct punctuation affects the clarity and meaning of the sentences.
This activity not only makes punctuation practice engaging but also helps students develop a keen eye for detail and a better understanding of proper punctuation usage. It reinforces grammar rules and enhances proofreading skills in a dynamic and enjoyable setting.
Activity 6: Parts of Speech Bingo
Parts of Speech Bingo is an interactive and enjoyable way to help middle school students reinforce their understanding of different parts of speech. This activity makes grammar practice fun and competitive, encouraging students to quickly identify various parts of speech.
To play, first create Bingo cards with different parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections) in each square. Ensure each card has a different arrangement of parts of speech.
Next, prepare a list of words that correspond to the parts of speech on the Bingo cards. Include a mix of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and other parts of speech.
Distribute the Bingo cards to the students and explain the rules. As you call out each word from your list, students must identify the part of speech and mark the corresponding square on their Bingo card. The first student to complete a row, column, or diagonal shouts “Bingo!” and wins the game.
For example, you might call out the following words:
- “Quickly” (Adverb)
- “Dog” (Noun)
- “Beautiful” (Adjective)
- “Run” (Verb)
- “And” (Conjunction)
- “Under” (Preposition)
- “Wow” (Interjection)
- “She” (Pronoun)
This activity not only makes grammar practice engaging but also helps students quickly and accurately identify different parts of speech. It fosters a competitive spirit and encourages active participation, making learning parts of speech enjoyable and memorable.
Activity 7: Sentence Scramble
Sentence Scramble is a fun and educational activity that helps middle school students understand sentence structure and the importance of word order. This activity promotes teamwork and problem-solving skills while reinforcing grammar concepts.
To play, first prepare a set of sentences and write each sentence on a separate strip of paper. Cut the strips into individual words or phrases, ensuring that each sentence is mixed up.
Next, divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of scrambled sentences. Their task is to work together to rearrange the words or phrases to form grammatically correct sentences.
For example, you might provide the following scrambled sentences:
- “cat / The / the / jumped / over / moon.” (Corrected: “The cat jumped over the moon.”)
- “She / to / loves / read / books / mystery.” (Corrected: “She loves to read mystery books.”)
- “are / We / going / park / the / to / later.” (Corrected: “We are going to the park later.”)
- “teacher / The / explained / carefully / lesson / the.” (Corrected: “The teacher explained the lesson carefully.”)
- “movie / watch / we / a / tonight / Will.” (Corrected: “Will we watch a movie tonight?”)
Once all groups have completed their sentences, review the correct sentences as a class and discuss any difficulties or common mistakes.
This activity not only helps students understand sentence structure but also encourages collaboration and critical thinking. It provides a hands-on approach to learning grammar, making it more engaging and effective.
Activity 8: English Grammar Exercises
English grammar exercises are an essential tool for reinforcing grammar skills and ensuring students retain what they have learned. Regular practice helps solidify understanding, identify areas needing improvement, and build confidence in using grammar correctly.
Consistent practice through exercises can help middle school students master grammar concepts more effectively. It allows them to apply rules in various contexts, improving their overall language proficiency.
Check out our collection of interactive and printable English grammar exercises. These resources are designed to make grammar practice engaging and effective for middle school students.
More Middle School Resources
Of course, there’s more to teaching middle school students than just English grammar. Luckily, we have many more middle school teaching resources. So before you go, be sure to check them out.
Classroom Games For Middle School Students
Middle School Icebreakers
Middle School Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Middle School Writing Prompts
Debate Topics For Middle School Students
Flashcards Games For Middle School Students
