Activities to Teach Students to Use Regular Plurals With -s, -es, and -ies
As a teacher, it’s important to teach students the proper use of regular plurals to avoid errors in writing and speaking. Here are some fun and engaging activities that can effectively teach students to use regular plurals with -s, -es, and -ies.
1. Plural Picture Game
This simple game involves pasting pictures of singular objects on one side of the board and pictures of their corresponding plural forms on the other side. Then, students can take turns choosing a singular picture and trying to correctly guess the plural form. This activity can also be done in pairs where students can quiz each other.
2. Plural Match-Up
In this matching game, students are given cards with singular nouns and must match them with their corresponding plural card. To make it more engaging, students can race against each other or work in teams to see who can match all the cards the fastest.
3. Plural Snowball Fight
This activity can get students out of their seats and moving around. Write singular nouns on small pieces of paper and hand them out to the students. When the teacher says “go,” the students crumple up their paper and have a “snowball fight” by throwing them at each other. When the teacher says “stop,” the students pick up a snowball and uncrumple it to read the singular noun. Then, they need to quickly write down the corresponding plural form.
4. Plural Sort
In this activity, students are given a list of singular nouns and must sort them into categories based on whether they add -s, -es, or replace the final -y with -ies to make the plural. This can be done on a worksheet or with physical objects in the classroom, such as sorting blocks or toy animals.
5. Plural Relay Race
Divide the class into teams and have each team line up at the board with markers in hand. On the board, write singular nouns and assign each team a different rule for forming the plural (add -s, add -es, or replace -y with -ies). One student from each team runs up to the board and race to write the correct plural form before running back to tag the next student in line.
Teaching students to use regular plurals can be an interactive and engaging process. Through the use of games and activities, students not only learn the rules for forming plurals but also have fun while doing it.