Tactile/Contractions

Resource:  www.teacherhelper.com

Title: Contraction Match-up

Idea:

Write each well-known contraction on an index card and write what each stands for on other index cards. Mix all the cards up and pass one card out to each student. The task for the students is to find their "partner" with the matching contraction. After the groups have been established, they can write two sentences using the contraction from their group.

Resource:  http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/BuilderV03/LPTools/LPShared/lpdisplay.asp?LPID=13977

Title: Learning Contractions Hands on

Idea: You will need magnetic letters and a cookie sheet for each child. Have the children spell out the two words that they will be working with, such as do and not. Teach the children when writting contractions, they have to squeeze out the space and then replace a letter with the '. squeeze out the space, replace O with ' and you have don't. This will work with many of the words. Be careful when teaching would not, since it changes to won't. You will help the children by reminding them to squeeze out the space and replace the letter they do not need with a '. By useing the magnetic letters, the children will find this lesson fun and hands on.

Resource:

Resource: http://marilyn.nchl.bc.ca/gamesforlearning.htm

Title: Contraction Action Cards (Old Maid)

Idea: Hand out all the contraction cards (some cards have the contraction the others have the before contractions words).  There should be one old lady card (the old maid).  Pass out all the cards to the children playing.  One child picks a card from the child to the left of them (without looking at the card) and then if the child gets a match to the contraction, he or she sits the match next to them.  The person that was drawn from goes next.  Continue playing in a clockwise manner.  The first person who ends up with the old maid at the end loses.

Make sure you are checking the children's matches at the end of the game to see if they are grasping the contraction concept.

Resource: This site gives you printable cards of all the contractions that you can use for your game.  It also gives other contraction activities and worksheets. http://teachers.santee.k12.ca.us/carl/contraction_action.htm

Title: Contraction Puzzle
Idea: Have a strip of paper. On the front of the paper, write a word pair and on the back, write the contraction for that word pair.  Cut the strip of paper into 2 separate "puzzle pieces."  Be sure to cut between the two words on the front.  Also, make sure these 2 pieces fit together.  This way, when the students put the two puzzle pieces together, they will not only fit, but form a word pair.  When they tape the pieces together and look on the back, they will have the contraction for that word pair available also.

Create several pieces with many contractions/word pairs and mix them together and have the students "solve the puzzle."

Title: Blowing out Contractions!
Idea: The teacher will have a balloon. The teacher will begin the lesson by blowing up the balloon. The teacher will ask the students, "What happened to the balloon?" The students should reply with answers that the balloon has expanded. After letting the air out of the balloon, the teacher will ask the students, "What happened to the balloon when I let the air out?" The students should respond with answers that the balloon contracted or got smaller. The teacher will explain that contractions are two words that contract or get smaller. An apostrophe is used to show where a letter or letters have been omitted to create the shortened form of the word.

Give each student a long strip of paper, a short strip of paper and a balloon. 

On the long strip, write a word pair that can be made into a contraction (i.e.  will not).  Fold the paper in half between the two words.  (the fold would be between will and not) On the short strip of paper, write the contraction for that word (i.e.  won't).  Blow up the balloon.  With the open end of the balloon being the top, tape the word pair on one side of the balloon and the contraction for that word on the opposite side.  Hang the balloons from the ceiling for display.
Resource: http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/BuilderV03/LPTools/LPShared/lpdisplay.asp?LPID=13977