Grammar Gremlins: Grammar Mini-Lessons for Middle School

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They jump out at us in countless middle school essays. They lure our red pens to make endless circles and bold question marks. Occasionally, they even taunt us to create angry holes in a student’s notebook paper! At the worst, they can sometimes cause us to lose sleep and wonder, “Will my students ever transfer my instruction to their writing?” What are “they”? We have chosen to call them gremlins – grammar gremlins. This species consists of errors that are repetitive and widespread among the student population.

Read on to print free handouts and to once and for all find out how take care of those pesky writing mistakes like it’s vs. its, to vs. too, principal vs. principle and more!

Each Monday, we introduce the “Gremlin of the Week” by passing out one of the mini-lessons included in this book. These lessons are student friendly and include tricks to help students learn! After we teach the lesson and make sure all students understand, it is time for them to respond. Students complete a foldable, flapbook, or cut-out (also included in this packet) as an interactive activity. A practice page is then given either as classwork or homework for a quick assessment of that week’s gremlin. Then, on Friday, we give the quiz.

Practice pages and quizzes are included! In addition, there are review tests, complete with study guides, after every five lessons. The following twenty-four “gremlins” are tackled with this book.

  • Lessons included:
  • It’s vs. Its
  • Your vs. You’re
  • To vs. Too
  • Accept vs. Except
  • A lot (It’s two words!)
  • Review Study Guide and Review Test One
  • Their, There, They’re
  • I or Me?
  • Who’s vs. Whose
  • Affect or Effect
  • Punctuating Dialogue
  • Review Study Guide and Review Test 2
  • Dessert vs. Desert
  • Principal vs. Principle
  • Himself and Themselves
  • Singular vs. Plural Pronouns
  • Loose vs. Lose
  • Review Study Guide and Review Test 3
  • Apostrophes
  • Commas with Independent Clauses
  • Semicolons
  • The Colon
  • Capitalization of Geographical Words and School Subjects
  • Capitalization of Calendar Items, Brands, and Family Names
  • Run-on Sentences
  • Fragments
  • Who vs. Whom
  • Review Study Guide and Review Test 4
  • Rubrics; Answer Keys

While every grammar and usage mishap is not included in this book, we have chosen those that have been monumental and overexposed in our own teaching experience. We also provide mnemonics and tricks to help students remember the rules!

What’s the deal with the gremlin?

Our little gremlin appears in each lesson. Facts about his gremlin world are included in all of the mini-lessons. This helps keep things interesting and will give your students something to giggle about! We have a gremlin word wall in our classrooms, where all of our “gremlins” go after we learn them each week. Also, after a grammar gremlin is taught, students must be careful to edit their writing to make sure it is used correctly. For example, if we have already covered the semicolon as a gremlin, students are to make sure they use it correctly in their writing. If they do not, “GREMLIN ALERT!” is written right on their paper. This is great for writing instruction because the teacher can ignore the mistakes that have not been covered yet and only focus on the ones that have been taught. Students build their “editing toolbox” as the lessons progress each week.

Make it fun!

Monsters are very popular these days. We buy monster stickers and reward students with them when they make a 100 on a gremlin quiz. We make a Gremlin Wall and hang cute little cut out monsters with each lesson that we learn.

Just the other day at the Dollar Tree, I found the cutest little squishy monsters.  I bought a few and plan to toss them around on Mondays when we learn our gremlin for the week.  Whoever catches it will either answer a question about the gremlin or use it correctly in a sentence.

Also, once a gremlin has been taught and placed on our Gremlin Wall, we are serious about it in writing assignments.  For example, if we have already covered the semicolon as a gremlin, students are to make sure they use it correctly in their writing.  If they do not, I am quick to write “GREMLIN ALERT!” right on their paper.  This is great for writing instruction because I can ignore the mistakes that I have not covered yet and only focus on the ones that we have covered.  Students build their “editing toolbox” as we progress each week.

*Note: Everything you need to have a weekly grammar gremlin and create an interactive notebook is included in this packet. Twenty-four mini lessons, foldables, flapbooks, or cutouts, practice pages, quizzes, review tests and answer keys are included. Even if you are not sure about using interactive notebooks, this resource will work for you. Activities can be done in a binder, and pictures and descriptions are provided to make everything easy to teach!

You are going to LOVE Grammar Gremlins! By far, this is one of the best and greatest resources that we use in our own classrooms!  Click the link below for a free sample from Grammar Gremlins.

FREE mini-lessons, practice sheets, and quizzes from Grammar Gremlins~Avoiding the Little Monsters in Writing

Lesson Plans for Bud, Not Buddy

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Your students will love the novel Bud, Not Buddy, and you will love these lesson plans for Bud, Not Buddy!

In our classrooms, we use this novel as a whole-class study.   It’s just so fun to read aloud!  Of course, this book is also a perfect choice for literature circles or an independent novel study.  We have created several Common Core aligned lesson plans for Bud, Not Buddy, and we would like to share some free handouts with you!

Click the link below to download handouts to help you teach flashback, imagery, figurative language, and irony!

Print these handouts and a portion of a test by clicking here for our sample packet for Bud, Not Buddy by by Christopher Paul Curtis.

 

If you enjoy this free sample from our lesson plans for Bud, Not Buddy, consider purchasing our entire teaching unit for Bud, Not Buddy.  All of your plans will be complete.  You will simply print and teach!  Plus, you will have this resource for years to come.

Free Lesson Plans for Flush by Carl Hiaasen!

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Are you looking for free lesson plans for Flush by Carl Hiaasen? If so, you’re in the right place!  

button free sample for novel unit

The novel Flush combines comedy and humor with mystery and suspense to create the perfect read!  Carl Hiaasen’s characters are realistic and unforgettable!  Your students will enjoy every page of this novel.  This book is perfect for a whole class read or for literature circles. 

While Flush is written by the same author as Hoot, it is not the sequel.  Flush has a totally new set of characters and a completely different plot.  If your students like mysteries mixed with humor and unforgettable characters, then this book will be a hit!

Print free lesson plans for the novel Flush by Carl Hiaasen below.  In this free lesson plans for Flush by Carl Hiaasen download, three activities are included.  Students will take a look at the point of view of the novel, analyze the author’s use of direct and indirect characterization, and then analyze the author’s craft by studying how Hiaasen creates such realistic characters in the novel.  You’ll also be able to print a portion of a test!  Click the box below for these handouts.  If you like the free sample, consider purchasing our entire unit. Everything will be ready for you to teach, and you will have all of the activities included in the table of contents.   

Author:  Carl Hiiasen, award winning author of Hoot

Lexile Range: L830

If you enjoy this free sample, consider purchasing our entire teaching unit for Flush. All of your plans will be complete for the entire unit.  Everything is ready for you to print and teach!  Plus, you will have these lesson plans and activities for years to come!

Hatchet Lesson Plans

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When I first started my Hatchet lesson plans, I knew I wanted some activities that would focus on the author’s craft.  Gary Paulsen’s voice and style of writing are all his own and worth taking note of.  For example, in chapter 14, Paulsen repeats a one word sentence:  Mistakes.  So, written in my Hatchet lesson plans for this chapter, is an activity to have my students take a look at this for meaning.  In groups, students discuss why Paulsen repeats this word and what effect it has on the story and the reader.  Then, I have them try this writing technique themselves.  I give them the following assignment:

Instead of focusing on mistakes, write a few paragraphs focusing on Brian’s successes.  In order to add emphasis, model Paulsen’s writing technique of repetition.  Before narrating each accomplishment that Brian has made while being stranded on the island, first write the word Success.

Hatchet is one book your students will certainly remember.  Scroll down to print free Hatchet Lesson Plans like the one listed above!

 Gary Paulsen wonderfully tells the story of Brian, who is forced to pilot a plane and land it on a deserted island.  There, he must learn to survive. The book is action packed, and your students will not want to stop reading.  This book lends itself wonderfully as a whole-class, literature circle, or independent novel study.

With Hatchet, great opportunity arises to teach students about examining the author’s craft.  We teach our students to pay attention to Gary Paulsen’s word usage, imagery, use of suspense, and even symbolism.  Of course, we also take a look at literary elements too, such as theme, point of view, and setting.  Take a look at our free sample handouts.

Print these handouts and a portion of a test by clicking here for our sample packet for Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

 

If you enjoy this free sample, consider purchasing our entire teaching unit for Hatchet.  All of your planning will be complete!  You will simply print and teach!

Lesson Plans for Holes by Louis Sachar

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If you’re looking for activities, tests, and lesson plans for Holes by Louis Sachar, you’re in the right spot!  I’ll never forget the first time I read Holes aloud to my seventh grade students.  We all fell in love with the two plots and they mystery of how the two intertwined.   They will never forget Camp Green Lake, Stanley, and all of Sachar’s wonderful characters.  I knew after the first time I read it aloud to a class that this novel was a perfect book for middle schoolers!

Now we use this novel as a choice for book clubs, but it’s also perfect for an independent novel study. We created a teaching unit for Holes, and the handouts included require students to analyze the author’s craft and literary elements such as point of view, symbolism, and characterization. We also developed five tests as well as writing assignments and post reading activities. Take a look at the table of contents in the free preview to see the focus of our lesson plans for  each chapter.  You’ll also download some free activity pages as well.

Print these free handouts and a portion of a test by clicking here for our sample packet for Holes.  Here you can print a portion of a test, a printable for point of view and a printable for examining the author’s use of flashbacks.

 

If you enjoy this free sample, consider purchasing our entire teaching unit for Holes by Louis Sachar.  With this teaching unit, all of your planning will be complete, and you can rest assure that you will cover plenty of standards as you read this awesome book.  The best part is once you purchase the unit, you can use it year after year!  We hope you enjoy the free printables!

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key lesson plans

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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos is a lighthearted novel suitable for middle school kids.  Your students will laugh at Joey’s antics yet sympathize with his needs.   If you’re looking for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key lesson plans, activities, handouts, or tests, check out our free printables in the link below!

Print these handouts and a portion of a test by clicking here for our sample packet for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos.

We end our seventh grade year with this book. It is short and humorous, so we usually read it aloud to our students.  It is perfect for the last few weeks of school. Our Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key lesson plans include taking a look at the humor and style that the author uses along with the literary techniques that are used throughout the book.

While we use this novel as a whole class read, it could easily be used in literature circles or as an independent read.   We have created some fun, standards-based lesson plans and handouts that we would like to share with you.

Print these handouts and a portion of a test by clicking here for our sample packet for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos.

 

If you like these free printables, consider purchasing all of our lesson plans for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.  All of your plans will be done, and you will simply print and teach!  Plus, the best part is that you will have them for years to come!

 

If you enjoy this free sample, consider purchasing our entire teaching unit for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.

Number the Stars lesson plans

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Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, is a Newberry Medal award winning novel about the Holocaust.  This compelling story will hook your reluctant readers and pull them into an unforgettable story of friendship, courage, and hardships.  

Our lesson plans for Number the Stars will work perfectly for a whole class read, an independent novel study, or even an individual novel study.    We use this novel as a book club choice in our seventh grade classrooms.  

Print these handouts and a portion of a test by clicking here for our sample packet for Number the Stars.

 

If you enjoy this free sample, consider purchasing our entire teaching unit for Number the Stars.

Lesson Plans for Rules by Cynthia Lord

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Rules by Cynthia Lord will keep your middle school students interested as they read about twelve-year-old Catherine and her autistic brother David.  Catherine just wants a normal life, but there is more than her younger brother that complicates that.   If you’re looking to print some lesson plans for Rules by Cynthia Lord, you’re in the right place!

We use this novel as a choice for book clubs, or as some call them – literature circles.  It’s the perfect read for a small group.  Of course, this novel would work well as a whole class novel or an independent novel study too.  When we developed our lesson plans for Rules by Cynthia Lord, we wanted to make sure we included activities that would allow students to analyze literary elements as well as the author’s craft.  We want to share some of these lessons with you!  The free handouts below take a look at the imagery and similes that the author uses in this novel.  There is also a portion of the final test for you to print!

Print these handouts and a portion of a test by clicking here for our sample packet for Rules by Cynthia Lord.

 

If you enjoy this free sample, consider purchasing our entire teaching unit for Rules.  All of your plans will be complete, and you will have this unit for years to come!

Lesson Plans for the Novel Small Steps

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Small Steps by Louis Sachar is a story of loyalty and friendship.  Your students will not want to stop reading this awesome story! They will learn that doing the right thing is never a wrong choice; doing the right thing is a small step in the right direction. Scroll down to print free lesson plans for the novel Small Steps.

In our classrooms, we use this novel as a choice for book clubs, or as some call them, literature circles.  We would like to share a couple of our activities or lesson plans for the novel Small Steps.  After reading chapter three of Small Steps, we have students analyze Ginny and Armpit by taking a close look at this passage:

…A few neighborhood kids called her spaz, and retard, but most treated her with respect because she was a friend of Armpit’s and because she was willing to answer their questions.

Once this analysis is complete, students read an informational passage on cerebral palsy.  This allows students to gain a little understanding of Ginny’s disability.

After chapter seventeen, we take a look at allusion. Students receive a handout that explains this literary device.  Then, they look at some passages from the chapter and identify the allusions.  Finally, students are encouraged to be on the lookout for other examples of allusions as they complete the novel.  We offer bonus points to our students if they jot the allusion down and place it in our “Novel Finds” box!

Print these two handouts for chapters three and seventeen as well as a portion of a test for chapters 1-12 by clicking here for our sample packet for Small Steps.  If you enjoy this free sample, consider downloading our entire teaching unit for Small Steps.