Students can compete to create complex sentence trees that can have appealing visual designs. Sentence trees are created by dividing each word in a sentence into its parts of speech. Sentence trees are widest at the base, because each word is separated into its part of speech. However, the tree gets narrower as it reaches the top because the words are grouped into phrases, clauses and sentences. Students compete either to create the most complex and accurate sentence trees from a single sentence or to create a visual image from their sentence trees for multiple sentences.
Type up several sentences, beginning with short, easy sentences and ending in longer, more complex sentences. Print out several copies of the sentences and cut up every word in each sentence individually. Place all of the words that comprise a single sentence into sealed envelopes. In class, divide your students into groups and pass out an envelope to each group. Students should begin with the easiest sentence. Have all the groups open their envelopes at the same time and compete to see who can rearrange the words to form a sentence. Repeat this process, making the sentences harder each time.
After students have submitted a writing assignment, find various passages that contain multiple grammar issues. Make a copy of these passages that you can distribute to your students, but redact any identifying characteristics so that the passages remain anonymous. In groups, have students work to identify and correct the passages. They should rewrite the entire passage without any grammar issues. The first group to complete the activity will win a prize of your choosing.
Write different adverbs on index cards, one adverb for each card. Students can volunteer to perform for the class. The participating student selects a card from the deck and reads the adverb without showing the card to anyone else in the class. Students may give commands, and the participating student must act out those commands using the adverb on his or her card. Others can try and guess the adverb based on the student's performance.