Show students a list of words that can be made into contractions. Tell them that there's a shorter way to write the words while making sure the words mean the same thing.
Ask students if they know another way to write the words. If students do know, write their response on the board. If they don't know, tell them the word. For example say, "Instead of saying 'we will,' we could say 'we'll.' " Write "we'll" on the board. Repeat for other words on the board.
Tell students all the words you just wrote are called contractions. Explain that a contraction is two words joined together with an apostrophe that replaces one or more missing letters. Point to the apostrophe in the contractions so students understand what an apostrophe looks like.
Point to the different words used in the contractions. Explain to students that some contractions come from joining a word with "not." "Will," "are" and "is" are some words used this way.
Demonstrate where to place the apostrophe when writing contractions by using magnetic letters. For example, spell out "did not" with the magnetic letters. Tell students that when making a contraction using "not," the rule is to take out the "o" and replace it with an apostrophe. Take the magnetic "o" away and replace it with an apostrophe. Push the word "did" over toward the "n" in "not" to spell out "didn't." Repeat the process for other words. Each time, explain the rule for that word.
Give students the opportunity to practice changing words into contractions. Focus on one group of contractions, such as contractions using "not," so students have a chance to learn the rule. Write a list of words on the board, such as "were not," "are not" and "does not." Tell students to write the contractions for the words. Allow students time to do this independently. When they're done, use magnetic letters to make the contraction for each word so the students can check their answers.
Reinforce learning contractions with a variey of methods. Vocabulary and Spelling City.com describes other ways to teach this concept, such as writing songs or poems that use contractions or using spelling games. DLTK's website has "The Gingerbread Man" teachers can download so students can highlight or underline the contractions.