Learning About Adverbs in the Elementary Grades

A free site I had been using to print out grammar books has not been working for weeks now. I really should have downloaded the book onto my computer while I had the chance. Tsk. Tsk. But I did not and now I am finding myself having to put together a grammar curriculum to get us through the end of the year.

I have been rummaging around the internet finding this and that. I found a great grammar game called Grammar Ninja. My son was happily playing it and advanced from beginner ninja to skilled ninja and that is when we discovered that he does not have a strong grasp on adverbs yet. 

So, I have compiled the resources that we are using this week to learn about adverbs.

Here is the the Adverb playlist that I put together on Youtube.

There was a time when I tried my hand at creating my own worksheets. But really, there are so many great, free worksheets out there that I don't feel this is the best use of my time anymore. So I did a quick Google image search for adverb worksheets and found a weeks worth plus one that can be used as a test as well.

Some Free Online Adverb Games
The Adjectives and Adverbs Trail
Adventures with Adjectives and Adverbs
Grab the Adverbs
Practice Using Adverbs
Adverbs Jeopardy - 1 or 2 person game

Adverb Tests/Quizzes
And once the children have had their fill of adverbs they can take an online adverb quiz which can double as a test. The quiz is even scored for you at the end. And here is a shorter 6 question online adverb quiz.

You could throw an Adverb wordsearch into the mix as well.

Educational Songs: Singing Our Way Through Homeschool

Lately my husband and I have been listening to 80's music on Pandora. I have been singing words to songs that I haven't heard in 30 years, like I just heard the song on the radio yesterday. This reminded me of how much staying power songs have in our memories.

Memories

A few days ago I heard Soon and Very Soon by Andrae Crouch on the radio. EVERY SINGLE TIME that I hear that song I am reminded of the few times that I went to church with my aunt when I was little. It seemed like the choir sang that song every time that I visited. Again, that was over 30 years ago.

Fun Times
Because of those experiences I have revisited using educational songs to teach the children. We used to listen to circle time songs several times a week when we first began homeschooling. They happily sang the songs while dancing around the school room. And it wasn't long at all before they had memorized their ABC's, numbers (up to 20), seasons, and days of the week. Easy peasy, no formal instruction was needed. Occasionally, I still overhear a little one singing one of these songs softly to himself, to trigger his memory.



Some years back my oldest learned all 50 states and their capitals courtesy of Wakko and YouTube.

How Quickly We I Forget
I don't know why I was so quick to forget what a great tool educational songs are in homeschool. Oh wait...yes I do. For awhile there I had gotten so bogged down with the mechanics of schooling that I had completely let go of the spontaneity and fun.

 But now that I have recovered from that trying time,  I will be using songs quite a bit in our upcoming school year. In particular, I am hoping that we will be able to sing our way through English class. Learning about parts of speech can be so boring. Unless, the information is put to a nice little melody or turned into a rap. And a little impromptu dancing thrown in just for fun never hurts either.

50 Nifty

Here's a cute video that I'm using to teach my children the 50 states.