Best Grammar Games for a High School Level Challenge

If you’re working on parts of speech, playing Grammar Trade helps to reinforce the concept while building writing (and commerce) skills. All you need for this game is index cards.

1. Split the class into eight groups. They can also be eight pairs or eight individuals.
2. Give each group 10-15 index cards. 
3. Assign each group one of the eight parts of speech (Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Conjunction, Article, Preposition, Pronoun).
4. Have team members write examples of each part of speech on each index card. For example, the Noun group could write “cat” on one card, “monster” on another, and “pencil” on another.
5. Send one or two of the group members out to be “traders.” They take a few of the cards and trade other teams for different parts of speech. For example, the Noun group might trade “cat” for the Adjective group’s card “pretty.”
6. Once they’ve made enough trades, each group will see if they can make a full sentence. If they can’t, they may need to trade for additional words.
7. Set a time limit for advanced students, or let students trade until they’re all finished.
8. See who has the most creative sentence!

High schoolers who struggle with prefixes may enjoy an interactive prefix game. For this game, you’ll need both pages of the printable below, some scissors, and a timer. 

For English learners or struggling readers:

1. Before class, assemble the dice from the printable.
2. Roll each die in front of the whole class.
3. Have students work individually or in partners to complete the task.
4. Once everyone is finished, have students share their work.
5. Roll the dice again for the next task.

For mainstream students or advanced learners:

1. Split the class into small groups of 3-4 students.
2. Pass out the printable and have groups assemble each die.
3. Follow the instructions on the printable. (Consider projecting them onto the whiteboard in case they get thrown away in the assembly process.)
4. The team to complete the task first or most successfully wins. Use your discretion for teams that both did equally well.

SWAT is a fun classroom game that reinforces any grammar concept. To play, divide your students into two teams. Also, you need a whiteboard and markers. The game is most fun with a flyswatter, but students can also use their hands.

1. Write key grammar concepts on the board (for example, “action verbs” and “linking verbs” or “subject” and “object”).
2. Have one student from each team come up to take their turn. 
3. Read a sentence out loud, then repeat one word in the sentence.
4. Students swat the concept featured in the repeated word of the sentence (for example, if the word is “am,” students would swat “linking verb”). 
5. The first to swat the correct answer wins a point.
6. Keep playing until students understand the concept or one team has earned ten points.

For this game, you’ll need two dice, the printable and a timer. You’ll split the class up into two teams. Each team will roll one die.

Use Sentence War to review parts of speech or help high schoolers who are having trouble with grammar or spelling. To play, you’ll split your class into two groups.

1. Before playing, create cards with all the parts of speech (or create a customizable spinner).
2. Choose one group randomly to start by spinning the wheel or selecting cards.
3. Depending on where the spinner lands, both groups will go to the board and write the word. For example, if it lands on a noun, each group will write a noun on the board.
4. The next person will then spin and build off the first word.
5. The first group to correctly add each part of speech to create a plausible sentence wins.
6. Award extra points for clever or funny sentences.

The team to complete the task first or most successfully wins. Use your discretion for teams that both did equally well.

Before playing Grammar Jeopardy, create a jeopardy game with sections like “Place That Comma” or “Commonly Confused Words.” Write questions for each section and assign them a dollar value from $100 to $500. If you have a jeopardy template, you can adapt it to grammar concepts (or find a template available online). In a pinch, you can create a template using paper and a whiteboard.

1. After creating your template before class, split the class into three teams.
2. Give each team a buzzer or a way to indicate that they have the answer.
3. Let the first team choose a question (they can decide together or one person can decide). 
4. Read the question out loud.
5. Let the first team who buzzes in answer the question.
6. If they’re right, assign the correct points to their team and let them choose the next question. If they’re incorrect, let the next team try to answer.
7. Keep playing until the questions are all answered. The team with the most points (or dollars) wins!

Need more specific ways to reinforce grammar concepts? Check out:

• 8 Fun Noun Games for the Classroom
• 10 Fun Verb Games and Activities for Kids
• 5 Pronoun Games With No Prep Work
• 7 Awesome Adjective Games
• 6 Adverb Games for Interactive Learning