How to Plan Grammar Mini-Lessons that Work

There is so much grammar to teach. From commas to quotations, you could spend hours a week covering it all. And yet, when you spend the time really digging in, it feels like it goes in one ear and out the other. Ugh. So, how can you plan grammar mini-lessons that don’t consume your classroom and actually work?

My Favorite Way to Teach Grammar

For years, I hated teaching grammar. It was boring. It consumed way too much of my time. And my students didn’t remember half of what they were taught. That is – until I decided to use mentor sentences. With mentor sentences, I could teach grammar in just a few minutes each day, and the content actually stuck. So, if you’re looking for my recommendation on the best way to teach grammar, mentor sentences are where it’s at.

However, I know not everyone likes mentor sentences. In this blog, I’m sharing a grammar mini-lesson formula that can be used with or without mentor sentences. Choose your own adventure.

If you do want to try mentor sentences, check out my Mentor Sentence Bundle. I’ve grabbed all the mentor sentences for you, plus put together simple daily grammar mini-lessons that will help you teach the skills and apply them in an authentic way.

Planning Your Grammar Mini-Lessons

Growing up, I learned grammar through drill-and-kill style learning. I was given worksheet after worksheet, practicing adding commas and fixing verbs. But when it came time to write, all those skills went right out the window. Nowadays, teachers know drill-and-kill style worksheets aren’t the most effective, but they aren’t sure what to do instead.

The answer is in scaffolded grammar mini-lessons. These break down even the most complex grammar skills (we’re looking at you, commas), into digestible pieces – so students can actually apply them to their writing.

I’m going to show you the grammar mini-lesson process I used to create my Grammar Lessons Bundle. These grammar units include six to eleven mini-lessons each. You can use them with mentor sentences or without!

#1 Prep Your Slide Desk

Once you’ve decided what skill you’ll teach this week, you’ll start prepping your slide deck. For each slide deck, I like to cover the specific skill, show examples of the skill in action, and add in whole-group practice. If you want to use mentor sentences, you can add a sentence here to model the process for students.

In my Grammar Lessons Bundle, I have created the slides desk for each lesson within the unit. You’ll have slides to walk through the concept and practice with students. I also have daily lesson plans with extra tips for teaching each lesson.

#2 Create Reference Pages

Hot take: instead of asking students to write notes as you give your grammar mini-lesson, provide them with a reference sheet. Personally, notes always slowed my students down, and they focused more attention on writing than listening. These reference pages will include all the key information they need for each grammar skill, plus helpful examples.

In the Grammar Lessons Bundle, I include printable and digital reference pages. For example, the sentence structure lessons include reference sheets on the different sentence types and clauses. They have a definition for each and an example. (Also, for those who love notetaking, I included interactive notebook pieces for the sentence types as well.)

#3 Craft Your Activity

Once you’ve covered the material in the grammar mini-lesson, it’s time to practice. You can use a grammar worksheet, but you can also challenge students with other activities as well. If you plan to use mentor sentences, this is where I recommend using them. It’s a simple and authentic way for them to practice their grammar skills (grab the mentor sentence bundle for ready-to-go sentences).

The Grammar Lessons Bundle includes print-and-teach activities, like underlining the clause in the sentence or adding commas to a list. But I’ve also included hands-on games, like grammar BINGO to review at the end of a unit. There are done-for-you activities for every mini-lesson.

#4 Assess Their Knowledge

Early in my teaching career, I used to forget to check in and make sure students actually learned the material. Oops. Don’t be like me! Whether you use an exit ticket or a formal quiz, verify that students know where to place their commas. Then, you can decide if you need more practice or need to conference with a group of students.

I made sure to include an assessment in the Grammar Lessons Bundle. There is a quiz for each of the grammar units, which you can print or use Google Forms. There’s also a review game and study guide lesson to bring the unit to a close and prepare students for the upcoming exam.

Done-For-You Grammar Mini-Lessons

Don’t stress over planning your grammar mini-lessons. The Grammar Lessons Bundle includes ready-to-go grammar units with everything you need to dig deep into the skill – and help students retain what they learn.

Each unit includes –