Fun Ordering Adjectives Activities for Upper Elementary

Which adjective goes first? Did that sound right? These are just some of the questions that arise when ordering adjectives in English. Although it can be tricky, there are some fun and engaging activities we can provide our students with that will help them master the order of adjectives.

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Engaging books, videos and activities to use when teaching ordering adjectives to upper elementary students.

Begin with a Read Aloud or a Video

Starting off grammar lessons with a picture book is so unexpected that it is sure to get students engaged right from the start.

For this lesson, the book Many Luscious Lollipops: A Book About Adjectives by Ruth Heller is a fun way to refresh students’ minds about what an adjective is and the different forms of adjectives.

If a book is fun, then a video is a blast!

Check out this video from The Bazillions titled Wide Open World of Adjectives. It’s absolutely perfect for this lesson because they refer to nouns and then add a pair of adjectives at the front of the noun. It’s a great way to introduce how sometimes we add multiple adjectives to describe a noun.

Whole Group Lesson

One of the most efficient ways to teach new grammar skills and rules is to project them on your board or to showcase posters.

NOSASCOM posters for teaching the order of adjectives.

You can then have students copy the notes into their notebooks.

While writing the rules themselves has been proven to help students retain information, time constraints do not always allow for it. To help eliminate this obstacle, print out the posters in mini versions or use print and fold grammar booklets that students can use and keep in their interactive journals for future reference.

Introduce the acronym NOSASCOM to students. I tell them to pretend it’s a website where sassiness is not accepted…hehe! We refer to it as “nosas.com.” This helps them remember the order of the adjectives. This is especially helpful for nonnative English speakers.

Order of Adjectives:

Number – Ex. dozen, pair, five

Opinion – Ex. pretty, boring, fun

Size – Ex. small, large, thin

Age – Ex. old, new, 5 year-old

Shape – Ex. round, rectangular

Color – Ex. red, blue, orange

Origin – Ex. American, Mexican

Material – Ex. leather, cotton

Another way I like to share notes with students is through print and fold booklets. They are a quick and engaging way to give students access to the notes and provide them with activities to solidify their learning.

Provide Order of Adjectives Activities for Practice

As you know, providing students time to practice is key. Spicing up grammar with hands on activities in place of monotonous worksheets whenever possible will help students be more engaged and grasp the skill more effectively.

Sorting activity to use when teaching students how to order adjectives in a sentence.

Sorting Adjectives

This activity can be done independently at centers or in pairs. There are also two ways to implement this activity.

One way is to give students different colored sets of index cards. Each set will have one adjective from each category. Challenge the students to place the cards in order.

The second option is to give students one set of index cards with adjectives written on them. Each adjective should come from a different category. (Ex. one from N, one from O, one from S, etc.) Set a timer and challenge students to create as many sentences using three adjectives from the set as possible.

Fun activities to use with upper elementary students when teaching them how to order adjectives.

Adjective Treats

Bring in a treat like popcorn to school. (Disclaimer: Check first for any types of allergies.) After giving students the treat and ask them to create a web of adjectives that describe it. Have them sort the adjectives and create a couple of sentences using those adjectives.

Egg Hunt

Place different adjectives in plastic eggs. Spread them around the classroom. Send to students on a hunt to grab three eggs. Have them sort out the eggs. If two adjectives land in the same category, have them return one and grab another one. Once they have them sorted, have them create a sentence using the three adjectives. You could either have them keep the eggs and see who collects the most, or you can have them return them into play and see who comes up with the most sentences.

Digital Task Cards

Digital task cards have so many benefits because they are virtually no prep for the teachers and engaging for students. Teachers easily assign them to students with a url link, and students can practice skills multiple times to master them.

Assessing Students for Mastery

The great thing about all the activities above is that they can also be used as assessments to evaluate if students have mastered the concept. If you’re looking for some options that are a little less prep and time consuming, you can try one of the options below.

Ask students to create 5 sentences that include at least 3 adjectives from different categories. Tell them to make sure that the adjectives are written in the correct order within the sentence.
Providing students with a grammar quick check assessment is an efficient and effective way to see if students have mastered the standard. They work great for standard based grading as well.

Quick and easy assessments for teaching how to order adjectives.

Hopefully, some of these ideas help you find engaging activities that will help students master ordering adjectives.

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