Two Grammar Games That Replace Worksheets Without Losing Rigor

If grammar time in your classroom feels like pulling teeth, you’re not alone.

Worksheets get groans.
Packets get rushed.
And engagement drops fast.

But here’s the thing — grammar practice doesn’t have to mean chaos or Pinterest-level prep.

You don’t need 40 minutes of directions.
You don’t need laminated cards.
And you definitely don’t need to sacrifice rigor.

In this episode, I share two grammar games that are simple enough to set up tomorrow and structured enough to keep students focused the entire time.

Both games follow the same formula:

Print.
Pass out.
Play.
Done.

They feel like recess to students, but secretly reinforce grammar skills like sentence types, parts of speech, pronouns, verb tenses — whatever you’re teaching.

And the best part? You can reuse the same structure all year long with different content.

HERE ARE THE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:

1️⃣ Routines beat novelty
When students already know how to play, their brainpower goes toward grammar, not learning new directions.

2️⃣ Accountability can be built into the game
Partner checking, turn-taking, and immediate feedback keep students focused without extra grading for you.

3️⃣ Low prep can still mean high rigor
Both games require real identification or sentence creation, not guessing or fluff.

WHY THESE WORK ALL YEAR

These games work because they’re routines.

Students already understand the structure, so you don’t spend class time explaining rules. You just swap out the grammar focus.

That’s the sweet spot:

High engagement.
Low prep.
Real skill practice.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Digging for Treasure (Sentence Types Resource)
Grammar Tic-Tac-Toe (Parts of Speech Splash Bash)

MORE FROM EB ACADEMICS

If you want ready-to-use templates for both of these games, you can find them inside the EB Grammar Program in the EB Teachers ELA Portal.

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