As a teacher, you are constantly searching for new and effective ways to teach your students crucial concepts in English grammar. One of the most fundamental concepts to master is understanding the role of adjectives in a sentence. Specifically, students must learn whether an adjective describes what kind of noun is being discussed or how many of that noun there are.
Thankfully, there are a variety of activities you can incorporate into your lesson plans to help your students fully grasp this concept:
1. Adjective Sorting Game
One great way to help students identify whether an adjective tells them what kind or how many of a noun is being described is to use a sorting game. Begin by creating a list of adjectives that your students are already familiar with. Next, divide your class into groups of 3-4 and give each group a set of index cards or post-it notes, each with a different adjective on it.
Ask each group to sort their adjectives into two groups: “What Kind” and “How Many”. Have them explain their reasoning for each group. Finally, come together as a class to discuss the different classifications and why certain adjectives were sorted differently.
2. Adjective Treasure Hunt
Another fun way to teach students about adjectives is to organize an adjective treasure hunt. Hide objects around the classroom or outside and write down a list of adjectives that can be used to describe each one. For example, a yellow banana could be described using the adjectives “ripe”, “long”, “soft”, and “sweet”.
Ask your students to find each item and identify the adjectives that can be used to describe it. Afterward, ask your students whether each adjective is describing what kind or how many of the object.
3. Describe Me
In this activity, pairs of students will describe each other using both “what kind” and “how many” adjectives. For example, one student might describe their partner as “a tall girl with blonde hair” using “what kind” adjectives, while the other might describe them as “two feet taller than me” using “how many” adjectives.
As the pairs share their results, discuss each adjective with the class, asking them what kind of noun it is describing and how they know.
4. Picture Games
Finally, picture-based games can be highly effective for helping students to understand adjectives. Images can be used to discuss how many of an object are shown, for example, there is one car or six apples in the picture. Challenge students to describe other aspects of the image, such as colors and shapes, using both “what kind” and “how many” adjectives.
As your students play these games and complete these activities, encourage them to think critically about the role of adjectives in a sentence. Knowing the difference between “what kind” and “how many” adjectives will help your students to become more skilled and competent writers.
