Nouns: Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources

Abstract Nouns
The anticipatory set refers to a "noun song" which isn't clarified, but then instruction begins with a scavenger hunt that leads into an explanation of the two types of nouns. Students draw a symbol for an abstract noun. Designed for upper elementary.

Beware of Nominalizations
In this TED-ED talk (5:05) students learn what nominalizations are and why good writers avoid them. Engaging comparison to zombies. Captioned, includes follow-up questions.

A Brief History of Plural Words
In this TED-ED talk (4:27) we learn about Old English plural forms and about the influence of the Vikings on pluralization. Captioned, includes follow-up questions. Better for middle school and above.

Chalking Points: History of the Possessive Apostrophe
This downloadable YouTube video (3:44) explains the historical reason for the apostrophe in possessives. Engaging and information-rich. Includes advertising at the very end.

Clean up your Grammar
In this game students sort nouns and verbs into the appropriate category. The game uses an engaging "clean up the beach" approach, with incorrect answers leaving litter behind.

Collective Nouns
A pride of lions, a school of fish: these we all know. How about an audit of bookkeepers? Or a sneak of weasels? Almost all of these collective nouns have been verified by Webster's.

Discovering Just the Right Word
Students improve their writing style by strengthening word choice at the word and sentence level by adding adverbs, precise verbs, and specific nouns.

Fantastic Pictures!
Students create pictures using an adjective-noun combination. Designed for elementary students.

Grammar Goes Green?
In this lesson, students review what qualifies as a grammatically complete sentence. They then use a Times article about the movie, Hulk , to help them identify interesting and challenging nouns and verbs that they can later mix and match to form new sentences.

Grammar Gorillas
An interactive review of parts of speech for elementary students. Choose "Beginner" (nouns and verbs) or "Advanced" (all parts of speech).

Hyphens in compounds: tips and tricks
Explanation and downloadable poster, infographic.

I Spy Nouns
This lesson will introduce students to nouns. The game "I Spy" will help students to understand that nouns are things that can be seen and touched. Then the students will make lists of people, places, and things. The lesson is designed for 1st graders.

Noun Dunk
This online game helps students identify nouns, common and proper.

Nouns/Pronouns
Practice identifying nouns and pronouns, organized by their function in the sentence (direct object. etc.) Includes answers.

Noun Recognition Practice #1 and Noun Recognition Practie #2
Practice #1 offers a definition, examples, 10 sentences for students to practice with, and answers. Practice #2 offers 10 more sentences and answers.

Nouns and Capitalization
Click on "New Noun" to start. This site explains capitalization of proper nouns, presents a noun and asks the student to determine whether it should be capitalized. Students receive immediate feedback, explanation of errors, and an ongoing score.

Plural of Noun Formation Practice #1 and Plural of Nouns Formation Practice #2
Practice #1 offers a definition, examples, 10 nouns for students to pluralize, and answers. Practice #2 deals with irregular plural forms. It also offers 10 nouns to pluralize and answers.

Pretests
Pretests and answer keys for identifying nouns, pronouns, and verbs.

Plural Nouns
Young students identify singular and plural nouns in sentences.

Pretests
Pretests and answer keys for identifying nouns, pronouns, and verbs.

When Is a Noun a Verb? Examining 'Double Duty' Words
In this lesson, students play with words that can function either as nouns or verbs, depending on context. They then find and parse "double duty" words in New York Times articles. Advanced students compare these instances with information in dictionaries and frequency count lists, showing which usage occurs more frequently in English.