Playing the “Grammar House Cup” Game in ELA

This year in ELA, we are continuing the tradition of the “Grammar House Cup”: a friendly, inter-homeroom competition to learn grammar in a fun way. In its fifth year, the game is loosely based on the competition between the four houses in the Harry Potter series.

Both the seventh and eighth grade students have begun playing the game. In their binders, they currently have:

• A game board, specific to first quarter’s topics
• A rules sheet, explaining how to play the game
• A packet of guided notes and premade practice pages

There is also a folder shared with students on Google Drive, which contains all of the instructional videos (and extra copies of files, in case students need extra copies).

This student is coloring in a "trail" of learning as he progresses along the game board!

Here’s how the game works:

1. Students watch a short video of direct instruction by Mrs. Hardin on a grammar topic; they complete the provided guided notes while watching.
2. They complete the provided practice sheet.
3. At this point, students have some choice, based on their current level of mastery. They must choose between one of the following:
1. Have a one-on-one conversation with an ELA teacher (especially if they are confused about the topic)
2. Complete 30 minutes of IXL practice for a specific standard
3. Complete a “creative option”, one of a list of fun projects that show creative thinking and application of the topic.
4. On Fridays, students take an in-class quiz.
5. Repeat the process for the rest of the topics in that quarter.
6. Take a practice test, which is also in the guided notes packet.
7. Complete the end-of-quarter unit test!

As you can see, the game is a fairly traditional learning process disguised into a board game format; students follow a trail of action steps that builds toward mastery over time.

A student view of a video and guided notes

Along the way, students also have many opportunities to go beyond the minimum; these are embedded into the game board. They are rewarded for any additional practice steps or creative options they complete, and students are also rewarded when they work ahead instead of procrastinating.

Meanwhile, the ELA teachers make connections to the topics in class, go over the correct answers as a group, and give opportunities to have conversations about anything that arises. ELA class, intervention (INT), and homeroom are the best times for students to bring us a grammar question.

Here’s how parents can help:

1. Encourage your child to reach out to a teacher if he or she is confused. Far too many students remain silent instead of asking questions, or wait until the last moment to express confusion. If a student is too shy to talk to us at school, emails are great too!
2. Remind your child to do quiz or test corrections if needed. We would rather encourage students to learn from their mistakes NOW, in a safe place, and master the topics before high school.
3. Ask students what they’re learning and what choices they’re making. What are they learning about currently? Does it make sense? Are they working ahead, or waiting until Thursday night to start the guided notes? If they understand the topic, are they doing anything to challenge themselves or show their knowledge on a higher level?

Good luck to all four homerooms, and thank you for reading!