Have Fun With Adverbs: Play In The Manner Of The Adverb!

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Words)

Students can get a little stuck when we study parts of speech. Nouns and verbs often go smoothly, but adverbs and adjectives can be challenging. And they both start the same (ad-), which can add an extra layer for kids to sort.

I learned "In The Manner Of The Adverb" during my student teaching and it's never failed me. It's easy to teach, tons of fun to play, and it helps students internalize important concepts.

You don't even have to wait until you're teaching parts of speech to introduce it. It makes a great indoor recess game or brain break and is super at building collaborative skills. In addition, kids are very active, they practice expressive skills, and the game is supposed to be fairly quiet!

Materials You Need

a list of adverbs
a list of actions that can be performed in the classroom. I've added both lists below to get you started.

How To Play

1. Explain to students what an adverb is and how it's used. You don't need to go into a lengthy grammar lesson, you'll develop the concept by playing over time.

2. Choose a student to be the Guesser and have her step outside of the room. No peeking through the window!

3. Write an adverb on the board or a slate and silently show it to the rest of the class. It's important that no one says the adverb out loud.

4. Erase or hide the word and call the Guesser back in.

5. Call on a student to silently perform a specific task in the manner of the adverb. Suppose your adverb is "quickly". You might say, "Jayden, please come shake my hand in the manner of the adverb."

Without a word, Jayden would quickly leave his seat, come shake your hand quickly, and return to his seat quickly.

6. The Guesser can now take a guess at the adverb.

7. If the Guesser misses, you may ask another student to perform a different task in the manner of the same adverb. You may give a third chance or whatever works for your group.

8. Reveal the adverb to the Guesser. Choose a new Guesser and a new adverb.

Helpful Hints

Students can get excited about volunteering to perform. To keep everyone active and involved, I allow students to sit on their desks or stand around the room during the game.
Consider choosing two Guessers at a time. It avoids hurt feelings and embarrassment if a single Guesser misses the adverb. It also fosters collaboration.

I'd love to hear how this game works for you! Best wishes!