When teaching children about shapes, they need to do various activities to learn the differences between the shapes. Some students may need much repetition, and some may learn them quickly. Adjust the activities according to the student. Here are some activities:
Compare the shapes to objects: “A circle is round like a ball.” “A square is like a window (square shaped).” “A rectangle is like a door.” “A triangle is shaped like pizza or an ice cream cone.”
Have actual shapes for the student to feel. For teaching about a circle, you could use lids, tops to bottles, a ball, a plastic cup (the top and bottom), and any objects you see that have a circle in them. In the picture below, you will even see a round, Spider-Man wipe-off board. For teaching about a square, you could use a square box, a square book, a square cake pan, etc. Count the four sides on all the squares. For teaching about a rectangle, you could use a rectangular shaped box or book, an oblong cake pan, a Kleenex box, a notebook, etc. Count the four sides on all the rectangles, two longs sides and two short sides. For teaching about a triangle, you could use an ice cream cone, a piece of pizza (or a picture of one slice of pizza), a party hat, etc. Count the three sides on all the triangles.
Use simple workbooks like the ones pictured above that have stickers and/or activities. Count the sides on the squares, rectangles, and triangles when working with them.
Having students trace the shapes is an excellent activity.
Have students cut out the shapes. You can draw large shapes for the students to cut out first and then later progress to smaller and smaller shapes.
Following the lesson on The Five Senses, students can compare and group objects. Here are some activities:
Make sure students understand “same” and “different.” Have two objects that are exactly the same and one that is different (such as two math books and an English book, or two identical balls and one that is different, etc.) Show the two objects that are the same and talk about how they are alike. Then show two objects that are different and talk about the ways they are different.
Show two flowers that are not completely alike and talk about the ways they are the same (both are pretty, both smell good, both have stems, both have leaves, etc.) and ways they are different (one is shorter, they are different colors, etc.) Talk about how we use our senses of look, smell, and touch when we’re comparing the flowers.
Explain to students there are different ways to compare things. Have a group of objects such as shells that the students can practice comparing and putting into groups such as big shells/little shells and then white shells/colored shells. Other objects that you could use to compare and group would be different sizes and colors of seeds, various rocks, or different sizes and colors of marbles.
Have students compare their pencils. Remind students there are different ways to compare things. Have students with pencils longer than six inches line up on one side of the room. Have students with pencils shorter than six inches line up on the other side. Another comparison would be to have yellow pencils on one side and colored pencils on the other side. Or pencils with erasers on one side and those without erasers on the other.
As a first grade teacher in the public schools and in doing private tutoring in my home, I found it very rewarding to teach young students, and I know there are others who feel the same way. Aspiring pre-school and elementary teachers can earn a teaching certificate online from a wide array of universities.
One student I tutored at my home knew how to count to ten, but one of the skills we had to work on a lot was how to count objects up to ten. He would often get mixed up after counting five objects, would start counting too fast and miss some objects, or he would start moving backwards and recount objects he had already counted. It took a lot of repetition for him to learn to do this, and so we did various activities. These are some of the activities we did:
Have student put 10 Teddy Grahams or Fish Crackers in a row. Have student count slowly, touching each cookie or cracker as they count it. Count with the student a couple of times if necessary. If successful, they get to eat one cookie. Then count the 9 remaining cookies. If successful, they get to eat one more cookie. Repeat until all cookies have been eaten.
Use simple number workbooks. I was able to find two sticker and activity workbooks for this student that he enjoyed. Some pages involved stickers and some involved coloring.
Line up various objects to count such as blocks, pennies, game pieces, etc. Count how many there are and make a game out of it, such as put six blocks in the bucket, nine pennies in the piggy bank, etc.
Presidents Day(also Presidents’ Day) is known as Washington’s Birthday and is celebrated in February on the third Monday. The reason the celebration of his birthday was moved to the third Monday in 1971 was to simplify the calendar.
Many people celebrate both Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays or all of the presidents’ birthdays on Presidents Day, but it was originally instituted to celebrate George Washington’s birthday alone. However, it is convenient to celebrate more than one president on that day and most people do that.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS ON PRESIDENTS:
So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George. (2001 Caldecott Medal Award Winner) Great for ages 8-12.
Our Country’s Presidents: All You Need to Know About the Presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama by Ann Bausum. Great for ages 9-12.
You’re Kidding! Incredible Facts About the Presidents by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff. Great for ages 8-12.
Don’t Know Much About the Presidents by Kenneth C. Davis.
CHILDREN’S DVD’S & VIDEOS:
Presidents Day DVD ( Holidays for Children DVD Series) by Library Video Company
Presidents 2-DVD Special – Abraham Lincoln and George Washington by Nest Learning System
George Washington was the first president of the United States.
It is not a fact that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree. His biographer, Mason Weems, made this up to illustrate how honest Washington was in dealing with people. It is a fact that Washington was an honest person.
He is known as “The Father of our Country.”
Washington is known for being “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.”
A good friend of mine taught Science to ESL Students in 6th-8th grades. The students she taught had reached “conversational language” level, not “academic level.” It usually takes two years to be able to communicate in a foreign language, but more to learn in that language. Her students had one year of English instruction beforehand, and English was spoken in her classroom. So she had a difficult task to teach students who were still on a conversational English level and not on an academic level.
Here are some tips from my friend:
Animation is important. At the middle school level, students generally don’t like animation, but these ESL students looked for clues in all areas. Moving arms in directions, changing voice tones for emphasis, etc.
Teacher uses balls with flashlights, etc., to show the concepts of the basics of atoms, astronomy, chemistry, etc.
Use lots of simple visuals and drawings.
This teacher told of this example:
I had a very low English level girl from Mexico paired up with a brand new Vietnamese student with even lower English proficiency. They had to do a lab with measuring, graphing, etc. They were one of the best groups!! They communicated with pointing, moving objects, nods and smiles, and did better together than either could have apart. And they did this totally by signals. It takes cooperation, though, and middle schoolers get embarrassed so easy. They don’t want to appear ‘dumb’ so they act like they don’t want to do things.
This is my opinion:
Labeling was done in the first year of learning English, and I think it would still be good for students with less English profiency in the second and third years. If they already know what the object is and how to read the word, having the label could also reinforce learning how to spell the word.
Most kids are fascinated with volcanoes. When teaching about them, it is important to let kids make a volcano, have good pictures of real volcanoes, and if possible, a video, since most students are not able to take a field trip to actually see one. If you are fortunate to be on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, then you can hike up to the top of Diamond Head, an extinct volcano. We did this, and it was quite impressive. Or you can visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii, which we also did, and you might get to see an actual lava flow. We didn’t get close enough to see a lava flow, but we did walk through the Thurston Lava Tube which was very interesting.
Here is a book we own that has many great pictures of volcanoes:
Use a large pan, 9 x 13. Place an empty 16 ounce bottle in the middle of it with the top off.
Using either papier mache, modeling clay, or salt play dough, make a mountain with vertical ridges around the bottle. Do not cover the top of the bottle. Paint brown and let dry.
Mix 1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing soap and 1 tablespoon baking soda in a cup and carefully pour into the bottle in the middle of the mountain. (If you’re brave, you can add a few drops of red or orange food coloring in with the soap and baking soda.)
Place the pan with the mountain outside. Add 1/4 cup white vinegar to the bottle and stand back. Your volcano will erupt!
For ESL students, be sure and label everything.
For Gifted students, ask higher level questions. There is a chemical reaction when the baking soda and vinegar are mixed. It produces a carbon dioxide gas (a chemical reaction) which is the same gas that a real volcano produces.
Kit: Volcano Island – Discovery Extreme Light and Sound Rumbling Volcano by Poof Slinky
Our Amazing Volcanoes / Earth Science Kit by Poof Slinky
Valentine’s Day has been celebrated for many, many years. I remember when I was a child, a relative told me about her childhood when one of her classmates stole her Valentine cards that she was going to pass out. As a child (and now too), I thought that was sad for someone to do that. That happened back in the 1920’s, so that just goes to show how long children have been passing out Valentine’s Day cards at school.
ORIGIN OF VALENTINE’S DAY:
The first recorded mention of Valentine’s Day was by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382 when he wrote about “Volantynys Day.” Later in 1400, a High Court of Love was established in Paris on Valentine’s Day. Modern Valentine’s Day, as we know it, was celebrated in the 1840s, and Valentine cards made from paper lace were mass produced as early as 1847.
Make Valentine’s Day cards for parents or someone special using paper lace doilies and construction paper. Talk about how over one hundred and fifty years ago people made paper lace cards.
Make a Valentine’s Day Zoo. Using all different sizes of heart shaped cut-outs, let the students glue them together to make different animals.
Make or buy heart shaped sugar cookies. Let children decorate their edible Valentine cards.
Have children make up their own Valentine poem and write it on a heart shaped piece of paper.
These ideas are good for all students, including ESL and those with learning disabilities. Teaching science to ESL students involves a lot of hands on activities, visuals, and labeling. Here are some ideas:
The 5 Senses – Use a lot of various things for each sense. Label by putting names of things on index cards:
SEEING – have different objects or pictures to look at such as things of different colors and shapes, etc. An activity would be to group things together that are the same color or the same shape.
FEELING – have objects of different textures to touch such as rough and smooth, hard & soft objects (rock, stick, cotton ball, feather), etc. An activity would be to group all the rough rocks together and all the smooth stones together.
HEARING – have different things that make sound such as musical instruments, small drum, container with popcorn in it so it makes noise when shaken, etc.
SMELLING – have various things to smell such as a cotton ball with perfume, small containers with different spices, cotton ball with vinegar, etc.
TASTING – have different things to taste (something sweet, something salty, something sour)
Concepts to cover: We find out many things by using our senses. Our eyes help us see, our hands help us feel, our mouth helps us taste, our ears help us hear, and our nose helps us smell things. We can tell if things are the same or different by using our senses, and we can group things together that are alike. Many times we will use several of our senses. If we’re looking at flowers, we can look, smell, and touch the flower.
Play “The 5 Questions Game” with various objects from all the five groups. Ask, “Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you hear it? Can you smell it? Can you taste it?”
Have an assortment of various seeds or dried beans. Have the students sort the seeds/beans in different ways. For example, sort them by colors, then sort by shapes, and then sort by size.
Put some objects in a brown paper bag. Let students feel the objects inside the bag and guess what they are.
Matching Game: Have small pictures of ears, eyes, mouth, hands, and nose. Glue each picture on an index card. Write each of these words on an index card: hear, see, taste, feel, smell. Have student match the pictures with the corresponding word.
Here is an example of a simple book (see explanation) I made with a four year old tutoring student who knew all his letter sounds. He really enjoyed this activity. With this book, we worked on additional skills such as learning the sight word “want.” (This student was reading when he started kindergarten.)
When I taught Gifted and Talented students, they were in a regular classroom (first or second grade). I had a mix of regular students, gifted and talented students, ESL students (sometimes students starting the year speaking no English), and children with learning disabilities or physical handicaps. How is a teacher able to meet the needs of gifted students?
Teacher’s manuals will often have suggestions for gifted students.
Have the gifted students work on projects they can do by themselves.
Just because a student is a gifted student does not mean they are an independent worker or a self-motivator. Pair these students up with a partner who is an independent worker.
Utilize resources. I had one exceptionally bright first grader who would go to the library and do research on topics of his choosing with minimal supervision from the librarian. He would either write about it or illustrate and make a poster about his research.
Encourage students to enter extra activities offered by your district such as Science Fair, History Fair, Invention Convention, Art Contests, etc. One year, I had a gifted second grader (an ESL student) who excelled in art and entered a district contest. He won an award!
Have students work on a class newspaper that they publish once a week or once a month.
A lot of times, you can see where certain students excel in one or more of the Seven Areas of Giftedness. Develop centers or projects for these areas.
Brainstorming stretches the children’s minds. This skill will be useful in something as simple as writing a sentence all the way to creative writing, in reading skills, in math, social studies and science skills, and also in higher level thinking skills. It is used in problem solving and the creation of solutions. Creative people brainstorm. This will be a skill used throughout one’s life.
PART ONE – BRAINSTORMING FROM WHAT IS VISIBLE:
The first step in teaching children how to brainstorm is for the teacher to model brainstorming, show them how you yourself brainstorm. Take something they can see such as one of their classmates. Think out loud and write on the board everything about that student. For example:
Her name is Sally.
She’s in first grade.
She has blonde hair.
She has long hair.
She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
She wears glasses.
She has a big smile.
She has a picture of a dog on her T-shirt.
Another example would be to take a book, preferably a big book so all students can see easily. If I had the book about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, then this is what I would write on the board from what we could see in the picture on the front of the book:
There are three bears.
One bear is really big.
One bear is little.
One bear is in-between size.
The bears are brown.
There is a girl.
She is little.
She has blonde hair.
She is wearing a dress.
Here dress is blue and red.
There is a house.
It has a door and two windows.
There are lots and lots of trees (a forest).
There are flowers beside the house.
After you have modeled for the students, then brainstorm together with the students. After that, have the students practice brainstorming with a partner, then by themselves.
First graders, as you know, come with varying levels of skills. Some students will be clueless on how to even begin writing a sentence. That’s when the teacher needs to brainstorm with those students. Here are some ideas that are good with first graders, ESL students, or students with learning disabilites:
Pick a topic to write about that is of high interest. It’s close to Valentine’s Day, so I will pick Valentine hearts.
Discuss with the students, “Now what do we want to say about hearts?” Let them share their ideas and write them on the board.
Pick one idea that is not a complete sentence such as “pretty and red.”
Explain that a sentence is about someone or something. Ask, “What is it that is ‘pretty and red?’ Our sentence has to tell us.” Hopefully, someone will say “a heart.”
Write the complete sentence on the board: A heartis pretty and red. Underline the two main parts of the sentence and show that the sentence is about “a heart” and “is pretty and red” tells about that heart.
Another student may have said, “a pink heart.” So the teacher would ask, “What about a pink heart? The sentence has to tell us something about this pink heart.” The end result might be: A pink heartis on the table.
Go through the other student ideas and work together to make sentences out of them.
Then give each student a heart-shaped piece of handwriting paper and let them try writing their own sentence.
Some students will be able to sound out words to write their own sentence, and some students will not be able to do that. With those students, you need to work one-on-one:
Ask what their sentence is about.
Start with the first word, sound it out slowly for the student, and go sound by sound while having the student write the sound they hear.
Do this with each word until the sentence is finished.
Soon, when the students feel more competent in writing a sentence, discuss with them the following:
Sentences always start with a capital letter.
Sentences always end with a period or something else. Nearly all their sentences will be telling sentences at this point.
Always praise their work and find something positive to say about it. Make them feel proud and take ownership of their work. Those who are fearful of writing should eventually get to the point where they can write their own sentence.
Here is another example of a simple book I made with a four year old tutoring student using pictures out of the Sunday paper. We worked on color words, sight words, and adding “s” to the end of the word “car” to make it mean “more than one.” He caught on real quick to that. (This student was reading when he started kindergarten.)
Here is another example of a simple book I made with a four year old tutoring student, a big fan of Spider-Man, who knew all his alphabet sounds. We were working on learning to spell the word “man,” so this book reinforced what we were working on and motivated him to want to read. He really enjoyed this activity.
Teacher certification rules differ from state to state. Several states have varying ways for teachers to get their certification, including alternative certification. This type of certification does not involve a traditional bachelor’s degree in education. People receiving this type of certification usually go through an accelerated program, have to pass a state test, and go through a mentoring program. These requirements also vary from state to state.
If you or someone you know is interested in getting teacher certification, there are several online certification programs which have produced many teachers.
Large piece of heavy cardboard or plastic foam for the base
Assortment of cardboard boxes to form the levels of the garden
Heavy-duty tape to tape the boxes together
Modeling clay – white
Acrylic paint – blue & green
Piece of plastic greenery that has many small removable pieces on it
Wire cutter to cut the coat hanger
Make the basic shape of the varying levels with the assorment of boxes that you have.
Tape them together securely with heavy-duty tape
Tape the boxes securely to the base
Cover the entire area of the boxes with white modeling clay
Remove many small pieces of greenery from the large piece. Shorten if necessary. Place in rows in the modeling clay while the clay is still soft, securing with a small mound of clay at the base of each piece of greenery (tree).
Paint the green grass in rows.
Paint the blue waterfall, stream, and pond of water.
Cut the coat hanger to make the irrigation line to take water to the top level. Bend the coat hanger two inches from the end at a 90 angle to make the coat hanger not touch the ground. Do this on both ends of the coat hanger. Secure both ends of the coat hanger to the project with a mound of modeling clay.
Word webs are great to use with kids. I have used them in the regular classroom, with ESL students, and with Gifted & Talented students. Here are some examples of different word webs that you can print. Just click on the highlighted words:
One goal of teaching about Abraham Lincoln should be to “make him come alive,” to help students realize that he was a real person just like they are. Here are some tips on teaching a unit about Lincoln that hopefully will add to the materials you have:
TEACHING ABOUT LINCOLN:
On the Abraham Lincoln Museum site, there is one reproducible page for an Abraham Lincoln Discussion Web that would be great to use in the classroom regardless of visiting the museum. Click on this site for Lincoln and scroll down to page 23. This is a great page for a Discussion Web on Lincoln’s life. I have used Discussion Webs many times, and they are great for students of all ages.
Need a unit on Lincoln? An experienced teacher has a free unit on Abraham Lincoln on her website with printable worksheets and also a biography. These materials are free for teachers and homeschooling parents.
Having an Interest Center in the classroom on Abraham Lincoln would help motivate students to learn about him. The center could contain pictures of the era in which Lincoln lived. Old looking objects could be placed in the center as well as student-level books on Lincoln. Use your imagination and be creative!
Depending on the level of the students, here are some of Lincoln’s accomplishments to discuss with them:
His decision to fight kept the country from coming apart.
He had great foreign policy which kept other countries from getting involved in the Civil War.
He issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves.
He strongly supported the Thirteenth Admendment which ended slavery.
He is known for his honesty, leadership, and character.
He gave the House Divided Speech.
He gave the Gettysburg Address.
He is quoted even today due to having many famous quotes known world wide.
Make a log cabin out of Lincoln Logs
Make a log cabin by gluing Popsicle sticks together
Some of your Lincoln books would probably come from the library. Click here to see a list of good kids’ books on Lincoln available on this site.
CHILDREN’S DVD’S & VIDEOS:
Abraham Lincoln: Great Americans for Children Series – DVD by Schlessinger Media
Presidents Day DVD ( Holidays for Children DVD Series) by Library Video Company
Long-term learning for students is one goal of teachers, right? Well, according to the Abraham Lincoln Museum site, museum studies show the following:
The museum experience brings students out of the textbook in an exciting way.
The people in history come alive!
Exposing students to things they can see, hear, and touch greatly increases their long-term learning after being presented with new material in the classroom . Experiencing exhibits and artifacts reinforces what was learned.
The social experience that occurs on a field trip greatly increases the learning that happens in the museum.
The exhibits appeal to the many different learning styles of students, and they also appeal to all ages. (I can testify to that!)
The powerful stories told by the exhibits and artifacts help the students to remember their experience for a long time.
A talented teacher friend of mine has written children’s biographies about several presidents, including Barack Obama, which are available online for teachers and homeschooling parentsat no charge. She also has these printable worksheets on Barack Obama, as well as the other presidents, available online which are also free for teachers:
Online Jigsaw Puzzle
Online Crossword Puzzle
Online Word Scramble
Online Word Search
Online Color Picture
Again, all of her materials are free for teachers and homeschooling parents. If anyone wants to use them for commercial purposes, they need to contact her. Be sure and visit her site. She has a lot of great, free material!
OTHER CHILDREN’S BOOKS:
Barack Obama: Our 44th President by Beatrice Gormley. Great for ages 8-12.
Making simple books to teach skills is so simple and easy. These little books can be used to teach so many skills and used on different levels from pre-reading to independent reader. Most children enjoy making a book on something they are really interested in, and they want to read it. They enjoy gluing on pictures or drawing pictures to illustrate their story.
SKILLS THAT CAN BE TAUGHT BY MAKING SIMPLE BOOKS:
Interest in looking at books because the child is interested in the subject matter
How to hold a book and turn the pages
Learning the parts of a book such as the cover, the title, the author
Learning that the spoken word can be written down and then read over and over again in book form
Learning that we read starting with the top line and read in a left-to-right manner
Learning that the first word in a sentence always starts with a big, capital letter and the sentence ends with a dot/a period (Later you can proceed to question marks and exclamation marks.)
Learning that the pictures on a page go along with the story and can provide clues about the story
Learning that anybody can make a book and put their ideas down on paper
Learning various phonetic skills depending on the words used
Learning sight words
Computer paper or any blank, unlined paper
Pictures from magazines, newspapers, brochures about the zoo or tourist destinations, children’s stickers (whatever interests them such as Batman, Spiderman, Hello Kitty, holiday stickers, etc.)
Brainstorm with the child and decide on the topic for the book.
Make the cover page and write the title and write the child’s name as the author.
If the child is a pre-reader, have them dictate one sentence for each page.
Let the child watch you write the sentence so they visualize the process of writing the spoken word on paper.
Let the child illustrate the sentence either by drawing a picture, gluing on a picture from a magazine or brochure, or choosing stickers for their illustration.
Complete the book, maybe 3-5 pages for a beginner.
When the book is finished, start with the cover and read the title and the author, running your finger under each word as you read.
After you have read the book, encourage the child to read it or read it again with you. Help the child to run their finger under the words as they are being read.
Older children will not require as much guidance when making books. Depending on their skills, help them when necessary.
A very simple, inexpensive way to start out teaching young children patterns would be to have three different colors of caps from gallon milk or water jugs. Have several of each color. If you don’t have the caps, then cut out circles out of colored tagboard. Start with a very simple pattern and then make it progressively harder. Start out demonstrating the whole pattern at first, showing how to duplicate the pattern to make sure the child understands the concept of “pattern.” Then see if the child can duplicate it. For example:
One thing that I purchased years ago was a set of pattern blocks and pattern block design cards. These are great for teaching mathematical patterns. Students not only get to see the patterns, but they get to touch and feel them. They are able, through trial and error, to see how patterns work. My own children got to use them at home while they were growing up, too, and now I am able to use them in private tutoring and in a couple of years hope to use them with our young grandson. It’s worth the investment of $20-$30 to have these materials which not only develop cognitive thinking but are just plain fun to do!
If you don’t have the money to invest in these materials right now, you could make your own set of one-dimensional shapes and simple pattern cards with colored tagboard. Just look online at pattern blocks and pattern block design cards to get ideas.
Austin, the capital of Texas, is home to the fairly new Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. The building is impressive on the outside and inside, being three stories tall. It contains interactive exhibits, an IMAX Theater, and a great Cafe for meals and snacks. We thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits and theater and eating in the Cafe. This is a museum we definitely recommend. They have great resources as well for teachers and home schooling parents. There are links to these resources below:
A computer game by Spinmaker called Alphabet Zoo is great for teaching creative writing at an early age. Years ago, my husband bought this game for our daughter when she was four years old. She soon learned how to write her own stories and illustrate them with the picture maker. She started reading when she was three years old so she already knew most of the alphabet sounds. When trying to spell words for her stories, she would either try to sound out the words and spell them phonetically or she would ask a parent or grandparent, whoever was close by. This was one of her favorite computer games and I guess it instilled a love of writing in her. When she was in high school she went to state UIL competition and placed well in journalism and headline writing. Learning to write creatively was definitely something that was fun for her!
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, located in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the museums we have visited. It’s a fairly new museum that is architecturally beautiful. It is very informative and lets visitors see, hear, and experience what life was like back in the early days of cowboys and cowgirls. I definitely recommend this museum.
Cowboys and cowgirls are part of our national history, an important part in teaching Texas history. What better way to make that history come alive than to plan an educational trip as part of a vacation. That’s something that our family has done on many occasions and has greatly enjoyed!
Big Brain Acadamy and Brain Age aretwo of the best video games out there that can teach or strengthen several cognitive skills including math concepts. Here are some of the math skills children (and adults) can learn through these games:
Value of coins
These games cover many different cognitive areas. If you are not familiar with them, I highly recommend them. They are good brain stretchers! We own both games, and they are great for young and old alike.
Leap Frog learning products are great products for teaching reading, math, and other skills. From what I have seen and read, they are exceptionally good products. Someone I know said that her child loved the music in Leap Frog Math Circus and didn’t even realize that she was learning because she was having so much fun. And that is a big key to teaching children, making it fun!
What could be more exciting to a child than to read a story where they were the main character. That would definitely peak their interest in reading if it needed to be. There are companies that offer personalized books for children in a variety of topics. A book could be chosen that would best match the child’s interests. That would be fun to read and create interest in reading at the same time.
Puzzles are great for developing skills in children. Here are some of the skills that puzzles help them develop:
Fine motor development
Our grandson was 16 months old this past Christmas, and we gave him several puzzles which he really likes. W gave him four Non-Toxic Foam Puzzle Books which have one large puzzle piece on each page of the book. Very simple. He has several puzzles that his parents have bought him also, and he enjoys trying to put these simple puzzles together at his young age and is learning several skills.
Springfield, Illinois, is the home of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a great educational travel destination. Our whole family, grandma included, took this educational trip together, and we all loved it. This state-of-the-art museum is truly fascinating, makes history come alive, and reveals Lincoln’s life in an unforgettable way. Be sure to allow plenty of time to tour the entire museum! (There are other things to do in Springfield, too, such as touring the famous Frank Lloyd Wright Dana-Thomas House which is amazing. Also, the old “Route 66” goes through Springfield and there are all sorts of relic eating places and memorabilia.)
Having the “teacher packrat syndrome” of saving anything and everything that could be used for teaching, I have a lot of caps from gallon water bottles. They come in different colors such as red, blue, and purple. These are great for counting, teaching patterns, for teaching beginning addition and subtraction, for teaching multiplication and division, for fractions, etc. Anything that you buy a lot of, whether it’s water bottles or Coke bottles, you can save the bottle caps for teaching math.
One important strategy when teaching ESL students is to have a “print rich” environment. In other words, label everything you can. Index cards and colored markers are a great way to do this. Here are some examples of things to label: chair, table, desk, door, window, chalkboard, bookcase, flag, trash can, TV, etc. The more you can label, the better.
What better way to make history come alive than to travel to learn at a place like the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas. Our family visited the museum on our vacation and really enjoyed it. The museum gave the history of the Texas Rangers along with artifacts, and it also memorialized 30 Texas Rangers who served with great distinction. The movie about the history of the Rangers made it even more real. It is truly a museum worth visiting!
Modern Curriculum Press Phonics Workbooks have been one of the best, inexpensive ways that I have taught phonics through the years. As you can probably guess, I am a strong believer in phonics.
Being the #1 choice for teaching phonics for over 40 years, these workbooks are easy to use. Over 50 million children have learned to read with the help of these phonics workbooks.
When I was teaching first grade in an ESL (English as a Second Language) school, new reading curriculum was adopted one year that utilized the “Whole Language” approach to teaching reading. The other first grade teachers and I quickly realized that this approach was not working for our ESL students or for students with learning disabilities. Children who learned to read effortlessly would learn no matter what approach was used, but most of our students needed the structure and stability of a good phonics program. We told our principal and the PTA president our beliefs, and the PTA purchased a Modern Curriculum Press Phonics Workbook for each child in first grade. They did this faithfully every year, and we were able to teach our students how to read by supplementing the Whole Language approach with phonics.
Welcome! I plan to share experiences, tips and techniques that I have gathered in my 19 years of teaching in the public school system and in 30+ years of teaching children’s Bible classes. I have also done private tutoring throughout the years and have tutored approximately 50 students.
By sharing my experiences, I hope you can find something helpful to use in your teaching experience.


You might remember your elementary teachers assigning endless homonym and homophone worksheets every year. But that was a long time ago. If you need a fresh reminder, I am here to explain the difference between some of these commonly misused words.
First, we need to define our terms accurately.
Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs
You might have heard homonyms, homophones, and homographs used interchangeably.
They each are similar, but not quite the same. Think of it like how a square is a kind of rectangle, but a rectangle is never a square.
Homonyms = words with the same sound but have different meanings.
Most of the time, the reader will understand your intended meaning by the context.
“Eating Dates for Lunch” sounds yummy… but taking out of content, a reader might interpret that line as the plot of cannibal horror romance. The word date has two meanings in English, making it a homonym example.
Homophones = words that sound that same but have different spelling and meanings.
You probably will find homophones the most frustrating because there’s no trick to them. You have to memorize the different homophone spellings and their meanings to know the differences.
“Snacking on Twin Pears” sound like someone having a delicious fruit snack. However, “Snacking on Twin Pairs” sound like the cannibal is a picky eater. Pear and pair are homophone examples, just like weight and wait, doe and dough, whole and hole, etc…
If you break apart the word homophone itself, it’s easier to remember its definition. In Greek, “homo” means the same and “phone” means sound.
Homographs = words spelled the same but have different pronunciation and meaning.
Homographs exist purely to irritate English learners. It’s like you’re looking at a word in a sentence and it’s not the word it looks like at all. Weird, right?
For instance, the word bow has two meanings, and each has its own pronunciation.
In the sentence, “The actors took a bow at the end of the play” bow sounds like cow and means to lower yourself in a gesture of respect. In “Louis tied his present with a red bow” the “ow” blend to make a long o sound in bow. You could also consider the word a homonym since there are two kinds of bows: the weapon and the kind of knot.
Another homograph example is minute, 60 seconds, and minute, very small details.
English is complicated even many to native speakers. Believe it or not, there are thousands of homonyms, homophones, and homographs! Before you start to feel overwhelmed, there’s a better way of looking at them.
Homophones with Puns and Silly Poems!
Rather than dreading the memory of those obnoxious homophone worksheets, try using the wrong word to create double meaning for puns, silly poems, and raps. Don’t look at homophones as an annoying editing chore. Live a little and have fun creating corny jokes. You’ll enjoy the learning process and, at the same time, memorize the differences between types of homophones and homonyms.
If you’re witty enough, impress your friends with your best dad jokes by incorporating puns in everyday conversation. You might even impress the empress sweetheart of your dreams! (see what I did there?)
Puns, one-liners, and quick-witted jokes are the highest form of sophisticated humor! You might have heard them referred to as a “play on words”. From my teaching experience, I believe learning should be a form a play! If you don’t enjoy it, you’re not doing it right.
In fact, I challenge you after reading this post to create your own short story, poem, or rap that creatively incorporate some of these homophones. Share away when finished. No copying my story!
Homophone Words (A to Z): Prince Rupert’s Tale
Here are 30 essential homophone words you should know to effectively write content and become a pun master:
(1) – Affect vs. Effect
Some English teachers might have taught you the mnemonic VANE, “verb affect, noun effect”. Unfortunately, they lied to you. You can use both words as verbs or nouns. Instead, think of the word affect as “to act upon one’s mental state” usually in an emotionally way, similar to affection. Then, the word effect means the “result or consequence of a cause”.
The effect of the plague released the zombie curse. The elders had studied the Ancient’s teachings and knew the end was nigh. Their sad words affected everyone deeply.
(2) – Air vs. Err vs. Heir
Air is another word for the wind or atmosphere. Err is the verb form of error. And, an heir is someone next in line to become monarch in a royal family. Like herb, the “h” is silent in heir, so remember you must use the indefinite pronoun “an” with it.
Nearly a year later, the crisp air blew past the last heir to a powerful kingdom. He sat in deep contemplation. On the onset of the zombie apocalypse, he decided to err on the side of caution.
(3) – Ball vs. Bawl
A ball is a sphere toy or sporting equipment. My dog loves his ball. You could also call a formal dance a ball. It’s also used in a more vulgar sense to refer to the male gonads. Along those lines, we commonly say a person “has balls” (or testicular fortitude) meaning they are bold and courageous. You can use ball as a verb as in to “ball up” or shape dough or clay into a sphere shape. English uses ball figuratively in idioms like “get the ball rolling”, meaning start things, and “drop the ball”, meaning to make a mistake.
On the other hand, bawl is a synonym for cry or shout and can be used as both a noun or verb. I bawl my eyes out every time my cat does something cute.
The Swedish children used to play ball carefree in the streets, but then the zombies ate their brains. The nation mourned and their parents bawled for weeks on end.
(4) – Base vs. Bass
Base has several meanings in English. It could refer to a facility, like a military base. Bases are the corners of a baseball diamond that players run around to score. The base of a column or shaft is the lowest level. Or base could mean the more intangible foundation or support of an idea or argument, similar to basis.
Bass is tricky because it’s also a homograph. Bass with a long “a” sound refers to the bass tone in music and is a homophone with base. But bass the fish, also known as perch, is pronounced with a short “a” sound. So, you could have a boy bass that burps bass bellowing at the bottommost base of the river. Try saying that 10 times fast!
As the undead overran the country, the boy prince ordered the construction of a secret base on the ocean floor. He quickly moved all his knights and barons to the safety of the new royal headquarters. The pampered child even made arrangements for his beloved bass clarinet to travel to the palace in a special submarine.
(5) – Bare vs. Bear
Mixing these two homophones can have very humorous results.
Bare is an adjective meaning empty or nude.
Bear as a noun means the animal, though as a verb is used in several idioms and phrases. To “bear children” means to give birth, the past tense being “bore” (but “bare children” is naked kiddos). Then, “bear” with an object can mean to carry, possess, or endure, as in to “the right to bear arms” (but the “right to bare arms” sounds like the demands of cultists or feminist). If you “bear with” someone or something, you have patience for them. In nautical terms, to “bear down” means to approach another ship (but “bare down” might mean to strip!).
In the height of the Zombie International Crisis (ZIC), the young prince, Rupert by name, bathed in his underwater luxury accommodations. The warm water soothed his bare skin. He couldn’t bear the thought of helpless people dying.
(6) – Boar vs. Bore
Boar is a wild pig-like mammal. Boar’s Head is a meat packaging company that strangely doesn’t serve boar. The noun doesn’t change from singular to plural, but it seems some dictionaries accept both boar and boars.
Bore is a verb meaning to dull or tire someone. Your history professor might give a very boring lecture on the Peruvian social structure in the 1960s. You could also use as a noun. Your date from last Thursday might have been a bore at dinner. Now the past tense verb form bored should not be confused with board, meaning a wooden plank. So, it’s a homophone within a homophone?
Before long, the virus infected even the animals! The boar, bears, and deer became enraged and twisted into revolting demon forms. They, in turn, spread the contagion to the seals and walruses. Eventually, the sickness affected the sharks, squids, and finally the deep anglerfish. Prince Rupert, who had grown quite bored, quickly became alarmed.
(7) – Bye vs. By vs. Buy
Bye is an abbreviation of goodbye. You might be surprised that dictionaries don’t agree on the preferred spelling. You could write goodbye, goodby, good-bye, or good-by. “Goodbye” is the most popular and preferred by the Associated Press. Because of all this confusion, you actually could write bye or by and both mean farewell. Remain consistent and align with your editing standards. It’s interesting to note that “goodbye” itself originated as an old English contraction of “God be with ye”.
In sports, a bye round of a tournament is where a player or team advances without facing an opponent, usually because of an odd number of participants.
By is a preposition loosely meaning from (“the book is by Stephen King”), around (“Steve rode his bike by the lake”), or approximately (“I am taller than you by seven inches”).
Buy is a verb meaning to purchase, the past tense being bought.
You could also consider bi, a shorthand for bisexual, a homophone in this group.
Meanwhile, the few remaining European survivors banded together and formed a colony in the caves of the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. They lived in harmony using a simple code: no one person was more important than another. By firmly believing everyone had value, they cooperated to create a safe and thriving community. Soon an economy developed where villagers could buy and sell crafts using coins minted by approval of the elders. Together, the elected council hoped to finally say ‘bye to the terror of the outside world.
(8) – Core vs. Corp
Core is the central part or idea of something. The apple core contains the seeds.
Corp is an organization or unit of people, usually in the military. The Marine Corps protects the nation. The “p” is silent, so is the “s” in the plural form. You would never say corps like “corpse”.
The elder council became the core leadership of the society. They sent corps of scouts to clear the country roads and forage for food. Soon they reclaimed enough land for the colony to farm potatoes. Then, mysteriously, men of the cloth wandered into the midsts and shared their message of salvation.
(9) – Conscience vs. Conscious
Your conscience is your moral principles that guide you. Think of Jimmy Cricket and how he advised little Pinocchio.
Conscious is the state of being awake and aware of something. You could be unconscious under sedation before an operation or while drunk.
You should follow conscience in making a tough choice, hopefully, while you’re conscious enough to know what you’re doing.
The Tatra Republic, as it came to be known, became the last center of human civilization. The holy men from the Church of Zanzabu came more frequently and began to patrol the base of the mountain. Zombies and other hellish creatures didn’t dare approach once the monks established their sanctum on the summit. But it wouldn’t be long before the evil forces organized a plan of attack! Over the next month, the children of the colony slowly disappeared without a trace. The people searched in vain and began to panic. The High Priest assured the people they had nothing to fear. Yet, one determined warrior named Kazimierz decided to investigate and spy on the enemy himself! He conscience told him the cunning clerics were hiding something. One night, he ventured down to the valley to sneak about the zombie masses. He found them bowing down around a crystal prism atop an ungodly altar. Kazimierz could see an ugly, demented monster of a man trapped unconscious inside the glass.
(10) – Ensure vs. Insure
Ensure means to make certain or secure. Before leaving for work, you should ensure you’re wearing pants.
Insure is to issue protection from damage under as under an insurance policy. State Farm insures automobiles and mobile homes.
Assure, meaning to encourage or give promise to, isn’t technically a homophone because it has a slightly different pronunciation, though it’s still commonly confused with others. I used it in the previous paragraph of the story. The Church of Zanzubu assured, or promised, the people they would be safe…. little did they know…
Suddenly, out of the shadows, the High Priest walked slowly through the crowds of the living dead! He cradled a small girl in his arms. The child appeared dazed in a trance or under some wicked spell. The girl, caught in her magic stupor, approached the crystal tomb. Instantly, her body melted to the bone and the flesh poured through the translucent casing to feed the monster inside. The Ancients told that only the blood of innocents could ensure the creature’s resurrection, or so the stories tell. Kazimierz had heard the legends of the Lord Festus the Zombie King, but he never believed them. Few people gave credence to old myths of bygone ages. The wise elders still feared his return. They understood the prophecies and even purchased policies to insure against the fiend’s destruction.
(11) – Hanger vs. Hangar
Hangers are the hooks in your closet, while hangars are shelters for planes. As a way to remember the difference, hanger has a second “a” and is used airplanes, though they could also apply to submarines… as in the next part of our tale:
Nearly 800 miles away, Prince Rupert rummaged through his hangers for his best suit. He had to dress in style if he was to return to the surface. In the final moments, as the waters rushed in and destroyed the palace, Prince Rupert fled to the hangar and fired up his favorite yellow submarine, leaving his court servants and advisors to die. As he ascended the ocean depths, he remembered his old bass clarinet was still stored securely in the cockpit. He smiled at the fond memories he had practicing his scales.
(12) – License vs. Licence
In American English, license is both a noun and verb. However, in British English, licence is the noun form and license is the verb. To hunt game, the state must license you, and you must carry your licence with you at all times in parks.
Unfortunately, the little prince was too young to acquire his submarine licence, and he had abandoned his engineering corp to their deaths. In frustration, he fiddled with the colorful buttons, levers, and switches. His meddling caused the console to smoke and settings go haywire! The vessel shifted and rolled every which way. He cursed his father, the king, for not having the decency to license his only son!
(13) – Lightening vs. Lightning
Confusing these two homophone words could lead electrifying deliveries.
Lightening is the present participle of the word “lighten” and either relates to shading or weight. Dumping cargo is a good way of lightening a ship. Johnny’s cheap camera had a poor lightening effect on the photos. You could also use it figuratively in the phrase “lightening the mood”.
And ahh… lightening is also a noun that refers to when the head of an unborn baby moves and settles in the pelvic region of the pregnant mother during the third trimester. Jennifer knew her delivery was soon because she felt the lightening of the baby.
Lightning is the flash of electricity in the sky during a storm.
Sparks of lightning shot out of the submarine’s circuitry. Flames charred Prince Rupert’s face as he quickly reached towards the big red button on the center control. He hadn’t tried that one yet. Immediately, his seat blasted him above a hatch above him and into the wide blue sea. The royal brat held his breath long enough for a clear bubble casing to wrap around his body. As the pod still rocketed through the water, he let out a sigh of relief. Curious though, he poked his little finger at the glowing bubble wall and created a beautiful lightening effect with a pulse of rainbow colors.
(14) – Hoard vs. Horde
Hoard is a verb meaning to hold on to something obsessively.
Horde is a noun that refers to a nomadic group of peoples, like Genghis Khan’s Golden Horde or the orc hordes of Mordor.
Prince Rupert landed squarely on the beaches of Poland’s northern shore. The bubble capsule faded and he tumbled out onto the sand. He lamented ruining his fancy suit, though he hoarded his precious bass clarinet. Even though the bulk case to it slowed him down, he considered it an essential item in his quest. He knew it was time to fulfill his destiny. He couldn’t avoid it any longer. As he made his way inland, a roaming undead horde began to chase him all through the countryside.
(15) – Lead vs. Led
Lead is the metal found in pencils. Lead-contaminated water can make you very sick.
Led is the past participle of the verb lead. Confused? That’s because lead is homograph. Lead with a short “e” refers to the metal, while lead with a long “e” sound is the act of showing leadership as in “lead the way, captain!”. George Washington led his country to victory in the American Revolution.
The prince ran as far as he could, but he realized he had to face the zombies. He reached into his silk trousers and pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and filled the freaks with lead. His weapon of choice was fully customized to output the most precise shots and had a light purple paint job. He felt assured of victory, but soon the hungry foes cornered him in the deserted town. Then, suddenly, a stranger appeared out of an alley and saved him with a spell of blinding light. The man led the way to safety.
(16) – Mussels vs. Muscles
Mussels are a general name for many edible clams that are somewhat a delicacy. Your expensive dinner date might involve dining on mussel soup.
Muscles are masses of tissue under your skin. You go to the gym go to build beefy muscles.
It’s possible that deep on the ocean floor exist the most fabulous muscular mussel, the biggest bodybuilding mollusk in all the seven seas!
When they settled into a shelter outside the town, the stranger introduced himself as Kazimierz. He mostly lived on the beach because he could easily catch and eat mussels. For almost a year now, the once naive Kaz had lived on his own wandering about Europe searching for a way to undo the ritual of the Zombie King. The monster overload had now risen to life and, soon after, destroyed the Tarta Republic, thanks to the deception of the Church of Zanzabu. The lone warrior Kaz stood against the evil by learning old magic and growing big muscles.
(17) – Peel vs. Peal
Peel is the action of removing the skin or outer layer of something. You could also call the skin of a fruit the peel. So, you would peel a banana peel.
Does the word peal ring any bells? Yes! Peal is a noun and verb meaning “sound loudly”. It’s usually associated with church bells, though it could apply to things like gunfire, fireworks, or laughter. I tend to think of how “I heard the Bells on Christmas Day” uses the word towards the end.
Kaz was honored to meet a royal prince. He peeled the shells off of his collection of mussels, and they enjoyed lunch. Rupert proudly announced he had a secret weapon to finished off the zombies for good! The awful peal of his bass clarinet would hypnotize the hellish beasts. Kaz was angered the little prince had hidden away for so long, and he doubted the plan would even work. They decided they should test out the theory.
(18) – Peek vs. Peak vs. Pique
Peek is to sneak a look at something. Many high school boys have tried to peek into the girls’ locker room. You might have played peek-a-boo with your baby.
The peak is the highest point of something, particularly a mountain. You could use it in an adjective expression. The legendary muscular mussel worked his shell to peak performance.
Pique means to excite someone’s interest or curiosity. It also means to annoy or anger someone. You have to rely on the context to interpret. An attractive lady may pique your attention, but if you’re caught ogling, you may pique your girlfriend into slapping you.
They journeyed into the next town and peeked around the corner of a wall. A group of zombies strolled mindlessly at the peak of a hill in the center of the abandoned plaza. The brave Kaz jumped out and shot a fireball spell into the sky. The blaze of flames and scattering of ashes piqued the interest of the undead.
(19) – Poor vs. Pore vs. Pour
Poor is the opposite of wealthy. Aladdin was a poor street rat.
Pores are the microscopic openings in your skin that secrete sweat. In geology, it’s also the gaps between sediment and soil that allow water to seep through to the bottom. Your property might have porous rocks around the garden.
As a verb, pore means to read or glance over something.
And then, pour means to release or let flow a liquid. You pour milk into your cereal bowl. However, you could use it figuratively. You might pour your heart out in confessing to a crush… but you would pore over your studies before a test since that’s literally reviewing your notes and the textbook.
Prince Rupert readied his instrument and let out a thunderous deep bellowing sound. Poor Kaz covered his ears as the hideous noise filled the air. The ugly creatures became enchanted by the obnoxious notes pouring into their minds. Their feet began to shuffle uncontrollably. Their hips swayed to and fro. The music seeped into very pores and reached into vacant souls.
(20) – Principal vs. Principle
The principal, as a noun, is the head administrator of a school or other organization. You can remember this definition because the word ends in “pal”, and your principal is your pal. Right? In finance, it means the initial amount of a loan before interest. Used as an adjective, principal means the highest rank or importance. Jim Carrey was the principal comedy actor of the 1990s.
A principle is a doctrine or rule. Your professor might explain the principles of chemistry in a lecture. If someone refuses something out of the “principle of the matter”, they are referring to their personal code of morals or honor, not their high school principal.
The melody, though distasteful, put the zombies in a dancing mood! The expression on their faces transformed from stone cold to a recognizable smile. Their eyes brightened and glowed with misty tears. Slowly their natural life returned. Kaz soon recognized one as his elementary principal… But the music wasn’t enough to free them. The zombies screamed and collapsed before completely renewing their human form. Prince Rupert was astonished at the power of music. They both talked it over for a long while. They could use the instrument to destroy them, but, out of principle, they decided it better to save them.
(21) – Rain vs. Rein vs. Reign
Rain is water the falls down during a storm.
Reins could refer to the harness stripes on horses that riders use to direct the animal or “to rein in” the horse is the verb form. More figuratively, you could rein in or control anything. Someone who is always angry needs to rein in their outbursts.
Reign is the rule of a leader, typically a monarch. Ivan the Terrible reigned as Tsar of All Russia from 1533 to 1547.
From that day onward, Prince Rupert wrote and practiced music. Over time, he reined in his wild timing and awkward fingerings. He and Kaz were convinced they could reverse the zombie curse with lovely music. They just needed to refine some notes here and there. Before long, they hoped to overthrow the reign of the Zombie King…. But one night, as the rain poured down and drenched through their shelter, priests of the Church of Zanzabu rushed in and attacked!
(22) – Read vs. Reed
Read is to look and comprehend words in a book, magazine, brochure, etc… You are reading these words. Read is interesting because it’s spelled the same in the past tense but pronounced differently, making it a homograph with itself. In the past, read sounds like “red”.
Reeds are a kind of stalk plants that grow in marshes. They are used for some wind instruments.
The High Priest heard rumors of an enchanted bass clarinet that had the Ancients foretold long ago. To be certain, he ordered the execution of anyone who could read music. The world under the Zombie King must remain one devoid of any remotely beautiful sounds. The order’s assassin’s reached central Poland and followed a trail of reeds leading them straight to Prince Rupert.
(23) – Real vs. Reel
Real is what is true or exists in reality.
A reel is a cylinder tool used to store and play motion pictures or a fishing reel is a spool the wire is wrapped around the pole. As an action, you reeling is to wind back up the reel spool. But you can reel your body by spinning or wobbling. A boxer might reel away from a punch.
The priest assassins caught Kaz and Prince Rupert by surprise. They reeled away from their daggers as best they could, but their assailants were too fast. One stabbed Kaz deep in the chest. Another quick swing of a blade slashed his thigh. The prince struggled away from his own attacker, pulled out his trusty purple pistol, and dispatched the religious enforcers. Yet, Kaz dropped to the floor in pain. He whispered to his Scandinavian friend, “The power of music isn’t in the instrument or the notes or even the lyrics. The real magic of life… it in the passion of your heart.” Then he breathed his last.
(24) – Toe vs. Tow
Toes are the appendages on the end of your feet. You should wash between your toes when you bathe.
Tow is to pull or haul something as with a chain or cord. If you park in the fire lane, the city may tow your vehicle and ticket you. If you’ve been to a busy harbor, you might have seen a cute little tow boat tugging a freight ship.
In agony, Prince Rupert towed his friend’s body outside. He spent an hour digging a proper grave, promised himself to set things right, and buried the fallen warrior. He played the saddest song ever on his bass clarinet. Chills rolled down his body from head to toe as he contemplated bring balance to the world.
(25) – Their vs. They’re vs. There
If you cannot win an argument online, the next best thing is to correct someone’s misuse of these homophones! (Seriously, I don’t recommend becoming a grammar Nazi and trolling people. It’s too much work)
Their is a possessive case of the pronoun they. Your teacher might be worried the students forgot their homework.
They’re is a contraction of “they are”. They’re 30 days in June.
There is an unspecified place or time away from you, the opposite of “here”. My brother tried to help me in a video game by pointing out, “He’s hiding over there!”
Prince Rupert knew he had to make things right. People deserve their lives back. There is no joy without the art of sound and dance. The prince had the power and thus the responsibility to restore life to the mindless masses. Their freedom was in his hands! Yet, it required him to face his greatest enemy… the Zombie King, his father! Living up there on the Tatra Mountains, the undead king felt safe and in control. Now, his outcast son planned to return to save his father and end his madness. They’re worlds apart, but music would bring them together.
(26) – To vs. Too vs. Two
To is a preposition that indicates direction. Every weekday I drive to work.
Too is an adverb meaning in addition or also. Do you love ice cream? I do too! It might also mean “in excess”. Too much ice cream gives you a tummy ache.
Two is the next whole number after one. I have two little dogs.
The young heir ran out with determination to Slovakia. He stealthy scaled the steep stone and gravel incline up the mountain. By the time he reached the summit, his two hands were covered in knicks and bruises. He was not deterred as he dashed down halls to the sanctum of the Church of Zanzabu. The Zombie King sat on a golden throne with the hellish creatures all bowed in worship. Even the deceitful priests too pay homage.
(27) – Waist vs. Waste
Your waist is the width of your belt line. Cheerleaders tend to have small waists.
Waste as a noun means junk, garbage, or a desolate place. As a verb, to waste something is throw it out, destroy it, or fail to utilize it. As an adjective, wasteful is using something in excess or in a greedy way. Wasteful spending can lead to debt (that’s lead as in direct you to, not the metal. See #15).
As the veneration of the king continued, the High Priest appeared out of the shadows without his shirt and beautiful women clutched at his waist. The crowds were captivated in royal adoration, their sense too dulled to notice the villain enter the stage. He laughed and shouted, “Everyone seeks something to worship, some idol to waste their thoughts and captivate their minds. I’ve given the world what they crave. Now I am free to do as I please as the fools waste away.” The women at his side smiled at his cunningness and kissed him.
(28) – Vain vs. Vein
Vain can be an adjective to describe someone as being extremely conceited or short-sighted. Otherwise, it could describe an action that is useless or fails to achieve its goal. And, to take the “Lord’s name in vain” would be to speak it irrelevantly.
Veins are the blood vessels under your skin.
Chains retrained the Zombie King in his exquisite chair. Though the face was ugly and disfigured, Prince Rupert recognized the man behind the monster. Even if had been 10,000 years, they were still family. The same blood ran through their veins. Once the father had been king of the Underworld, but he banished his son for giving aid to dying humans. The dead were appointed to die at their assigned hour. When the king learned that his son even taught them magic and ruled over Sweden, he considered it divine treason and launched a war against him. The humans fought in vain against the immortal Lord Festus, King of the Underworld. The Ancients, powerful human mages, could only seal the god of death into a crystal tomb.
(29) – You vs. Yew vs. Ewe
You is the second personal pronoun in English. It could be both singular or plural, though some country folk say ya’ll (contraction of “you all”).
Yews are evergreen trees, and they are the favored material for bows. Skilled medieval archers crafted their own yew bows.
Ewes are female sheep.
Prince Rupert, with bass clarinet in hand, leaped down from his hidden nook in the ceiling. The High Priest reared back in astonishment, and his girls fled. The Zombie King, whom the prince knew as Lord Festus, angrily roared, “Son! Have you returned to mock and defy me as before, as the mortal world does now!” The boy prince approached the boldly golden throne. He said, “No… I’ve come to forgive your hate and say… you’re right. I hate people dying. Mortals are fragile like gentle ewes. They deserve care and guidance, but there must be a balance. Without death, they are caught in this limbo state. They cannot understand life without appreciating both the end and the beginning. They cannot be the living dead anymore. I started this curse, thinking it would be a blessing. But I am here to make it right.” Then he began to play the sweetest sound on his instrument. The yew walls and columns of the temple violently shook.
(30) – Your vs. You’re
Your is the possessive case of the pronoun you. Your browser is open to this webpage.
You’re is a contraction of “you are”. You’re accessing my website.
The throng of zombies rose and became wide-eyed with wonder. They rolled their arms high in excitement as the color returned to their skin, their hair grew back, and their voices echoed the music. The sound slowly returned their mortality and ended their misery. But then, the High Priest launched a lightning bolt from his palms and shattered the enchanted bass clarinet! “It’s over! Without your pretty little jingles, you’re finished. Attack him!” he ordered triumphantly. The zombies, dazed and confused, rushed to the platform and grabbed hold of the prince.
But, just as many of the zombies reach in for a hunk of flesh, the boy calmly said, “That’s where you’re wrong.” Then, he continued the lovely song by singing from the bottom of his heart. Moments later, the zombies all changed completely back to their human forms. Some collapsed and died instantly. Others people stood stunned and in disbelief at everything around them. Many recognized the High Priest and knew his schemes. They chased after him and tackled the frail old man to the ground. Prince Rupert, the heir to the Underworld kingdom, freed his father from the chains. He spent the next month reversing the zombie curse around the world. Finally, he returned with Lord Festus, where he belonged.
That’s 30 of most commonly misused homophones, but there are countless more. Which ones do you have trouble mixing up? There might be some mnemonic or trick to remember the difference. The best and most fun, way to learn is always incorporating what you do in creative writing! I had fun writing the zombie story.
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