Online grammar games can be a fun way to reinforce English grammar lessons in middle school. The advantages of online grammar games are that the feedback is immediate, and many of these sites allow teachers and students to track their progress.
In addition, it’s a fun way to detract from worksheets while introducing different, interactive media to reinforce a concept.
Below is a list of free sites and online grammar games suitable for middle school grades that I personally use:
- Grammar Gorillas
- Grammar Bytes
- UEN Games
- Game of Bones
- Match
- Dino Skateboarding
- Treasure Diving
- Ski Racer
- Water Rafting
- Word Game Time
- Adventure Academy
- Mr. Nussbaum
- Word Shake
- ESL Games Plus
Grammar Gorillas on Fun Brain
Fun Brain offers a variety of online resources to supplement an English class. Grammar Gorillas is one such game, and it is free to play.
The game focuses on naming parts of speech and has a beginner and an advanced level. The advanced level is suitable for grade 6 students and ESL students, or a quick revision of parts of speech for higher grades.
Grammar Gorilla is also suitable for playing on an interactive board in the classroom. It doesn’t have high-resolution graphics, so each question in the game can load quickly.
With every correct answer, the gorilla gets a banana. And their punchline? A gorilla with a banana is a gorilla with appeal. We do so enjoy a pun.
To access Grammar Gorilla on Fun Brain, you can follow this link.
Grammar Bytes at ChompChomp
Grammar Bytes is another interactive game that middle school students can play in the classroom or at home. Each interactive activity is supplemented with a downloadable handout that can be used to track the answers to the questions.
Grammar Bytes covers a variety of topics, with multiple questions per topic. Each time a player answers a question, they get a prize – regardless of whether their answer is correct.
Examples of consolation prizes for incorrect answers include a virtual cow or guinea pig. In contrast, a correct answer might win you a virtual trip to the Bahamas.
The topics covered on Grammar Bytes include the following:
- Apostrophes,
- Comma splices and fused sentences,
- Commas,
- Fragments,
- Irregular verbs,
- Misplaced and dangling modifiers,
- Parallel structure,
- Pronoun agreement,
- Pronoun case,
- Pronoun reference,
- Subject-verb agreement, and
- Word choice.
You can follow this link to play the different games on Grammar Bytes.
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Utah Education Network (UEN) Games
Utah Education Network (UEN) is a free site with a heart for students and the greater community. For example, one of their grammar games, Free Rice, is linked to the United Nations World Food Program.
Students can earn rice grains for every correct answer by playing this free game. The collected rice is then donated to communities in need to combat hunger.
UEN’s games are broadly designed for grades 7 to 12 and divided into four groups: Word, Vocabulary, Writing/Spelling, and Grammar. Some of the games require Flash and HTML5 plug-ins.
The grammar games UEN has to offer include the following:
- Beat the Clock: Apostrophe placement game.
- Fragments: Students must identify a fragment in a passage.
- Free Rice: A synonyms game in partnership with the World Feeding Program.
- Irregular Verbs: A game where students must choose the correct form of a verb in a sentence.
- Lay vs. Lie: Students must discern which word should fill the gap.
The other free games offered by UEN include the following:
- Literacy Elements Map
- Word Mover
- Building a Better Vocabulary
- VocabAhead
- Vocabulary Context Quiz (SAT List)
- Vocabulary Context Quiz (Expert Word List)
- Diamante Poems
- Letter Generator
- ReadWriteThink Printing Press
- Types of Text
To view and play the games on UEN, you can click on this link to their website.
Grammar Games on Education.com
Education.com has a plethora of grammar games for middle school learners. The free games cover different aspects of grammar in colorfully animated games. As a teacher or parent, you can assign specific games to students if they need practice in a particular area.
What is convenient is that you can check how the games align with various standards, including Common Core State Standards. Below are some of the middle school grade-appropriate games on Education.com and what they cover.
Also check out: 10 After School Activities For ESL Students
Game of Bones
Games of Bones covers 2 topics, one for grade 6 and one for grade 8. Each game uses context clues to help the student.
- Grade 6: Pronouns in Compound Subjects and Objects
- Grade 8: Commonly Confused Words
Match
Match covers middle school topics like root words, synonyms, and antonyms. Each game has a few rounds of words, which will boost the learners’ vocabulary.
- Grade 6: Common Root Words
- Grade 6: Find the Synonyms
- Grade 6: Find the Antonyms
- Grade 7: Synonyms
- Grade 7: Antonyms
- Grade 7: Meaning of Root Words
- Grade 8: Meaning of Root Words (Game 2)
Dino Skateboarding
Dino Skateboarding is a race-themed game where learners must race their dinosaur to the finish line.
- Grade 6: Figurative Language (Game 1). This game reviews similes, idioms, alliteration, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, and onomatopoeia.
- Grade 7: Figurative Language (Game 2). This game reviews puns, similes, metaphors, hyperbole, allusions, and oxymorons.
- Grades 7 & 8: Connotations (Game 2). Playing Connotations will help learners match words with positive connotations while increasing their vocabulary.
- Grade 8: Antonyms. This game helps to improve the learner’s vocabulary while honing reading and writing skills.
Treasure Diving
Treasure Diving is a game on education.com designed for middle school students. In Treasure Diving, students will use their knowledge of vocabulary and language to choose the correctly spelled word or synonym from a few options.
Then, the student’s avatar will descend or dive further underwater as they choose the correct words.
- Grades 6 & 7: Synonyms
- Grade 8: Spelling Challenge
Ski Racer
Ski Racer is another race-themed game focusing on synonyms in the 8th grade. It uses vocabulary in line with the Common Core State Standards. Students will hone their reading and writing skills by choosing the correct synonym for their avatar to win the skiing race.
- Grade 8: Synonyms
Water Rafting
Water Rafting is the last grammar game featured here from education.com. It is aimed at students in grades 6 and 7 and focuses on anonyms. The student’s avatars float on a river and can speed up their pace by choosing the correct antonyms.
- Grades 6 & 7: Antonyms
Word Game Time
Word Game Time is a site that offers loads of free word games for various grades, including middle school. With games like Hangman, Furious Frogs, crossword puzzles, and more, 6th and 7th graders are sure to find a game that will boost their grammar skills.
You can check out the Word Game Time website by following this link.
Adventure Academy
Adventure Academy is a subscription-based game with a free 30-day trial, so you can test it first. This interactive game is a virtual school; the player’s avatar attends various lessons and can visit the virtual library, for example. English lessons form part of the Adventure Academy curriculum.
If a middle school student enjoys virtual games like this, Adventure Academy is sure to intrigue them. However, the program is designed for students aged 8 to 13, which would suit younger middle-schoolers or ESL students doing revision.
Click here to visit the Adventure Academy website.
Mr. Nussbaum
Mr. Nussbaum, or Mr.N365, is a website that offers grammar games for students up to grade 6. The games include fun games like Torture the Teacher (by choosing incorrectly spelled words), defending the world against bad Spellerz, and not-boring Jeopardy.
It’s a fun site to check out, and some games are customizable. Follow this link to find out more.
Word Shake
Word Shake is a game where you must find four words to fill gaps. All four words have a common clue. It is free to play and can be incorporated as a daily classroom activity or at home.
You can try Word Shake here.
ESL Games Plus
ESL Games Plus offers free games for ESL children and teenagers, with many games from which to choose. Many games are adaptations of familiar board games, and you can select the difficulty level for most of them.
ESL Games use pictures, written, and spoken words to help students with pronunciation. The downside to the site is the number of pop-up ads, but once you get through them, the games are well-designed, interactive, and enjoyable.
Follow this link to visit the ESL Games Plus website.
Conclusion
Online grammar games are a fun and interactive means of reinforcing grammar lessons taught in middle school. They can be played at home or in the classroom and many are free to play.
The benefit of playing online grammar games is the immediate feedback a student receives. Additionally, choosing the right type of game creates a fun and rewarding incentive for students.
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