Classroom Contractions – Language Arts “I Have, Who Has? Card Game

Make learning about contractions and punctuation a team activity for your students!

To play, each student gets a card. They will listen for the contraction on their card, and when they hear it, they read their card. Then the turn passes to another player. Play continues until the last card in the set is read.

Students will show their understanding of contractions and enhance their reading and spelling skills through this activity.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your language arts lessons. 

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

Help students who need help understanding the concepts by practicing the skill using one of our helpful teaching presentations.

It’s also helpful to pre-teach contractions and word attack skills. Additionally, allow students to use an anchor chart or classroom poster to reference during the activity.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

Challenge your fast finishers to use the words in a piece of writing or create an anchor chart to display in the classroom.

🧑‍🏫 Group Lesson (or Other Activity)

We created this resource as a whole-class practice activity to use with your students. You can also use this game to reinforce contractions in the following ways: 

🛴 Scoot Activity

Place the cards around the room and give each student a recording sheet. Assign students or pairs to a starting point card. Give students time to review the card and record their answers in the corresponding space on their paper. Students will rotate to the next card when you say, “SCOOT!” Continue in this manner until students return to their starting point. 

👋 Exit Ticket

Use these cards as a formative assessment after your lesson. Pick a random assortment of cards and project them on the board for the whole class to see. Students can record their answers on a sheet of paper, sticky note, or in a notebook. 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the Color or Blackline version of the resource.

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time: