This post has a free fun activity with contractions printable! It also has a very short YouTube video demonstrating this activity. Paperclips replace the apostrophe and pop from the folded paper to reveal all the letters in the word that was made into a contraction through folding the paper.
The printable includes word strips to fold and demonstrate the letters removed when there is a contraction form of the word.
free-printable-for-popping-contractions
For a fun activity with contractions, try adding a paperclip where the contraction would be on a folded piece of paper, and “pop” the word open into two words.
The PDF has dotted lines for where the folds would be for each word. When students practice folding the paper slips, they can’t help but notice which letters are removed to make the contraction. Adding the paperclip to the folded paper shows them right were the apostrophe should be placed. Then, there is the added fun of seeing how high the paperclips fly. The small paperclips work best, as the large ones are too heavy to “pop” off, or sometimes even fall off. Here is a half-minute YouTube video showing a few words in action.
This activity might be best on a rainy day or a day when active learning could be tolerated by the teacher and the class. These same slips could be used, unfolded, for contractions musical chairs, read the room, pocket chart activities, or small group practice. When read, the word would be folded, read, unfolded, and read again.
Thank you for reading,
Carolyn Wilhelm, MS, MA, NBCT Wise Owl Factory
