How to Teach Children About Irregular Plurals
Irregular plural nouns can be confusing when learning a new language or when mastering the basics of your own language. These irregular nouns are often mixed up by children when they are learning to spell and read words. Help the children in your class master these nouns by teaching them as effectively as possible so that they will have minimal trouble with these words in the future.
Instructions
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Teach children the rules of plurals before you do anything else. They should be aware that while most plurals simply end in an "s," some words ending in a "y" have their endings changed to "ies," some words -- typically nouns ending with "sh," "s," "x," "z" or "ch" -- add an "es," some have their "f" change to a "v" and still other words are changed completely. Write these rules on the board for the children. You can also make a poster to hang in front of the classroom.
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Pass out a sheet of irregular plurals, highlighting some of the most often used words. English Banana.com has a list of over 100 irregular plurals which you can print out for your own use or trim. Taking the words home will allow each child to absorb the words at his own pace.
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Quiz the children on the rules. You can make a game of it by challenging the class to answer when to use certain endings on words.
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Play a competitive game with the children. Put the children in the class on teams of three or four and give them each a word. Ask them to come up with the plural of the word and spell it aloud.
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Give your students a test or quiz when you finish the unit. While tests aren't always fun, it will be a good measure of whether your students have actually learned the material.
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