How to Teach Prepositions

Fun Activities to Hook Student Interest of a Part of Speech

Nov 13, 2008 Kellie Hayden

Learning the eight parts of speech can be drudgery. Prepositions are especially difficult to memorize. Teach prepositions in a way that students remember and have fun.

Many students do not seem ready or quite frankly motivated to learn the basic eight parts of speech, which are the building blocks of grammar. When teachers announce that students will be learning about prepositions, many students tune out their teachers or learn them and then quickly forget what they learned.

The key is to first show students why prepositions are important. Second, with middle school students, make it fun.

Why the Eight Parts of Speech Are Important

Students do know that they need to be able to communicate with each other in writing. However, while using Instant Messaging, they do not need to spell out words or even use a period. Communicating in school and in the adult world takes correct spelling, periods and even a few commas. Knowing where to put the periods and commas means that they will first need to identify each word as one of the eight parts of speech. Prepositions are one of the eight.

Fun Ways to Learn Prepositions

Prepositions are tricky small words that build relationships between other words and phrases in a sentence. That definition in itself is rather vague. Also, prepositions are confused with pronouns because they are little words. In addition, students do not want to memorize the long list.

The key to learning how they work is to first learn to identify them in sentences and see how they connect the words.

Use a Box and Ball

There are two basic ways to teach students how to identify the words. One way is to bring in a box and a ball. Tell students to move the ball near the box. Near is a preposition. Now put it on the box. On is a preposition. Next, place the ball in the box. Tell the students that in too is a preposition. For many of the prepositions, the placement of the ball in and around the box will be a preposition.

Use a Squirrel and Tree

The second way is to teach the students about the squirrel and the tree. For younger students, it is even helpful to bring in a stuffed squirrel and draw a tree or bring in a branch. Actually, all students will enjoy this demonstration. Older students will laugh, but they will "get it."

Tell a student to place the squirrel on the tree. The word on is a preposition. The squirrel can go down the tree, up the tree, around the tree and towards the tree. About anywhere the squirrel goes near, on or in the tree is a preposition.

After this lesson, just bring up the squirrel or the ball. Students will chuckle, but they will remember. The next step is to teach prepositional phrases. Students will have an easier time finding them because they will be able to identify the prepositions in the sentence.

The copyright of the article How to Teach Prepositions in Middle/High School is owned by Kellie Hayden. Permission to republish How to Teach Prepositions in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Old Way of Learning Prepositions