Grammar Camp, An End-of-Year Tradition

Why would an English classroom have photos of very odd, very exotic animals hanging from the ceiling? Why would students in a seventh or eighth grade English class chant, "We love grammar! We love Grammar Camp!" even when others are listening?

The answer is simple - Grammar Camp.

At the end of the school-year, when books have been returned, boxes are being packed by the teachers who need to move rooms, and the students are ready to check out, Grammar Camp brings them back in.  Grammar Camp is a series of competitions between "cabins" in grammar-related activities. There is movement. There is noise. There is chaos - organized, of course. And there is fun.

Enter the Rubber Chickens gives the details of setting up this week-long schedule of activities. I will give a brief overview here, so that you might have an idea of how grammar camp works. In truth, Grammar Camp is being prepared about two or three weeks before the first competition.

The first of my preparations involves choosing camp cabin mascots. I make a list of unusual and exotic animals. Students vote for one animal from the list. The top five scoring animals become the mascots for the year's camp cabins. Below are some of the animals that have been selected by classes as our camp cabin mascots.

platypus

lemur

tamarin

Capybara

kiwi

I print photos like these and mount them on card stock. Then, I suspend them from the classroom ceiling with string. I place groups of student desks beneath them, making the cabins. Then, I create groups of students to populate five cabins in each of my classes. This past year, my classes worked very well together. So, I allowed them to create their own five cabins. It worked beautifully. Other years, I have asked for requests - two people with whom you would like to work and one person with whom you are unable to work - and honored them as well as I could.

Once these preparations are in place, I distribute a Grammar Camp brochure to each student. This alerts them of what is to come. It promises an all-fun, all-grammar experience! It makes the parents laugh.

Ideally, the brochure is given to students on a Friday, and Grammar Camp begins on a Monday. This allows a full week of activities to occur. There are more than enough activities in Enter the Rubber Chickens to fill a week. I typically limit camp to a week because it takes a lot of planning, and sometimes requires the assistance of other staff members. There is a lot to organize.

Here is a list of possible Grammar Camp activities.

• Grammar Camp Idol (a song competition)
• Punctuation Super-hero Skits (some even have costumes)
• Grammar Relay (using boxes and packages from household products)
• Initial Sentences (pretty easy)
• Part of Speech Concentration (complete with rhythmic snapping and clapping)
• Correct Punctuation Races (for accuracy and speed)
• Grammar Grab (an unusual card game)
• Grammar Scavenger Hunt (to be held throughout the school building)

Students, assigned to a cabin, compete in each of the planned activities. Scores are recorded on chart paper as well as a score sheet online. They are similar to scores for relay races in swimming or track. 

1st = 7 points

2nd = 5 points

3rd = 3 points

4th = 1 point

5th = 0 points

Scores accumulate during the week. On some days, there may be one score added. On other days, there may be more.

By the end of the week, there is a winning cabin in each of my classes. All participants receive a sticker bearing our slogan, "We love grammar! We love Grammar Camp!" All participants receive a s'more-type treat, granola bars, s'mores trail mix, or actual s'mores. The winners are the only ones to receive tiny rubber chickens. These are a big deal.

Grammar Camp is an active, competitive, fun way to end a year and keep kids focused when they really want to check out.

We love grammar.

We love Grammar Camp!