{"id":11139,"date":"2023-02-20T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.allaboutlearningpress.com\/?p=11139"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:50:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T17:50:29","slug":"how-to-teach-contractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.allaboutlearningpress.com\/how-to-teach-contractions\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Teach Contractions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cartoon<\/p>

Would you like to help your child avoid some of the most common errors in written English? Today we’re talking about the misuse of contractions, especially when it comes to words like it\u2019s<\/span> vs. its<\/span> and you\u2019re<\/span> vs. your<\/span>.<\/p>

You’ve probably seen these mistakes; maybe they’ve even made you cringe.<\/p>

<\/p>

Giving your child a solid foundation in the way contractions are formed and what they actually mean\u2014that is, which letters the apostrophe replaces\u2014will go a long way toward helping him or her avoid these common mistakes in the future.<\/p>

What Is a Contraction?<\/h2>

A contraction consists of two words that are combined to form one word. To \u201ccontract\u201d means to \u201cmake smaller,\u201d and that is what we do when we form contractions: we take two longer words and contract them into one shorter word.<\/p>

When Do We Use Contractions?<\/h2>

Contractions are informal \u201cshortcuts\u201d that we often take in our everyday speech. Instead of saying \u201cDo not tease the dog,\u201d we shorten it to \u201cDon\u2019t tease the dog.\u201d<\/p>

Those same shortcuts can be used in informal writing when we want our writing to reflect our way of speaking. In formal writing, however, it\u2019s best to avoid contractions.<\/p>

6 Ways to Teach Contractions<\/h2>

Teaching contractions might seem complicated, but these helpful tips can make this concept easy to teach!<\/p>

  1. Use a rubber band to demonstrate to your student the concept of expanding and contracting. When you stretch the rubber band, it expands; when you let it go, it contracts. That\u2019s what we\u2019re doing when we contract words \u2013 we\u2019re just making them smaller.<\/li>
  2. Demonstrate the concept of contractions by writing he<\/span> is<\/span> on a piece of paper, or use letter tiles<\/a> if you have them. Cross out the i<\/span> and replace it with an apostrophe. Read the new word to your student to show how the pronunciation changes from he is<\/span> to he\u2019s<\/span>.<\/li>
  3. Explain that an apostrophe <\/span>is a type of punctuation mark. One of its jobs is to help us form contractions. However, many students put the apostrophe in the wrong spot, as in ar\u2019nt<\/span>. Understanding that the apostrophe must always <\/span>take the place of the omitted letters will help prevent such errors.<\/li>
  4. Write or build the words she will<\/span>. Cross out the w<\/span>-i<\/span> and replace those letters with an apostrophe. Explain to your student that she\u2019ll<\/span> is a shortcut, a shorter way of saying she will<\/span>.<\/li>
  5. Underscore the importance of the apostrophe by removing it from the contraction she\u2019ll<\/span>. Point out that without the apostrophe, the word is shell<\/span> and not she\u2019ll<\/span>. Never forget the apostrophe!<\/li>
  6. Finally, in All About Reading<\/cite> we include an engaging activity sheet where students create contractions out of printed strips of paper. The strip starts out with a pair of words, such as I am<\/span>.

    \"Child

    The student folds the word strip on the solid line to reveal the contraction, such as I\u2019m<\/span>.<\/p>

    \"Child<\/p><\/li><\/ol>

    Download Our Lessons on Contractions<\/h2>

    Download Lesson 27 of All About Reading<\/cite><\/a> Level 2 to see how we teach contractions in our reading program.<\/p>

    \"AAR<\/a><\/p>

    AAR<\/cite> Contractions<\/span><\/a><\/p>

    AAR<\/cite> Level 2, Lesson 27, Teacher's Manual<\/p><\/div>

    \"AAR<\/a><\/p>

    AAR<\/cite> \"Fun with Contractions\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>

    AAR<\/cite> Level 2, Lesson 27, activity sheet<\/p><\/div>

    Download Lesson 29 of All About Spelling<\/cite><\/a> Level 3 to see how we teach contractions in our spelling program.<\/p>

    \"AAS<\/a>

    AAS<\/cite> Contractions<\/span><\/a><\/p>

    AAS<\/cite> Level 3, Lesson 29, Teacher's Manual and activity sheet<\/p><\/div><\/div>

    Below is a list of contractions you can teach and practice with your child.<\/p>

    \"click<\/a><\/p>

    Download and print this contractions list!<\/a><\/h3>

    Do your children use contractions properly, or are they still figuring them out?<\/p>

     <\/p>

    \"Six<\/a><\/span>