Totally Random Proper Noun Activity

So have you guys ever just looked at your plans in the morning and said, "Man, that is just going to be boring." Sometimes I do that. Sometimes I'm so rushed to get plans made on the weekends that I don't plan the most spectacular activities ever. Just being transparent here folks! Luckily, I'm pretty good about going over my plans before I teach them and if something isn't sounding super awesome, I just change it up. Don't get me wrong: I love lesson plans. And I'm super organized. But when it comes to teaching, some of my best lessons have been lessons that I spontaneously came up with right before teaching them. Sometimes you just have to flexible, y'all!

Language can be boring. So I knew that I wanted to get my kids up and moving while still reviewing and discussing proper nouns. So on the fly, I threw together a little activity to get us moving and having fun! Some people call these little activities gallery walks. Mine tend to be a little upbeat and loud for a gallery. But there's nothing wrong with that!

I made a few simple posters like these on colored copy paper:

Super fancy....I know. But hey, when you're more worried about getting a fun activity together before your kids get back from P.E., fanciness is not a priority.

Next, I posted the signs around the room. I put some on tables. I also, taped some to the doors and walls. An activity is always more fun when stuff is hanging from the walls. Am I right?!

My next step: choosing sticky notes to use! Please tell me I'm not the only sticky note hoarder. I literally have them located in about 5 different places depending on what they are used for (my own personal sticky notes, small sticky notes, large sticky notes, fun shaped sticky notes, and sticky note overflow). Check out this collection:

Ha! On a side note that has nothing to do with this post, please look at these adorable pig sticky notes that I got from Wally.....

So stinking cute, right?! I bought two packs. I'm thinking a Charlotte's Web activity?? I need to make that happen.

Anyways, back to choosing sticky notes. I settled on the small ones. I think they're some random size....like 1 7/8 x 1 7/8? Or something like that. Perfect since we're just writing one word on them. And as you can see, these are Wally brand sticky notes. Ain't nobody wasting precious, brand-name Post-It notes on this sort of activity. Just sayin'.

I gave each student 5 sticky notes (even though I made ten posters, I wanted this to be a quick activity). You can make this activity as long or as short as you want! I turned on the Kids Bop Pandora station and the students rotated from poster to poster turning the common noun on the poster into a proper noun. Here are some fun examples:

Then we went through the results as a class. As you can see, some of us need reminding that proper nouns get capital letters. We'll work on that.

I also need to inform our social studies teacher that the kids definitely do not know the difference between a city and a state. Ha! See example below:

Gotta love 'em! Hey, look! I integrated a S.S. assessment in with my Language assessment! INTEGRATION, Y'ALL!!

This activity was fun and quick. It took very little prep. It was also a great assessment tool, as I could see if we needed more practice with proper nouns or not. I think we've got this one down (with the exception of a few reminders that proper nouns get capitals)!

Just a fun little activity that I'll definitely adjust for my needs and use again! The kids loved it. I loved it. It was fun!