Plural -s Race

We are working on adding plurals onto base words. He is great at adding -s but struggles when the base words require -es (words that end in s, ch, sh, etc). Since he loves competition, we are going to do a word find race.

Before we begin,  I'll ask him what to add at the end of a word to make it plural. If he just says –s then I will write dress on the board and ask, “what if the word is dress, would you add a third –s onto the word?”  I will explain the rule that when a word ends in –s, you need to add an –es to the end to make it plural.

My absolutely horrible plural -s/-es story

Then, we will each get a reading passage. I'll set the timer for 1 minute and tell him to find as many -s and -es words as he can before the time runs out. I'll remind him that it is a race so try to find as many as possible. We will each race to find and highlight the words. When the time runs out, we will count our words and compare. Then, he will use write his words on Post-It notes. Using a sorting chart written on the white board, he will place each word in the correct category (-s or -es). 

After sorting the words, he will pick 5 -es words that he likes. He will then use the sentence worksheet to write a sentence about each one. Using a writing modality helps the meaning/spelling stick in his head. Here is the sentence worksheet: