Contraction Station
A contraction joins words into a shorter form; the apostrophe stands where one or more letters were removed, while the meaning stays the same.
What your child will figure out
- Predict and form common contractions from their full words.
- Place an apostrophe where omitted letters used to be and explain what it marks.
- Match contractions to full word forms with the same meaning.
- Expand and use regular, multi-letter, and irregular contractions in sentences, then continue through varied adaptive practice.
The levels
- Couple the word cars
Form the common contraction don't from do not and observe the omitted letter.
- Punch the apostrophe stop
Place the apostrophe correctly in we're and explain that it replaces a missing letter.
- Find the matching passengers
Match they're to they are using meaning rather than visual similarity.
- New passenger pair
Generalize apostrophe placement to she is → she's.
- Negative night train
Form can't from cannot when more than one letter is omitted.
- Meaning checkpoint
Expand it's to it is while rejecting the possessive its.
- Platform announcement
Use aren't in a complete sentence without changing its meaning.
- Have-car coupling
Form they've from they have with a two-letter omission.
- Future line
Form I'll from I will and identify the multi-letter omission.
- Safety signal
Apply the negative rule to shouldn't in a safety sentence.
- Double-decker contraction
Expand would've to would have rather than the sound-alike would of.
- Irregular express
Transfer all three skills to irregular will not → won't in a sentence.
Ready when they are.
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Play Contraction Station free