Second graders learn contractions — two words joined into one with an apostrophe that stands in for the missing letters — turning “do not” into “don’t” and “I am” into “I’m.”
Students will be able to…
“Do not” and “don’t” mean the same thing — but one is shorter! How do we squish two words into one, and what is that little mark?
Project this and squish two words into a contraction. Watch the apostrophe take the place of the missing letters!
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
“Do not” or “don’t” — what’s the difference?
Teacher models.
Class uses Squish the Words.
Students write contractions.
Students share a contraction.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
Use an apostrophe to form contractions.
Demonstrate command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills.
Read with accuracy and fluency.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have families find contractions in books and signs, and figure out the two words each one came from. A printable contractions sheet is in the ELA library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.