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Anchor Chart Ideas - Plural Nouns Part 2/2

Happy Friday! Here I am posting the second part of Anchor Chart Ideas - Plural Nouns Part 1.

On Pinterest, there are tons of plural nouns anchor charts, but I rarely (if ever) see an anchor chart for the more uncommon cases of plural forms, e.g. the plural of nouns that come from Latin or from other languages. So here's my take on it:


Of course, languages are ever-changing and some of the plural forms in the chart above are becoming less and less used, such as "datum". What happens is that "data" has been more frequently used as a singular noun. Or, some words are taking on other plural form alternatives, such as "indexes" instead of "indices".

I don't really see a problem with that. Languages do (and should) transform.

That being said, I don't think I'll be able to use "paparazzi" as a singular noun if it ever comes to that! I haven't mastered Italian yet, but I know how to make the plural of nouns in that language.

One important case to keep in mind is the use of "alumni". "Alumni" is the plural form of the word "alumnus", which refers to a male student. The female student would be an "alumna" (plural: alumnae). When referring to a group of former students of both genders, the term "alumni" is to be used.

A lot of people, though, end up misusing the word "alumni" as a singular noun - "He's a Harvard alumni" (instead of "He's a Harvard alumnus") - or using it to refer to a group of female students only - "The alumni of a prestigious all-girls school" (instead of "The alumnae of a prestigious…")

I've recently read and heard some people using "alum" (singular) and "alums" (plural) to avoid the gender issue, but I don't use those terms myself. What about you?

If you happen to read my blog, you know that I like to offer some chart ideas for teachers of French. So, allow me to post two anchor chart for French teaching:


READ at For French Immersion7 Pinterest boards for French teachers



Thank you for reading and have a great weekend!

Anchor Chart Ideas - Plural Nouns Part 1/2

Are you ready for some more anchor charts? I hope so :)

For some reason, my posts about anchor charts always end up much bigger than I anticipate. So this one on "plural nouns" is going to be divided into two parts - much like Anchor Chart Ideas - Adverbs Part 1 and Anchor Chart Ideas - Adverbs Part 2.

Here's an "introduction to plural nouns" anchor chart:


If you create something like this to use in your classroom, pay attention to a few things (based on my personal experience):

- include at least one example of each "kind"of noun (i.e. person, place, thing, animal)
- the output of the machine should not only show items in groups of 2s (in the chart above: 2 flowers, 3 clouds, 4 houses, etc). I've once made that mistake and had a couple of students misunderstanding that the plural only referred to groups of 2s.
- use words that have different ending sounds. Again, I had students creating their own "add -s" rule based on the ending sound.

When creating anchor charts for plural nouns, you might also want to use a different chart for each case/rule.

Here's one on the "add -ES" rule for nouns ending in S/SH/CH/X/Z/SS:


And another one on the "drop and add" rule for nouns ending in Y and nouns ending in F/FE:


You might want to add that the "y" rule is only valid for words ending in -y preceded by a consonant. So, nouns like "boy", "bay", "toy" only need -s to become plural.

And there's the plural nouns "snapshot" anchor chart, where the most common plural cases are all in the same chart:


 Of course, what you'll end up adding to your anchor charts will vary according to what your students need to know and what you want to teach, but I hope you now have some anchor chart ideas to inspire you.

If you happen to be looking for a spring activity to practice plural nouns, be sure to check out my Interactive Matching Activity (QR codes optional)


Don't forget to follow my blog to be the first to see and pin my anchor charts!

Check out Anchor Chart Ideas - Plural Nouns Part 1/2.

Thanks for reading!

Technology in the classroom: Tech Tips for Teachers Free Ebook with links to 47 freebies

Somebody once sarcastically said (if you know who did, please tell me) that computers were invented to solve problems we didn't know we had.

I get the point, but I see computers (and technology in general) under a much brighter light.

For instance, if technology hadn't evolved so much in the past 5, 10, 15 years, I wouldn't be here talking writing to you :D

Now seriously, I cannot project the future of education that does not involve the integration of more and more technological tools. For us, educators, it means being on top of what's current and useful.

If you're looking for ways to increase the use of technology in your classroom, you might want to download this hot-off-the-press FREE Ebook (click on the image):


This Teachers Pay Teachers - sponsored Ebook was beautifully organized by Laurah J. and it contains tech tips and links to freebies by 47 (!) teachers.

I'm honored to have been included and if you want to read my tip, check out page 13.

I would love to know how much technology is part of your daily teaching, so don't forget to leave me a comment below.

Thanks for reading!

10 words that English borrowed from French

I looove languages. I like to teach them, I like to learn them. I enjoy thinking about the similarities and contrasts between English and Portuguese, Portuguese and French, French and Italian, and so on.

When introducing vocabulary, I can't help but think about the origin of some of the words I'm teaching.
I thought that would make for a fun post to share with you.

Since I teach English and have taught French, I thought it would only be fitting to start with…


1. BOULEVARD
Baron Haussman is the one responsible for creating,  in the mid-19th century, the wide avenues for which Paris is known for. An example is the Champs-Élysées.
As a movie buff, that word immediately reminds me of the classic movie "Sunset Boulevard". None of my students knows what I'm talking about…Do you?

2. PRAIRIE
I first heard this word when learning about the American prairies and find it curious that such an American word actually comes from Old French. I think that's more a case of "stealing" instead of "borrowing" a word.

3. AMATEUR
This word means exactly the same thing in French, but the pronunciation is different. Sometimes, when I'm saying this word in French conversation, the American accent takes over and I really sound like an amateur :)

4. FIANCÉ(E)
Ah, l'amour! I think romance has everything to do with the French language and it comes as no surprise that the word for an engaged man/woman would come from it.

5. MARDI GRAS
Mardi = Tuesday and gras = fat. Literally, "fat Tuesday". I know, I know, you don't really need to learn how to say "fat" in any language other than your own.

6. RÉSUMÉ
When preparing a résumé, people have to summarize what they've done so far in their career and that's what the word means: summary.

7. CLICHÉ
Literature and cinema abound with it: the overused expression or situation. Yet, I love myself a good clichéd rom-com every now and then :)

8. DÉJÀ VU
You have seen this one before…You have seen this one before…

9. OMELETTE
10. CHEF
The French cuisine is praised worldwide and many words and expressions related to food and cooking are taken from French, such as "omelette", "chef", "sous-chef", "croissant", "entrée", etc.

Well, it's about dinnertime as I write this post, so let me go eat the omelette with toasted croissant prepared by my amateur chef husband!

I've started a new blog. The name says it all: For French Immersion Blog. Come check it out and subscribe to the For French Immersion Newsletter. Merci!

READ at For French Immersion7 Pinterest boards for French teachers


READ: 10 words that English borrowed from Spanish


READ: 10 words that English borrowed from Portuguese


READ: 10 words that English borrowed from Japanese




See you soon,