Commas in the Chaos

Uniquely Upper
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Commas in the Chaos is a podcast for upper elementary teachers who are juggling lesson plans, classroom chaos, and trying out what today’s grammar lesson is — all before lunch. Whether grammar feels like your jam or your nemesis, this show is here to help you make it easier, clearer, and a whole lot more doable. Hosted by Rachel, the owner of Uniquely Upper, each week brings short, actionable episodes packed with ideas that actually work — from quick grammar routines and sentence strategies to mindset shifts and survival tips. It’s all served with just a little humor to get you through a busy week. Whether you’re planning tomorrow’s lesson or just trying to make it to Friday, Commas in the Chaos is your pause in the madness. 🎧 New episodes drop weekly. In the meantime, if you’re looking for tips, strategies, or just a teacher friend who gets it, come hang out on Instagram @uniquelyupper or visit www.uniquelyupper.com for more support.

  1. Sep 22

    25. How to Teach Subject-Verb Agreement in Upper Elementary

    Episode Summary:Subject verb agreement seems simple until students keep missing it. In this episode, we’re looking underneath the agreement rule to figure out what may actually be causing the struggle. I’ll walk you through the foundational skills students need before they can successfully make subjects and verbs agree, including identifying subjects and verbs, connecting the correct subject to its verb, and avoiding the trap of choosing a verb based on the closest noun. We’ll also talk about why “what sounds right” isn’t enough and how one simple question, “How do you know?” can give you valuable insight into how your students are thinking. If you’re tired of reteaching subject-verb agreement without seeing it stick, this episode will help you pinpoint the breakdown, so you know what to teach next. Join the email list for weekly grammar skill strategies:Click the form here! Connect With RachelInstagram: @uniquelyupperShow Notes: www.uniquelyupper.comTpT Store: Uniquely Upper on TpTEmail: uniquelyupper@gmail.comThe Grammar Collective 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Commas in the Chaos wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

  2. Sep 8

    24. How to Help Students Become Independent With Grammar

    Episode Summary:Your students can answer your questions, follow your prompts, and get the right answer during a grammar lesson then struggle the second they have to do it on their own. That doesn’t always mean they need the skill retaught. In this episode, we’re looking at the difference between knowing a grammar skill and being able to use that knowledge independently. We’ll talk about why whole-group success can be misleading, how teacher prompts can quietly carry more of the thinking than we realize, and what it means to intentionally hand that thinking over to students. You’ll walk away with one important question to ask when students seem successful with you but struggle without you: Who was doing the thinking? Because real independence isn’t about giving less help. It’s about students owning more of the decision-making. Beyond Build 4th Grade Grammar MembershipRead more about the membership and what it includes. Click here to learn more. Connect With RachelInstagram: @uniquelyupperShow Notes: www.uniquelyupper.comTpT Store: Uniquely Upper on TpTEmail: uniquelyupper@gmail.comThe Grammar Collective 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Commas in the Chaos wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

  3. Aug 25

    23. Teaching Fragments and Run-On Sentences: How to Help Students Use the Skill in Writing

    Episode Summary:Students can circle the right answer and still not understand why it's right. That gap is what grammar discussion closes. In this episode, I walk through how I would lead grammar discussions in my classroom, starting with the layers students move through: identify the skill, explain how they know, prove it with evidence, compare choices, and apply it in a new way. I share a sample sentence and the exact questions I ask, from sentence type and structure all the way down to classifying a single noun. I also get into what to do when a student gives the wrong answer. The mistake isn't the problem; it's the information, and I explain how to find the thinking behind it without putting anyone on the spot. Then I break down the three-part move I come back to again and again: ask, listen, investigate. Plus a small set of go-to questions that work with any sentence, so you're not hunting for a new list every week. This doesn't require restructuring your block. It takes five to ten minutes a day, a couple of days a week. Beyond Build 4th Grade Grammar MembershipRead more about the membership and what it includes. Click here to learn more. Connect With RachelInstagram: @uniquelyupperShow Notes: www.uniquelyupper.comTpT Store: Uniquely Upper on TpTEmail: uniquelyupper@gmail.comThe Grammar Collective 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Commas in the Chaos wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

  4. Aug 11

    22. How to Lead Grammar Discussions in Upper Elementary

    Episode Summary:Students can circle the right answer and still not understand why it's right. That gap is what grammar discussion closes. In this episode, I walk through how I would lead grammar discussions in my classroom, starting with the layers students move through: identify the skill, explain how they know, prove it with evidence, compare choices, and apply it in a new way. I share a sample sentence and the exact questions I ask, from sentence type and structure all the way down to classifying a single noun. I also get into what to do when a student gives the wrong answer. The mistake isn't the problem; it's the information, and I explain how to find the thinking behind it without putting anyone on the spot. Then I break down the three-part move I come back to again and again: ask, listen, investigate. Plus a small set of go-to questions that work with any sentence, so you're not hunting for a new list every week. This doesn't require restructuring your block. It takes five to ten minutes a day, a couple of days a week. Links Mentioned in the Show:The BUILD Framework Grammar Course Connect With RachelInstagram: @uniquelyupperShow Notes: www.uniquelyupper.comTpT Store: Uniquely Upper on TpTEmail: uniquelyupper@gmail.comThe Grammar Collective 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Commas in the Chaos wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

  5. Jul 28

    21. When a Word Can Be Multiple Parts of Speech: A Better Question to Ask Your Students

    Episode Summary:Ever had a student point to a word, ask what part of speech it is, and realize the honest answer is "well, it depends"? That same word can be a noun in one sentence, a verb in the next, and an adjective in the one after that. It is one of the trickiest parts of teaching grammar. Most of us learned parts of speech as a list to memorize, not as jobs that words actually do. In this episode, I share a simple shift that makes those slippery words so much easier to talk through with your students. Instead of asking "what part of speech is this word," we ask one better question: "What is this word doing in the sentence?" We walk through real examples together, like light as a noun, a verb, and an adjective, and past as both a preposition and a noun, and I show you how this small change helps students reason through any word in any sentence instead of trying to remember which category it usually belongs to. You will also hear how this connects back to the bigger idea of foundation before context, plus two easy things you can try when a confusing word comes up in your classroom. If you have not listened to The Great Grammar Debate yet, start there first. It lays out the argument underneath this whole conversation: why students need explicit grammar instruction before we can expect them to apply it in their own writing. Links Mentioned in the Show:Episode 19: The Great Grammar Debate Connect With RachelInstagram: @uniquelyupperShow Notes: www.uniquelyupper.comTpT Store: Uniquely Upper on TpTEmail: uniquelyupper@gmail.comThe Grammar Collective 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Commas in the Chaos wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

  6. Jul 14

    20. Teaching Parts of Speech in Upper Elementary: Why It Has to Come First

    Episode SummaryMost teachers start the year with subjects and predicates. It feels logical. But year after year, students struggle, and the reason almost always traces back to the same missing piece: parts of speech. In this episode, I share the light bulb moment that changed how I start every school year and walk through exactly why parts of speech have to come before everything else in your grammar sequence. I also break it down by grade level so you know what to prioritize, whether you teach third, fourth, or fifth grade. If you are heading into a new school year and wondering where to start, this one is for you. Want to see what the first 18 weeks of grammar instruction look like, built out for your grade level? Check out the BUILD Framework at https://www.thegrammarcollective.com/build-framework Connect With RachelInstagram: @uniquelyupperShow Notes: www.uniquelyupper.comTpT Store: Uniquely Upper on TpTEmail: uniquelyupper@gmail.comThe Grammar Collective 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Commas in the Chaos wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

  7. Jun 30

    19. The Great Grammar Debate - Grammar and Writing

    Episode SummaryThere is a debate happening in grammar instruction, and most teachers are caught right in the middle of it. On one side, explicit instruction. On the other hand, grammar in context. Both sides have research. Both sides have teachers who swear by them. And neither side is actually wrong. In this episode, I walk through why both camps are pointing to something true, what gets assumed when we swing toward context-based approaches, and why the gap between knowing a grammar skill and using it in writing is not a failure. It is a pathway problem. Most importantly, we discuss the missing piece that neither side has addressed. If today's episode got you thinking about what a complete grammar system looks like, check out the BUILD Framework at https://www.thegrammarcollective.com/build-framework Connect With RachelInstagram: @uniquelyupperShow Notes: www.uniquelyupper.comTpT Store: Uniquely Upper on TpTEmail: uniquelyupper@gmail.com 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Commas in the Chaos wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

  8. Jun 23

    18. 3 Reasons Grammar Skills Disappear in Upper Elementary

    Episode SummaryGrammar skills disappear from student writing all the time. It is frustrating and fixable. In this episode, I break down the three most common reasons it happens in upper elementary classrooms: missing foundational skills, teaching a skill once and moving on, and students learning the rule without understanding why it matters. Each one comes with a practical fix you can use right away. If today's episode got you thinking about how you sequence grammar instruction, get on the waitlist for the BUILD Framework at thegrammarcollective.com/build-framework. See Show Notes for More Details:Join the Waitlist: https://www.thegrammarcollective.com/build-frameworkRead the full show notes: https://uniquelyupper.com/3-reasons-grammar-skills-disappear/ Connect With RachelInstagram: @uniquelyupperShow Notes: www.uniquelyupper.comTpT Store: Uniquely Upper on TpTEmail: uniquelyupper@gmail.com 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Commas in the Chaos wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

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About

Commas in the Chaos is a podcast for upper elementary teachers who are juggling lesson plans, classroom chaos, and trying out what today’s grammar lesson is — all before lunch. Whether grammar feels like your jam or your nemesis, this show is here to help you make it easier, clearer, and a whole lot more doable. Hosted by Rachel, the owner of Uniquely Upper, each week brings short, actionable episodes packed with ideas that actually work — from quick grammar routines and sentence strategies to mindset shifts and survival tips. It’s all served with just a little humor to get you through a busy week. Whether you’re planning tomorrow’s lesson or just trying to make it to Friday, Commas in the Chaos is your pause in the madness. 🎧 New episodes drop weekly. In the meantime, if you’re looking for tips, strategies, or just a teacher friend who gets it, come hang out on Instagram @uniquelyupper or visit www.uniquelyupper.com for more support.

Information

  • Creator
    Uniquely Upper
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Uniquely Upper
  • Show Website
    Commas in the Chaos