Awesome Action Words
Good writers use precise verbs to make stories interesting and vivid. In this lesson, students will learn to replace boring, redundant, generic verbs with more precise “Awesome Action Words.”
A lesson plan for grades 3–4 English Language Arts and English Language Development
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Related topics
- Learn more about English language arts and writing.
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Learning outcomes
Students will:
- identify precise verbs in book excerpts read to them.
- generate precise verbs to describe action in pictures.
Teacher planning
Time required for lesson
1 hour
Materials/resources
- Vis-à-Vis markers
- Books that contain precise verbs (Examples: Skinnybones, Skrek, Ramona the Brave, Gentle Giant Octopus, Bat at Night, etc.)
- About 10 picture cards (Cut pictures out of magazines, glue on pieces of construction paper, and laminate.)
- Copies of the “Awesome Action Words” sheet for all students: pdf or rtf
Activities
Modeling/ Minilesson
- Explain to students that good writers use precise verbs to make stories interesting and vivid. Explain that after this lesson, they will be able to replace boring, redundant, generic verbs (for example, Billy “went” to his room without dinner.) with more precise Awesome Action Words (Billy “stomped” or “shuffled” to his room without dinner.) Make a list of sentences with generic verbs and demonstrate how the generic words can be replaced with verbs/action words that make the sentences more exciting.
- Read short specific excerpts from Skinnybones, Shrek, and/or another book that contains precise language. Ask them to raise their hands when they hear precise action words/verbs. Ask students to list verbs they hear on their note-taking sheet as they listen.
Guided Practice
- Pass out the picture cards and Vis-à-Vis markers. Have students work in small groups to generate specific verbs that tell about the action in the pictures. Ask students to write the verbs on the cards. After about ten minutes, share the pictures and verbs orally.
- Have students explain which words they like best and why. Remind them to write their favorite words on their Awesome Action Words sheet. This list will be a useful resource for students to use later. They may keep these lists in their working writing folders.
- Review by reminding students that our favorite authors use good, strong verbs. Writers use specific verbs to make stories interesting and vivid.
Followup activities
- Have students post their Awesome Action Words on a classroom bulletin board or poster, and regularly add new words.
- Have students change the meaning of a sentence by substituting a synonym with a slightly different shade of meaning.
Assessment
Can students:
- identify precise verbs in books read to them?
- generate lists of precise words to describe action?
Supplemental information
Attachments:
Modifications
This lesson plan, as it is written, and the suggested activities, is an excellent plan that will meet the needs of LEP students.
Critical vocabulary
- action words
- verbs
- synonym
- awesome
Use visuals and/or modeling as much as possible.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.08: Focus reflection and revision (with assistance) on target elements by:
- clarifying ideas.
- adding descriptive words and phrases.
- sequencing events and ideas.
- combining short, related sentences.
- strengthening word choice.
- Objective 4.08: Focus reflection and revision (with assistance) on target elements by:
Grade 4
- Goal 3: The learner will make connections with text through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
- Objective 3.01: Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
- analyzing the impact of authors' word choice and context.
- examining the reasons for characters' actions.
- identifying and examining characters' motives.
- considering a situation or problem from different characters' points of view.
- analyzing differences among genres.
- making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters, events and themes.
- Objective 3.01: Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.08: Focus revision on a specific element such as:
- word choice.
- sequence of events and ideas.
- transitional words.
- sentence patterns.
- Objective 4.08: Focus revision on a specific element such as:
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.03: Elaborate information and ideas in writing and speaking by using:
- simple and compound sentences.
- regular and irregular verbs.
- adverbs.
- prepositions.
- coordinating conjunctions.
- Objective 5.03: Elaborate information and ideas in writing and speaking by using:
English Language Development (2005)
Grade 3
- Goal 1. Listening: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IH 1.02: Understand and follow one-step and two-step directions on a variety of topics when spoken at a normal speed with occasional restatement.
- Objective IH 1.04: Listen to a variety of stories told or read aloud and demonstrate comprehension using a variety of strategies with occasional assistance (e.g., sequencing, pictograph, story mapping).
- Objective IH 1.05: Demonstrate comprehension of an oral presentation on a variety of topics using multiple strategies with occasional assistance (e.g., sequencing, pictograph, story mapping).
- Goal 1. Listening: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IL 1.02: Understand and follow one-step and two-step directions when spoken distinctly at a normal speed.
- Objective IL 1.03: Listen to a variety of stories told or read and identify elements of a story following direct instruction.
- Goal 2. Speaking: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IH 2.01: Participate effectively in social and academic conversations with occasional difficulties and/or hesitations.
- Objective IH 2.02: Use expanded vocabulary to carry on discourse in social and academic conversations with occasional difficulties.
- Goal 2. Speaking: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IL 2.02: Use limited vocabulary to carry on discourse or make presentations with some momentary silence.
- Goal 4. Writing: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IH 4.05: Use focused review to edit correct use of plural forms of commonly used nouns and contractions, sequence of events, and descriptive words and phrases with some assistance.
- Goal 4. Writing: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IL 4.02: Compose sentences with correct subject and verb agreement for regular verbs in the present tense.
Grade 4
- Goal 1. Listening: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IL 1.01: Listen and respond to most questions on a variety of topics, greetings, and phrases spoken distinctly at normal speed with occasional restatement.
- Objective IL 1.02: Understand and follow one-step and two-step directions when spoken distinctly at a normal speed.
- Goal 3. Reading: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IH 3.08: Use a dictionary, glossary, thesaurus, or other reference materials to identify and comprehend unknown words.
- Goal 2. Speaking: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IH 2.01: Participate effectively in social and academic conversations with occasional difficulties and/or hesitations.
- Objective IH 2.03: Use expanded vocabulary to participate in a variety of social and academic topics with occasional difficulty.
- Goal 2. Speaking: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IL 2.01: Use limited vocabulary on familiar topics in discussions with some momentary silence.
- Objective IL 2.03: Use limited vocabulary to make oral presentations with moments of silence.
- Goal 4. Writing: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IH 4.05: Use focused review to edit correct use of plural forms of commonly used nouns and common contractions, sequence of events, and addition of descriptive words and phrases with some instructional support.
- Goal 4. Writing: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective IL 4.02: Compose sentences with correct subject and verb agreement for regular verbs in the present tense.
