Vibrant Verbs

Common Core Objective: English Language Arts Grade 4, Writing Standard

3:
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
Objectives: Through creative exposure and games, students will learn how
verbs can help their writing come to life and improve what they are trying to
say by making it more vibrant for the reader. Students will be able to revise
their own writing and isolate verbs and improve them to make their writing
more dynamic and interesting.
Target Grade: This lesson is intended for 4th grade, but it could be modified
and implemented up to 6th grade, the verbs and writing would just need to
be adjusted for intensity.
Background: Students will already have a good knowledge of simple verbs
and sentence structure. This lesson would be part of a short-story writing
unit and would be near the end, during the editing process. Students must
already understand the elements of a story, how to create a plot with
resolution and rising action, and should have a basic understanding of
characters and dialogue if necessary. Students must be able to identify verbs
and understand what is and isnt a verb so they can correctly circle them in
their writing and improve them.
Activity: Students will be introduced to dynamic verbs through a game,
where two teams are racing to act out a stack of unusual verbs. After the
game, the teacher will review each verb with the class and the class will
brainstorm what how each verb could be used to replace a boring verb.
(for example, writing scurried instead of walked) After the discussion, the
teacher will read the text, To Root, to Toot, to Parachute, by Brian P. Cleary,
to the class. While reading, the class will pick out interesting verbs from the
reading and add them to the classs Verb Wall so they have a running bank
of vibrant verb examples. The teacher may also read a story to the class that
exhibits vibrant verbs, for example, Fancy Nancy, Bonjour Butterfly by Jane
OConnor. After seeing unusual verbs in the context of a story, students will
then turn to their own short story writing project that theyve been working
on in class and they will be able to find all the verbs they use and replace
their existing verbs with more dynamic verbs with the aid of the Verb Wall
and the texts presented in class.

Assignment: After the game and the readings, students will examine their
own short stories with new eyes. Students will circle or highlight each verb in
their piece and then rewrite the verbs onto a separate piece of paper.
Students will then use the Verb Wall to find substitute verbs, and they can
also brainstorm new vibrant verbs to use. After they have generated short
lists, they will select their favorite vibrant verb and circle it. Students will
then briefly council with the teacher and she will check to make sure their
substitute vibrant verbs still fit in the story, and if not, teacher and student
will work together to find another way to say it. Once all verbs are approved,
the student will rewrite the work and include the new verbs.
Explanation: Students will use the vibrant verbs they found to improve their
story. They will also have a better understanding of verb choice and how it
can more forcefully convey the authors feeling. Students will be able to
recognize clever word choice in readings both in and outside class and will
greater appreciate why the author chose to say it that way. Students will be
able to use more varied verbs in their journal entries and other writing. After
this unit, students will be able to better experiment with how verbs can
convey emotion and feeling in a piece.
Materials needed:
Verb cards for the verb race game
To Root, to Toot, to Parachute, picture book by Brian P. Cleary.
(optional) An additional text like Fancy Nancy, by Jane OConnor.
Verb Wall with large posted verbs
Assessment:
Isolating
verbs

Brainstormi
ng

Replacing

4
Circled all
verbs in
short story

3
Missed 1-2
verbs in
short story

2
Missed 3-5
verbs

Found 3 or
more
vibrant
verbs to
replace
verbs
Selected

Found 1-2
verbs for
each

Found 1
vibrant
verb for
each verb

Needed

Didnt

1
Missed 6 or
more verbs
in short
story
Failed to
find vibrant
verbs to
replace
verbs
Refused to

appropriate
vibrant
verbs for
each verb

help
understandi
ng why
some verbs
didnt
actually fit
as well as
the original

understand
how the
verbs
needed to
have
similar
meanings

replace any
verbs in
short story