Writing to Entertain - Lesson 8 - Original Writing 1 PowerPoint

Delving into the world of verbs, a lesson designed for enhancing the understanding and usage of these crucial action words unfolds. The objective of the lesson is twofold: firstly, to teach students how to identify verbs within sentences, and secondly, to empower them to use verbs effectively in their writing to craft more engaging and vivid sentences. By exploring examples and engaging in exercises, students learn that verbs are not just 'doing words' but the backbone of a sentence, providing essential meaning and action. For instance, in the sentence "Ben dashed home," the verb 'dashed' illustrates what the subject, Ben, is doing, thereby bringing the sentence to life.

Through interactive activities, students are encouraged to spot verbs in various sentences, such as "Nat kissed his grandmother" or "The flowers grew in the garden," and to check their understanding by scoring their ability to correctly identify these verbs. The lesson progresses to challenge students to enhance their sentences by choosing more descriptive verbs, avoiding mundane ones like 'walk' or 'said', and opting instead for vivid alternatives like 'stagger' or 'screeched'. This exercise not only enriches their vocabulary but also helps them create specific imagery and mood for the reader. The lesson concludes with a plenary where students share their work, offering and receiving constructive criticism, thereby refining their understanding of verbs as both action words and states of being, like 'am', 'are', 'is', and 'will be'.