Today's Classroom Activities :

Working With Verbs

Replacement Verbs
Grammar/Writing Have students select a newspaper article. Have them identify the verbs and replace them with synonyms. How does the story change? Can the pacing or meaning of a story be changed by the verbs that are used?

Valuable Verbs
Language Make placards with one action verb written on each. Attach them to a ruler. As students share stories about what they did the night before, what happened in the story they just read or what they are going to write about next, encourage them to raise the valuable verb that best describes the action explained.

Identifying and Classifying Verbs in Context
This lesson assists students in grades 3–5 to identify and classify three kinds of verbs—action verbs, state-of-being or linking verbs, and helping verbs. The text Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs by Ruth Heller is used as the foundational text for the lesson. After the skills are introduced and demonstrated, students have the opportunity to apply them in cooperative groups and also individually.

Verb-Adverb Charades
This lively activity will reinforce the concepts of verb and adverbs.

If you are trying to liven up your grammar lessons, try some of these creative ideas for action verbs.