Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 50730
Building Strong Verbs with Patricia Polacco and Thunder
Cake
Students will engage in a close reading of Patricia Polacco's Thunder Cake, (ATOS 3.5; Lexile 630L) as a mentor text, to examine the author's usage
of strong verbs. This lesson is the second of a two part lesson in which students will take a previously written text addressing the prompt listed below,
and revise their written piece by incorporating strong verbs into their writing.
Prompt: Do you believe that the little girl in the story demonstrated bravery? Why or Why not? Use specific details from the story to support your
opinion.
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 3
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Interactive Whiteboard, LCD
Projector, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: strong verbs, Patricia Polacco, Thunder Cake, revising, editing, shades of meaning, semantic gradients,
vocabulary
Instructional Design Framework(s): Direct Instruction, Writing to Learn
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
Strong Verbs RevisingEditing Chart.docx
Two Column Chart for the Student1.docx
Two Column Chart for the Teacher.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to examine the text, Thunder Cake (630L) by Patricia Polacco, for the author's usage of specific verbs .
Students will be able to identify the meaning of words through use of context clues and dictionary use.
Students will be able to distinguish the intensity (shades of meaning) among verbs.
Students will be able to strengthen their own writing through the revision and editing process.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should be able to comprehend a narrative text.
Students should be able to identify verbs.
Students should have had prior practice using a dictionary and a thesaurus.
Students should be familiar with revising a written text.
Students should have a basic understanding of synonyms.
Students should know how to use context clues to determine the meaning of a word.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
page 1 of 5 Would you agree that people and animals move differently?
What verb would you use to describe the student's action?
Can someone provide us with a summary of the book Thunder Cake?
What do you notice about the character that is next to the title on the Two Column Chart?
What word does the author use to describe the movement of the storm clouds?
How is the author able to make her writing interesting to the reader?
How do strong verbs assist the reader in understanding what the author is attempting to communicate?
How did the image in your mind change when you revised your weak verb for a strong verb?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
The "Hook" and Activation of Prior Knowledge
Check for prior knowledge of verbs by posting and asking: What is a verb? Do verbs help our writing? How so? Allow students:
two to three minutes to think
to turn to their neighbor and talk (share their knowledge of verbs based on the questions posted or asked)
to share their understanding of verbs with the whole class
Record students' responses on a chart or a white board and discuss as a whole class. This is a perfect opportunity to assess whether or not students are ready for this
lesson, or if the teacher needs to use this time to perform a mini-lesson on verbs.
Day 1
Lesson Activation:
1. Begin the lesson by asking students, "Would you agree that people and animals move differently? (If a student responds with a "No", ask him or her to explain why
by providing an example of how he/she moves in comparison to a familiar animal to the child's surrounding). For example, the teacher can ask, "What word do we
use to describe the way a bunny moves"? When students respond with the word "hop", follow with another question such as, "Do we usually hop when we move?"
Use the student's previous response of "No" to illustrate that we choose to use different words to describe our actions. Provide more examples to arrive at an
agreement if necessary.
2. When students are in agreement that people and animals move differently, the teacher will say to students, "Let's talk about some words we've heard used to
describe the way someone or an animal moves. "Begin an anchor chart (this is a chart the class creates which serves as support and future reference) here by
starting with the word movement".
3. Choose 5 students and pull them aside (away from the class audience) and whisper to them that you are going to give them a word (these could be written on
index cards or sticky notes) that relates to movement and instruct them how to move. Make sure to instruct students not to reveal their word until you give the
permission to do so. The words with instruction to the student could be: (trudge- drag your feet when you walk across the front of the class; stroll - walk very slow
across the front of the class but make sure you are not dragging your feet; jog - run but not very fast; race - move faster than "name of student who jogged"
jogged; sprint - in your faster cheetah speed cross the front of the class). Write the selected students' names on the board vertically.
4. Begin a class discussion by telling the students that their classmates are going to do some movements in the front of the class and that you want them to pay close
attention to the different ways they move.
5. Call students (the 5 previous selected) one at a time and not in the order of the word's degree of intensity, and ask them to demonstrate their instructed movement.
After each student demonstrates their movement, ask the class, "What verb would you use to describe "name of student''s action"? Jot these words on the board
next to the student's name. Whatever verb the students respond with, ask them to justify their verb choice. (Solicit reasoning from them as to why they chose that
word.)
6. Following the discussion, the teacher may now ask the student demonstrator to reveal his movement. (Note: If students are unable to come up with the exact
words, the teacher could suggest synonyms for the word, or segment the word until the class guesses it. (Since 'trudge' is a difficult word, perhaps provide this
response to students.)
7. Repeat until all students have demonstrated their word.
8. Assist students' understanding of the verbs by providing examples. A discussion might sound like this: "Let's talk about when someone might trudge. A person who
trudges moves with little or no effort (as if they don't want to). For example, would someone who doesn't like going to the dentist rush into the dental office or,
would they drag their feet?" Confirm and praise students" responses. The teacher could continue with the discussion by saying, "Let's talk about some other people
who might trudge or when someone might trudge."
Modeling (I do)
1. The teacher then direct students" attention to the degree of intensity of the verbs (trudge, stroll, jog, race, sprint) by saying, "Now I'm going to think about these
words from least intensity to greatest intensity, so I'm going to think about the order these words would go in. What order do you think the words can go in and
what is your rationale for choosing the order that you did?" (Students can discuss in pairs and then the teacher can call the class back to hear students' responses.)
2. Return to the anchor chart and write the degree of intensity of these words (the class's consensus) under movement.
(Go to Guided Practice Activity for Day 1)
Day 2
Initiating activity: The teacher forms his/her arms in the shape of a body builder and tells students, "Pretend that I have really big muscles. When I pose like this, what
word comes to mind when you see me?" When a student responds with "strong" the teacher will then ask the students to think about yesterday's word order activities
and to think of some other words (adjectives) that might be synonymous (similar to) strong. Write students' responses on the board and order them in an array as a
refresher to the previous day's activities. The teacher will then inform the class that they are going on an exploration for "strong verbs" and that they're are going to
use Patricia Polacco, an excellent writer, as their expert guide.
Modeling (I Do)
1. Inform students that they are going to take a look once again at the book Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco (the teacher should have already read the book to
students prior to this lesson - Part 1), but today we want to focus on Polacco's choice of verbs, which helps readers visualize the text and get a good sense of what
she is writing about.
2. Ask students to provide a summary of the book (read previously).
3. Display the Two Column Chart either on chart paper, a Smart board, an overhead projector, or any other media available.
4. Explain the purpose of the chart to the students. The teacher could pose the question, "What do you notice about the character by the title of the chart?" Wait for
students" responses. Responses should indicate that the character looks strong. If students do not respond with a response such as "strong", continue with, "He
page 2 of 5 appears that way because our focus today is on strong verbs. The left column of graphic organizer is labeled Sentence a novice might write." The teacher could
explain that a novice is a person who hasn't had a great deal of practice doing something. The teacher could also add, "An example of a novice writer would be
students like yourselves who are learning to become expert writers. In the left column the graphic organizer is labeled Expert sentence with highlighted verbs. Do
you remember who I said we'd use as our expert guide?" Wait for students to respond with Patricia Polacco and perhaps show the book to students to jog students
memory. The teacher can then say, "Since Patricia Polacco is going to be our expert guide, that means that we are going to use her sentences displayed here,
which we'll take right out of the book Thunder Cake. We can highlight the verbs she uses since our focus is on strong verbs."
5. The teacher should then inform students that he/she is going to read aloud the first two sentences from the book and then ask them to pay close attention to the
sentence about the cloud (Note: these two sentences will be read two times). For the first read, substitute the word drift in the second sentence with pass. Instead
of reading the text, "Stormclouds drift low over the fields", the teacher would instead read "Stormclouds pass low over the fields."
6. The teacher can then pose the question, "What was said about the stormclouds?" Wait for students' responses and then confirm.
7. The teacher will then inform the students that they are going to read the sentence again and that's /he wants students to listen to what is said about the clouds.
8. Ask students, "What verb was used to describe the clouds this time?" The teacher can then discuss with students the following: "When I read that the clouds pass
low over the fields, my mind does not have a clear picture of what that means. However, when I read that the clouds drift low over the field, I could see the clouds
passing very slowly, as if they were a wave going over the fields."
9. Refer to the two column chart and display sentence 1, pointing out this is how a novice writer might write it.
10. Then, move to the right side of the chart and write the sentence from Thunder Cake. Stress that Patricia Polacco's usage of the verb drift is clearly stronger than
the verb pass.
11. The teacher should then distribute copies of Thunder Cake to students and read until they get to the second sentence on page 7. (Refer to the FYI on the Two
Column Chart for Teacher.)
12. The teacher should direct students' attention to the second sentence on the chart and then engage in a discussion about the imagery conjured up in the reader's
mind. Perhaps the teacher could say, "When I read the word rattled, in my mind I could hear the window shaking and I imagined that if I touched the window, I
would also feel it vibrating because these are the thoughts that the word rattled creates in my mind."
13. The teacher should then note on the two column chart Patricia Polacco's sentence on the "expert" side of the chart.
14. Repeat with sentences 3-5 from Two Column Chart for Teacher.
15. The teacher could then ask a guiding question such as, "How does the author make her writing interesting to readers?"
(Go to Guided Practice Activity for Day 2)
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
Day 1 (We do)
Whole Group: The teacher will do the following:
1. Select a topic to illustrate to students how verbs can increase in intensity. For example: speaking - mumble, whisper, talk, shout. See link for more examples.
2. Write the topic on the anchor chart and ask students, through class discussion, to place the word in the order of degree of intensity.
3. Encourage students to provide rationales for their order choices.
4. May repeat step 2 if they feel there is a need, and then say to students, "Now I want you to try doing the same thing in small groups."
Small Group: (Note: Have words already arranged by topic on index cards or note cards. See list of examples.) The teacher will do the following:
1. Assign a topic to the students.
2. Distribute the words associated with that topic.
3. Instruct students to discuss and arrange the words in the order they think best (word array) and let them know that they must be able to say why they chose the
order they do. Students may use dictionaries to determine the meaning of unknown words.
4. Circulate around the room, listening for group discussion and offering support.
5. Regroup as a whole group and have each group present their word arrays. Provide useful and purposeful feedback.
6. Add each groups topic and word order to the anchor chart.
Day 2 (We Do)
Whole Group: The teacher will do the following:
1. Inform students that they are going to continue reading Thunder Cake. Inform students that they are going to continue reading so that they can discover where the
author demonstrates her expertise with the usage of strong verbs. Encourage students to use context to discuss the richness that that verb brings to the text and
the senses it appeals to the reader.
2. Inform students that they'll now work in small groups, identifying the next five sentence models.
Small Group: The teacher will do the following:
1. Display the next 5 novice sentences and ask students to copy these down.
2. Instruct students to work cooperatively in groups of 4 or 5 to note the expert sentence that would provide the stronger sentence for the novice sentence they've
copied. The teacher should circulate around the room to assess students level of understanding with the activity, and provide praise or offer support where needed.
3. Regroup after about ten minutes to add the expert sentences student's worked on to the class graphic organizer.
(Go to Independent Practice)
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Day 2 (You Do)
1. Students will continue reading Thunder Cake independently. Teacher will provide the final five novice sentences that students will copy onto their Two Column
Chart. The students will read and locate the expert sentences in the book and record them on the chart, identifying the stronger verb that the author uses. When all
students have finished, the class will discuss the author's use of verbs in the final five sentences.
2. As a summative assessment, students will take a previously written text and enhance their writing by revising and editing weak verbs for strong verbs. Students will
complete the Strong Verbs Revising and Editing Chart using their original text. (Students may use dictionaries and thesauruses as reference materials.) When
finished, students will conference with the teacher and receive feedback on their proposed revisions. They will then rewrite their original text including the approved
revisions. The teacher will determine if the students have completed the lesson with mastery by using the following criteria:
Revision of 8-10 verbs with understanding...mastered
Revision of 5-7 verbs with understanding...some mastery
Revision of 3-5 verbs with understanding...approaching mastery*
page 3 of 5 Revision of 2 or less verbs with understanding...below mastery*
*provide remediation for these students in the form of small group with the teacher, learning centers etc.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
Day1: Review anchor chart. Discuss the importance of word choice.
Day 2: Allow students to sit in the author's chair (a chair designated for sharing published works) to share their three best revised verbs with the class as their
audience. Encourage student feedback by asking, "how did the image in your mind change when you revised your weak verb for a strong verb?"
Summative Assessment
As a summative assessment, students will take a previously written text and enhance their writing by revising and editing weak verbs for strong verbs. Patricia Palacco's
book Thunder Cake is used as a mentor text. The teacher will determine if the students have completed the lesson with mastery by using the following criteria:
Revision of 8-10 verbs with understanding...mastered
Revision of 5-7 verbs with understanding...some mastery
Revision of 3-5 verbs with understanding...approaching mastery*
Revision of 2 or less verbs with understanding...below mastery*
*provide remediation for these students in the form of small group with the teacher, learning centers etc.
Formative Assessment
Assess students prior knowledge of verbs by allowing them to share their understandings of verbs. Throughout the course of the lesson, there are several opportunities
to formatively assess students.
On Day 1, during the Teaching Phase, students will be formatively assessed through questioning. The teacher will ascertain students' knowledge of the varying
degrees of how to describe movement. The teacher will do this by soliciting students' responses as to whether or not people and animals move differently.
Additionally, the teacher will be able to assess students' ability to differentiate between varying degrees of movement that are acted out by classmates. During the
Guided Practice portion of the lesson, students will be formatively assessed based on their ability to cooperatively organize a given group of words in order of their
intensity (shades of meaning).
On Day 2, during the Teaching Phase, students will be assessed again through questioning. The teacher will determine students' understanding of the word strong as
well as their understanding of how the author, Patricia Polacco, is able to make her writing more interesting to the reader. During the Guided Practice, the students
are assessed on their ability to cooperatively complete sentences 6-10 of the Two Column Chart for strong verbs.
Feedback to Students
Feedback will be offered at varying times throughout the implementation of the lesson.
During the Teaching Phase and Guided Practice (Whole Group Sessions): The teacher will provide feedback in the form of verbal praise ("Great job", "I like
the way..." , "That was an excellent word choice for..." etc.) when students respond to oral questioning. Students will also receive support or praise for their
contributions to discussions.
During the Teaching Phase and Guided Practice (Small Group Sessions): The teacher will circulate the room and provide corrective feedback and praise to
students when students are organizing the words in their order of degree (Day 1) and completing the Two Column Chart (Day 2).
During Independent Practice: Since a key component of this lesson is the usage of the Revising and Editing Chart to enhance the students' writing, students will be
asked to submit their completed Revising/Editing Chart to be checked by the teacher prior to its use to edit their paper for final revision. The teacher will provide
written feedback to students indicating whether the student is ready to rewrite their written text or to conference with the teacher.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Provide visuals of verbs utilized in the lesson.
Allow students to dramatize words as often as possible.
Conduct small group instruction to support students.
Extensions:
Create a strong verb class list.
Make and enjoy thunder cake using the recipe located in the back of Polacco's book.
Suggested Technology: Interactive Whiteboard, LCD Projector, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
For the teacher:
Copies of Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco (630L) (ATOS 3.5)
Chart Paper
Prepared index cards with synonyms based on topic - for words lists, see readingrockets.org
Copies of Two Column Chart for students
Copy of Two Column Chart for Teacher
Copies of Strong Verbs Revising and Editing Chart for students
Dictionaries/Thesauruses
For the student:
Written text from Lesson 1 of this unit, addressing the following prompt: Do you believe that the little girl in the story demonstrated bravery? Why or Why not? Use
specific details from the story to support your opinion.
Further Recommendations: This author has a wealth of books published which lends itself to an author study.
page 4 of 5 Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
This lesson addresses only sub part "a" and "d" with LAFS.3.L.3.4
This lesson addresses only sub part "c" with LAFS.3.L.3.5
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: SHAWNA WARNERTILLMAN
Name of Author/Source: SHAWNA WARNERTILLMAN
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Miami-Dade
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.3.L.3.4:
Description
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and
content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g.,
agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat).
c. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company,
companion).
d. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key
words and phrases.
LAFS.3.L.3.5:
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
a. Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).
b. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful).
c. Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g.,
knew, believed, suspected, heard, wondered).
LAFS.3.W.2.5:
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and
editing.
page 5 of 5