You can use the space
below to take your notes!
Session 5
Adjectives of Quality
40 min
Performance Objectives:
This session will focus on adjectives through use of Aesop’s fable: ‘The Ant
and the Grasshopper’. The learners will listen attentively to the story narrated/read by the teacher. The teacher will draw their attention to the two
animals in the story and ask them a few questions to check comprehension
like: What was the ant busy doing? Which animal of the two do you like? This
should generate a list of qualities of both animals like the ant is hardworking,
the grasshopper is lazy and so on. Next, the class will watch the video or enact
the story to get a better glimpse of the two characters. The class will be given
the story in worksheet 5A with instructions to underline any 5 adjectives and
list them in a grid. The teacher will encourage them to use the thesaurus and
find suitable synonyms that have to be written in the grid. The teacher will
encourage them to compare the two animals in terms of their qualities e.g.
the ant is hard-working while the grasshopper is sociable. This session can
be used to assess the students understanding of adjectives and strengthens
their ability to use the thesaurus.
Support Material:
Keep the following material ready before starting the session.
• Video clip ( 7min 44s) ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R71jpurgt7Q
(This video is very well animated and more enjoyable than the other videos
available on the internet. You may choose another if you find that more suitable)
• Copies of Worksheet: 5A
• Copies of Worksheet: 5B
• Copies of worksheet: 5C
Steps:
Step 1: Generating Interest
You may narrate or read the story of “The Ant and the Grasshopper’ to the
class. Ask them a few questions: What was the ant busy doing? What was the
Grasshopper doing? Which of the two do you like? Why?
Vocabulary Building: Using Dictionary & Thesaurus | Dr. Maria Athaide
Teachers of India | Azim Premji Foundation
You can use the space
below to take your notes!
Step 2:
If the video cannot be
played then the class
may enact the story.
Get the class organized for viewing the video – ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’
Step 3: Main Activity
Distribute Worksheet 5A. Ask class to break into their ‘Octopus’ groups and
read the story silently. Allow them to complete the written work.
Step 4:
You may use the
vernacular to explain
any word that is difficult.
Distribute Worksheet 5B. This contains 10 adjectives of quality. Next, read
each word and ask the students for the meaning. Allow them to guess the
meaning and then encourage them to refer to the dictionary to correct their
answers. If time permits ask class to find the opposites for the 10 adjectives
using the thesaurus.
Assessment:
Distribute Worksheet 5C and let the students work individually to complete it.
Personal Reflection:
Distribute writing paper and tell the students to draw a self portrait and ask
them to think of adjectives that best describe themselves. Ask them to write
these down.
MYSELF
I am
Vocabulary Building: Using Dictionary & Thesaurus | Dr. Maria Athaide
Teachers of India | Azim Premji Foundation
WORKSHEET 5A
The Ant and the Grrasshopper
In a field one summer'ss day a Grasshopper
was hopping about, chirpping and singing to its
heart's content. An Ant walked
w
by, grunting as
he carried a plump kerneel of corn.
"Where are you off to with
wi that heavy thing?"
asked the Grasshopper.
Without stopping, the Annt replied, "To our ant
hill. This is the third kerneel I've delivered today."
"Why not come and singg with me," said the
Grasshopper, "instead of working so hard?"
"I am helping to store food
ood for the winter," said
the Ant, "and think you shhould do the same."
"Why bother about winter?" saidd the Grasshopper; "we have plenty of food right
r
now."
But the Ant went on its way and continued its work.
The weather soon turned cold. All the food lying in the field was covereed with a thick white
blanket of snow that even the grasshopper
g
could not dig through. Soon thhe Grasshopper found
itself dying of hunger.
He staggered to the ants' hill annd saw them handing out corn from the sto
ores they had collected
in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew: Thhere's a time for work and a time for play.
Underline any 5 adjectives in this
thi story. With the help of a thesaurus comp
plete the table below:
SERIAL NO.
ADJECTIV
IVES
SIMILAR WOR
RDS
example
plump
p
fat, fleshy, round
nd, flabby
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Vocabulary Building: Using Dictionarry & Thesaurus | Dr. Maria Athaide
Teachers of India | Azim Premji Foundation
F
WORKSHEET 5B
Read the words in column A and with the help of a dictionary write their meanings in column B. Use a
thesaurus to find words that are similar in meaning and write them in column C. Find the opposites for
each word in Column A and write them in Column D.
SERIAL NO.
COLUMN A
COLUMN B
1.
Generous
Giving a lot of
time or money
2.
Naughty
3.
Ambitious
4.
Cheerful
5.
Hard Working
6.
Attentive
7.
Impatient
8.
Sociable
9.
Trustworthy
10.
Noisy
COLUMN C
Kind, giving, big
hearted
DESCRIBE YOUR QUALITIES:
I Am
Vocabulary Building: Using Dictionary & Thesaurus | Dr. Maria Athaide
Teachers of India | Azim Premji Foundation
COLUMN D
Stingy
WORKSHEET 5C
Fill each circle with suitablle adjectives:
Vocabulary Building: Using Dictionarry & Thesaurus | Dr. Maria Athaide
Teachers of India | Azim Premji Foundation
F