CONVEYING MEANING
Powerful Words
Lesson 12
Effective Adjectives
Lesson Overview
12/17
The Smartest Kid in the World
Prologue
age. I don’t
I’m Amelie, the greatest inventor of my
innovative genius.
like to brag, but I’m an inspired and
And I’m not even 13 years old yet!
that it’s
I recently invented something so ingenious
down.
going to turn the electronics world upside
printer, digital
It’s an all-in-one web phone, scanner,
universal
and
camera, game console, music player,
can even cook
translator. With some modification, it
a savoury four-course meal!
I call it the All-in-One.
ha
I’ve made it small enough to slip underneat
hear it working.
fingernail. It’s so quiet you can barely
ere is a slight burning
and
phone
web
the
both
odour, however, if you run
the printer at the same time.
In that time,
project.
this
on
working
years
ve
fi
spent
I
my ideas and
I dodged spies who were trying to steal
to the ground
met a mad scientist who burned my lab
to what
twice. But those events are nothing compared
completed my
happened on the morning that I finally
invention.
prepared me
Nothing in the past five years could have
for what would happen next….
Copyright © 2010 by Nelson Education Ltd.
This lesson is particularly appropriate for students who employ few
adjectives in their descriptive writing, or those who overuse “tired”
adjectives.
Instructional Focus
Students identify the effective use of adjectives in reading passages and other
media, and use effective and appropriate adjectives in their writing.
Learning Goals:
• select effective adjectives used in both written and oral texts
• substitute more vibrant adjectives for overused ones in their own writing
• employ adjectives appropriate to audience and purpose
Transparency for Lessons 12 and 17
This transparency is also used in
Lesson 17 Exaggeration.
Instructional Approaches
Shared Reading Transparency 12/17
Guided/Independent Practice Activity Card 12; After Activities
CD-ROM Links
List:
Basic Word Lists
Graphic Organizer:
Word Sort with 2 Categories
Assessment for Learning
Apply and demonstrate understanding of how effective adjectives enhance oral
and written communication.
• identify and explain effective adjectives used in written text
• revise personal writing to use more effective, descriptive adjectives
Nelson Literacy Links
Biodiversity TR, p. 37
Electricity TR, p. 37
Canada’s Links to the World
TR, p. 40
Space Technology TR, p. 22
You in the World TR, p. 25
Before
Activating Prior Knowledge
1. Ask students to divide a sheet of paper in half. On one half, ask them
to draw what they visualize when you say: I saw a snowman in front
of the house. Next, ask students to listen while you read the following
aloud: The old mansion at the end of our street had been abandoned
for years. The shutters were crooked, and several broken windows were
boarded up with cheap plywood. Imagine my surprise when I saw a
cheerful-looking snowman standing in the middle of the front lawn!
Reread the description and ask students to draw what they visualize on
the second half of the paper.
2. Say: What differences are there between your first and second drawing?
(the second has more detail) Why were you able to add more detail to
the second drawing? (it had a lot more description in it)
3. Say: What do you call descriptive words such as crooked, broken, and
cheerful-looking? (adjectives) What do adjectives do? (they describe
nouns; they add detail to nouns) How do adjectives improve our
writing and oral communication? (they make what we write and say
clearer and more interesting)
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Nelson Word Study 6: Teacher’s Resource
NEL
During
Creating a
Word-Rich Classroom
1. Display Transparency 12/17 and read the transparency aloud.
Some students will find it
easier to generate adjectives
when they are provided
with a visual stimulus.
Develop a picture collection
that students can use for
descriptive writing. These
pictures can be generated
from Internet sources,
newspaper and magazine
stories, travel brochures,
and so forth. Students can
also compare descriptions
based on the same picture,
and discuss the effective
use of adjectives and other
parts of speech.
ELL Support
English language learners
are constantly playing
catch up with their
English-speaking peers. To
support their vocabulary
development, surround
them with rich literature,
continually discussing vivid
word choice. Put English
language learners in triads
with students who have
strong vocabularies. Give
them sentences taken from
student writing samples
that can be enhanced by
changing adjectives. Invite
each group to generate lists
of more vivid adjectives,
discuss how each word
would enhance the
meaning, and then select
their best option.
Extra Support
2. Ask students to reread the title and first paragraph. Highlight the words
smartest, greatest, inspired, and innovative. Say: What part of speech
are these words? (adjectives) How do you know they are adjectives?
(they describe the nouns kid, inventor, and genius) Why are they
important words? (they add description; we understand more about
what Amelie thinks about herself )
3. Say: Read the next paragraph and find some adjectives. (ingenious,
electronics, all-in-one, web, digital, universal, game, music, savoury,
four-course) How do the adjectives savoury and four-course enhance
our understanding of the meal? (it’s a great tasting and complete meal)
Think about the words web, game, and music. These words are usually
nouns. Why are they adjectives in these sentences? (they describe nouns;
web describes the type of phone, game describes the type of console,
and music describes the type of player)
4. Explain that some adjectives get tired, meaning that they are overused
and not very exciting, such as good, bad, sad, happy, funny, and nice.
Say: Rather than using good in the sentence “I had a good day,” what
could you say? (exciting, eventful, positive) In the sentence “The news
anchor has a very nice voice,” what word could you use to replace nice?
(soothing, clear, appealing) Discuss how a thesaurus is a good tool to
use to find more specific and precise adjectives.
Differentiated Instruction
Extra Challenge
Visual and kinesthetic learners will benefit from participating in situational
guided imagery activities. Provide students with a situation or image to think
about, such as a thunderstorm, sports event, or a favourite meal. Encourage
them to let their imaginations flow with thoughts based on their senses:
What do they smell, hear, taste, feel, and see? After a brief time imagining,
have students write down the nouns and descriptive adjectives that best
describe their visualization.
After
The following activities provide opportunities for students to practise
the strategies they have learned, with teacher support or independently.
Students may work in small groups, with a partner, or individually.
Card 12 Side 1: Tired Adjectives
Students identify tired adjectives in sentences and replace them with more vivid, effective
options. Post the charts completed in the Try It! activity and encourage students to refer to
them during writing activities.
Continued …
NEL
Lesson 12: Effective Adjectives
35
Guided/Independent
Practice
Card 12 Side 2: Adjectives for the Senses
Students choose a favourite holiday or time of year, list phrases that contain nouns and
adjectives related to the senses to describe their topic, and then write a paragraph using
some of the nouns and adjectives. Students who complete the Try It! activity could also
highlight adjectives they find less effective, and use a thesaurus to find alternative choices.
Transfer Your
Learning
Writing: Describe a Setting Have students brainstorm a list of nouns and adjectives they
could use to describe a painting or a picture that is frightening, exciting, or funny. Ask
them to write a short paragraph or two about their setting, underlining all adjectives, and
highlighting instances where they feel their choice of adjectives is particularly effective.
Media: Create a Poster Have students work in pairs or small groups to create a poster
advertising an upcoming event at the school or in the community. Encourage them to use
descriptive adjectives that will entice readers to come to the event. Have them prepare
a draft of their posters to share with other groups and discuss the effectiveness of their
word choices.
Metacognition
Have students reflect on
their thinking by asking
them to respond to the
following metacognitive
question, either orally or in
writing: How does the use
of effective adjectives make
your communication skills
stronger?
Assessment for Learning
For authentic assessment, it is important to provide students with multiple
opportunities in meaningful contexts to demonstrate the skills they have
been taught.
• Give students a descriptive passage from a story, magazine, or
other source. Ask them to choose five adjectives that they think are
particularly effective and to explain what these words add to the
meaning of the passage.
• Direct students to review a draft piece of their own writing, looking for
examples where more effective use of adjectives could add interest to
the piece. Have them add adjectives and/or replace tired adjectives. Ask
students to explain why they feel the additions are effective, and how
the new words make their writing stronger.
• See p. 139 for the Conveying Meaning Assessment Checklist.
Use the following approaches to encourage reinforcement and transfer of
learning:
• Encourage students to share examples of reading passages that they
find particularly effective because of rich description. Have students
discuss the descriptive words that attracted them, and explain how
effective description can make them feel like they are a part of what is
happening in a text.
• Have students look and listen for effective use of adjectives in
advertising media such as movie posters, and print, radio, and TV
advertisements. Ask them to list phrases that they think are particularly
effective to share with the rest of the class. Talk about how the
descriptive phrases fulfill their purpose, which is to make the audience
want to buy or see the product.
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Nelson Word Study 6: Teacher’s Resource
NEL