When I ask my students to be more specific or descriptive in their narratives, they often add more adjectives to their writing.  Sometimes this enhances their writing while other times it makes their stories sound awkward.  Instead of just adding in random adjectives, I teach my students to describe their actions clearly.  One way to do this is to use specific action verbs and adverbs.  Here is a fun way to create some action!

You will need index cards, markers, pencils, and paper.

Activity-  After students pantomime scenes showing various verbs, they use their performances to write a narrative, descriptive or how-to paragraphs.

1.) Divide students into groups of four.

2.) Give each group an index card containing either an action verb or a sentence.

                Examples

                1. play  OR  We play soccer.

                2. build  OR We build a fort.

                3. cook  OR We cook dinner.

                (dance, study, bake, groom, prepare, teach, shop, hang out, create, decorate, clean, etc.)

3.) The students write the word or sentence on their paper.  Then, they generate a list of other verbs that someone would do if they were performing/doing the action they were given.

4.) Next, each student selects one of their generated verbs, and one at a time, each group pantomimes their verbs.  As a challenge, the students could make their movements in chronological order.

5.)  The rest of the class has to infer the original verb that the group is showing.  As a challenge, they could infer the context or original sentence being shown.

6.) As a writing extension, each group can write either a short narrative, descriptive or how-to paragraph using either their group’s or another group’s words.  Students will need to add in other details to make their writing complete.  They could do this collaboratively or independently.

7.) Finally, students share their writing.  The class can compare the original sentences (“tells”) to their paragraphs (“shows”).

* To make this activity even more challenging add in adverbs.  Each student draws an adverb card from the teacher.  They have to pantomime their action and adverb. The class can then infer the adverb as well.

Examples: carefully, slowly, quickly, laboriously, thoughtfully, happily, grumpily, etc.

Students can pay close attention to what their bodies and faces look like when they show their adverbs.  Then, they can use these descriptions instead of using their adverbs in their writing.

Example:             With a clenched fists and strained muscles I chopped the wood.

                                Instead of

                                I painstakingly chopped the wood

* Another way to make this activity more challenging is to have the kids choose their own action verbs from the very beginning.