Delicious, Tasty, Yummy: Enriching Writing with Adjectives and

Synonyms
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Grades 3–5

Lesson Plan Type Standard Lesson

Estimated Time Six 30- to 60-minute sessions

Lesson Author Sharon Faulkner

Andover, Massachusetts

Publisher

Preview Standards Resources & Instructional Related Comments

Preparation Plan Resources

Student Objectives
Session 1: Introduce adjectives (45 minutes)
Session 2: Alphabet Organizer project (30 minutes)
Session 3: Said Web activity (60 minutes)
Session 4: Form poem activity (45 minutes)
Session 5: Grocery store adjectives activity (60 minutes)
Session 6: Rewrite a literary passage (60 minutes)
Extensions
Student Assessment/Reflections
 

STUDENT OBJECTIVES
Students will
 Increase knowledge by defining adjectives and synonyms

 Demonstrate comprehension of adjectives and synonyms in a variety of ways—by using adjectives

and synonyms to describe things that they see, by using alphabet organizers and webs to describe an object,
and by identifying adjectives in a literary passage and replacing them with appropriate synonyms

 Apply what they have learned about adjectives and synonyms by writing form poems

 Practice working collaboratively to brainstorm and write their poems

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SESSION 1: INTRODUCE ADJECTIVES (45 MINUTES)

Adjectives and synonyms provide students with a variety of ways to express themselves both verbally and in
writing. People, places, and things come alive when students are able to describe them using unique or
"visual" words. Which sounds more interesting to you: "The bumpy moon is in the black sky" or "The cratered
moon shines in the dark, onyx sky?" Dark and onyx are adjectives but are also synonyms for the word black.
The second sentence provides richer details about the moon and the sky by using more vivid—and
unexpected—descriptors.
1. Read Apples by Gail Gibbons aloud to the class. This book has minimal text but provides illustrations of various
types of apples. Guide students to focus on the appearance of apples, both inside and out, as Gibbons has done
throughout the book.

2. Divide the class into groups of three to four students. Give each group two apples of the same variety—one whole and
one cut into enough pieces so that each team member gets one—and copies of the Describe Your Apples handout.
Give them 15 minutes to brainstorm and record words that describe their apples.

3. Gather the entire class together and ask teams to share words from their lists. Descriptive words might
include: red, green, round, shiny, waxy, bruised, ripe, speckled, spotted, or wet. Record the class list on a board or
flipchart.

4. Explain to the class that they have created a list of words called adjectives to describe their apples. The list includes
words that describe how the apples look, smell, feel and even taste.

5. Ask students to define adjective, working toward the definition that it is a word that describes a person, place, or thing
(noun). Talk about why adjectives are important. Questions for discussion include: 

How might adjectives be used in driving directions? (Take a right turn; follow the windy road for five
miles; go through the flashing, yellow light; we're the second, blue house on the right.)

How might they be used in a recipe? (An apple pie recipe may include the following
adjectives: onetablespoon of brown sugar, one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, two cups of white flour, and a glass
pieplate.) 

6. Ask students to consider why adjectives are useful and helpful. What are some of their ideas? When do they use
adjectives? Some ideas might include the following: 

Choosing drinks: white or chocolate milk

Choosing breakfast: scrambled or fried eggs

Selecting a team during physical education: blue team or red team

Understanding weather and temperature: hot, cold, rainy, windy, snowy

Describing one's own feelings or state of being: tired, scared, angry, happy

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SESSION 2: ALPHABET ORGANIZER PROJECT (30 MINUTES)

1. Read The Supermarket by Kathleen Krull or The Supermarket by Harlow Rockwell (see Preparation 1). As you read
the book aloud, draw students' attentions to all the things found in a supermarket and how adjectives are used to
describe them.

2. Give students a blank Alphabet Organizer handout and ask them, with the assistance of an adult, to visit their local
grocery store during the next week. Instruct them to write an adjective in each box that describes an item found in the
market. For example, in the Y box they might write "yellow bananas" and in the T box they might write "tangy
tangerines." If you have chosen to make a transparency or chart of the Sample Grocery Adjectives Alphabet
Organizer, show it to students as an example.
 Tell students they should make sure to write both the alphabet adjective and the corresponding item as described
above. (Note: You may choose to omit the letter x.)

Homework (due by Session 5): Complete the Alphabet Organizer.

 
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SESSION 3: SAID WEB ACTIVITY (60 MINUTES)

1. Model the creation of a simple web on the board using a different fruit as an example. Place the word lemonin the
center and the descriptive words (i.e., bumpy, yellow, shiny, oval, and tangy) in circles branching from the center
word. If you have chosen to make a transparency or chart of the Lemon Web, show it to students as an example
containing first level, common words in blue circles and second level or more descriptive alternatives in green circles.

2. Ask students to define the word synonym working toward the following definition: a word having the same or nearly
the same meaning as another word.

3. Using the class list of apple adjectives created in Session 1, ask students to identify several common words to
describe apples. Common words may include the following: round, red, shiny, and green.

4. Regroup students into the teams from Session 1. Instruct them to create a web by adding adjectives that are synonyms
for the common words they have used to describe apples.

5. Students should work on their webs either on paper or using the ReadWriteThink Webbing Tool (see Preparation 5).
Encourage teams to use a dictionary or thesaurus to assist in building and expanding their webs.

6. Select several teams to share their webs with the class. Are there similarities among the first-level and second-level
words chosen by teams? Did any teams come up with some unique alternative descriptors? Briefly discuss how
common adjectives describe an object sufficiently, but often more descriptive alternatives provide richer details.
These details help to enhance writing allowing readers to "see" what the author is describing. Refer to the Apple
Web for additional suggestions if needed.

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SESSION 4: FORM POEM ACTIVITY (45 MINUTES)

1. Write the following poem included in article "Form Poems for Tired Words" by Terry Henkelman on the board:
FUNNY...
So amusing
So comical
So humorous
So mirthful
So laughable
Sooo... funny
2. Review the words in the poem and point out how each one is a synonym for the adjective funny.

3. Model another form poem by selecting a word from the class list created during Session 1. Write the word on the
board and solicit input from the class to complete the poem in the "So..." format. For example:
SPECKLED...
So spotted
So dotted
So freckled
So stained
Sooo... speckled
4. Have students work in pairs to develop synonyms for two more apple adjectives. Instruct students to write the two
adjectives at the top of the Form Poem Handout. Provide students with thesauri to help them identify synonyms for
the selected words.
5. Close this session by reading aloud Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? by Brian P. Cleary. This book
defines adjectives and includes numerous adjective examples. Work with students to select 10 adjectives from the
book and list them on the board.

6. Provide additional practice writing form poems by having student pairs select two adjectives from the list to begin
additional poems on the Form Poem Handout.

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SESSION 5: GROCERY STORE ADJECTIVES ACTIVITY (60 MINUTES)

1. Group students in teams of three. Ask students to share their completed Alphabet Organizers. Provide each team with
a blank Alphabet Organizer handout or access to the interactive Alphabet Organizer. Instruct teams to create an
organizer that merges all of their ideas, choosing what they think are the best examples for each letter. Assign one
student to be the recorder—either writing on the handout or typing into the computer. (Note: If students are working
online, make sure they print out their organizers when they are complete.)

2. After teams have completed their organizers, provide each with a brown paper bag and the following instructions: 

Select five items from the team-compiled organizer

Write the item names and corresponding adjectives on the front, back, or sides of the paper bag

Write a form poem for each selected adjective beneath the item heading 

You might choose to provide the following example to demonstrate how to complete the assignment:
GREEN apple...
So chartreuse
So lime
So emerald
Sooo... green
If students complete the poems with time left over, you can give them time to illustrate their poems.

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SESSION 6: REWRITE A LITERARY PASSAGE (60 MINUTES)

Note: Before this session, allow students time to look at the picture books you have selected (see
Preparation 7) and choose one that is interesting to them. Assign students partners based on their selections
and make each pair photocopies of two pages from the book they have selected for them to rewrite. Pairs
that have chosen the same book should be given different pages from that book to work on.
1. Distribute the photocopies and ask student teams to "rewrite" the section by selecting several adjectives to be
changed. Students can use highlighters to identify the original adjective and then write a synonym for each
highlighted word above the original.

2. Select several teams to share their work with the class. Ask one team member to read the original passage. Ask a
second team member to read the revised passage. Make transparencies, if possible, to help students share their
completed work more easily with others in the class. Questions for discussion include: 

Are the original highlighted words adjectives?

Are the revised words both synonyms and adjectives?

Did the meaning of the passage change at all? How?

 Why do students think the author chose the original words? When would the replacement words be more
appropriate (e.g., if the reader is explaining the passage to a younger reader)? 

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EXTENSIONS
 Collect the team webs and photocopy them to create web packets for each team. Using components
of each web, work with students to build a class web to display on the wall. The class web should consist of
synonyms for common words. Instruct students to look through the packet choosing words that are very
descriptive or unique. As a class, decide which of these words will be included. The synonyms selected may
be words that do not initially come to mind when describing an apple. For example, students might typically
describe an apple as red. However, maroon provides richer detail describing a shade of red.

 Ask students to write a form poem using the word "not" before each adjective. This format provides
a series of opposites or antonyms for a particular word.

 Read aloud Many Luscious Lollipops: A Book About Adjectives by Ruth Heller (Scholastic, 1989).
Review the role of adjectives—to be specific and describe things, places, people, thoughts, ideas, emotions,
and details (such as number, color, or size). After reading and discussion, post a colorful poster or picture on
a bulletin board, chalkboard, or computer monitor. Have small groups visit the poster or monitor to examine
the details of the picture. As a class, brainstorm words to describe the picture.

 Encourage some friendly competition—who (or which teams) can describe an object using the most
adjectives and synonyms?

 Read A is for Angry: An Animal and Adjective Alphabet by Sandra Boynton (Workman Publishing,
1983) to the class. Ask students to create their own alphabet books describing themselves using adjectives
and synonyms. For example, A is for Ambitious, B is for Bubbly, and C is for Conscientious. Encourage
students to be creative!

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STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS
 Informally assess students' comprehension of adjectives and synonyms during class discussions and as
you circulate while students are working in groups.

 Collect and review the webs, organizers, and literary passage revisions. Are students using and
identifying adjectives or are they using other parts of speech? Does students' work reflect an understanding
of the material discussed?

 Assess students' abilities to develop synonyms for adjectives as they complete webs, form poems,
and literary passage revisions. Are students able to come up with several appropriate alternative words for a
common adjective?

 How well are students able to apply their knowledge of adjectives and synonyms to create the form
poems? Did students correctly identify two words as adjectives to describe an apple? Do the five synonyms
for each word have the same or similar meaning as the original word?

 Assess students' abilities to work collaboratively by observing how team members contributed to and
participated in each activity. Did every member offer suggestions and ideas? If someone emerged as a team
leader, did that person encourage others to come up with ideas as well? Did teams engage in discussions to
come to a consensus when completing activities? Observe and comment on the team dynamics and offer
suggestions so that all 
 Grammar Activities: Fun With Adjectives
written by: Keren Perles • edited by: Elizabeth Wistrom • updated: 1/17/2012

Looking for some adjective games to keep your kids interested in parts of speech? Try some of these adjective
activities for a fun change of pace.

 These adjective games are a great way for students to learn more about this part of speech. Try these
adjective activities at home or in the classroom to keep learning fun!

 I Spy
Your students are sure to have had experience playing "I Spy." Turning the challenge into adjective games puts a
new twist on an old classic! Have a student come up to the front of the class and say, “I spy with my little eye
something that is…” and name the color of the object. Then have the students in one row take turns asking questions
in the form “Is it [adjective]?” Make sure that students are using only adjectives to ask the questions. After everyone
in the row has a chance to ask a question, have students write down the object that they think is being referred to.
Then have the student in the front of the room reveal the object. Any student who guessed correctly scores one
point. Repeat these adjective activities with another student and the second row in the classroom.

 Mad Libs
Have students make Mad Libs for each other. To do this, have them write short stories (or take some that they’ve
already written). Encourage them to highlight all of the adjectives in the stories. Then have the class come up with a
list of adjectives – silly ones and serious ones – and write them on the board. Have each student plug the adjectives
into their story. Encourage students to share the finished stories with the class.

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 Adjective Poem
Have each student write the name of an object on the top of a piece of paper. Arrange the students’ desks in a circle
around the perimeter of the room, with one paper on each desk. Then have students walk from desk to desk, adding
an adjective to each paper as they pass. The adjectives they choose should describe each object. Then have students
retrieve their papers and use the adjectives to write a poem about the object.

 The Longest List

Divide the class into four or five groups. Give each group a small object (fruit, candy, school supplies, or pieces of
nature work well), and have them make a list of as many adjectives as they can to describe the object. Give students
fifteen seconds to create the list, and then have them pass the object to the next group and repeat the process. After
 each group has gotten each adjective, tally up their lists to see which group has the most adjectives. Have the
winning group share their adjectives with the class.

 As an extension activity, and to test comprehension, challenge your students to come up with the own
adjective games. You can then pair with another class, or even students in younger grades, and swap adjective
activities. Learning has never been so much fun!

See this article for some fun adjective lesson plans.