Introductory Activity :

Hand out the ?Thinking Thesaurus? worksheet to the class. Tell them that at the top of the page are some common verbs used in writing. They do not give a clear mental picture of exactly how an action took place. Ask the students to listen to the vivid verbs used in the story, Thank You for the Thistle.

Body :

Have the students write down some vivid verbs that they heard in the story or that they looked up in a thesaurus under the common verb that they see on the worksheet. Have them keep this sheet to help them when they do their writing assignments. The teacher and class can then make a large Thinking Thesaurus poster for the room with decorative pictures.

Conclusion Activity :

Write the sentence ?The dog went down the alley.? on the board. Ask the students to rewrite this sentence with a more vivid verb. Call on students to read their sentences to the class and see how each student painted an entirely different picture. (The dog dashed down the street.)

Vocabulary Words :

• vivid verbs
  

Evaluation Activity :

Have students write a story about Happy, the clown, who could not just ?walk? in a parade he ?? down the street. Have them use several vivid verbs from their ?Thinking Thesaurus? to tell a story about a clown's day in a parade.

Internet Resources Referenced in this Lesson :

www.doriebooks.com