Lesson 7: Adjectives: Masters of Description

By: Troy Akiyama, Ed.D

In the last lesson, we learned about nouns. Specifically, we learned the difference between
proper and common nouns. We also learned ways to use our dictionaries to learn more
about different nouns. In today’s lesson, we will explore the world of adjectives.
Adjectives are the words that describe or give more information about nouns.

Objectives:
 SWBAT (Students Will Be Able To) explain the relationship between
adjectives and nouns
 SWBAT identify adjectives in sentences
 SWBAT use their dictionary to learn more about adjectives

Materials:
 Attached Student Worksheet
 Webster’s Dictionary for Students, Third Edition
ISBN 978-1-59695-093-1
OR
 Webster’s New Explorer Student Dictionary, Third Edition
ISBN 978-1-59695-086-3

Assessment:
 Teacher should ensure that student has completed the attached worksheet

Duration:
 60 minutes

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 Lesson Hook and Objectives: 5 Minutes

 Teacher should begin by reading these two sentences and asking students to explain
the difference between them:

1. The dolphin swam past the sharks to save the boy.

2. The heroic dolphin swam past the threatening sharks to save the terrified
boy.

 As students explain that example #2 is more interesting or exciting, the teacher

should explain that today’s lesson will help them to write and speak in more
interesting/exciting ways.

 Teacher should then explain the three lesson objectives with the class.

Introduction to New Material: 10 Minutes

 Teacher should begin by explaining that adjectives are words that describe or give
more information about nouns.

 Teacher should explain that adjectives can either come before or after the nouns
they describe. For example:

1. Mark wore his red shirt to school.

The adjective is red because it gives more information about Mark’s shirt. In
this example, the adjective (red) comes before the noun (shirt) it is
describing.

2. The ocean is blue.

The adjective in this sentence is blue because it gives more information

about the ocean. However, in this example, the adjective (blue) comes after
the noun (ocean) it is describing.

 Teacher should then ask students to name a few adjectives that might be used to
describe the following nouns: School, pizza, friend, roller coaster, and unicorn

Guided Practice: 10 Minutes

 For this section, teacher should refer back to the beginning of the lesson and write
the second sentence on the board:

“The heroic dolphin swam past the threatening sharks to save the terrified boy.”

 Teacher should then ask a student volunteer to underline the nouns in the sentence:

“The heroic dolphin swam past the threatening sharks to save the terrified boy.”

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 Guided Practice (Continued):

 Teacher should remind the class that adjectives provide descriptions or additional
information about the nouns. That said, the teacher should then ask what words in
the sentence describe or give more information about the nouns “dolphin,” “sharks,”
and “boy.” Student response should be: “heroic,” “threatening,” and “terrified.”

 Next, teacher should ask three student volunteers to look up “heroic,” “threatening,”
and “terrified” in their dictionaries.

 Teacher should ask each student to let the class know which page to find the word
on and then read the definition from their dictionary aloud to the class.

 Note: The purpose here is to embed dictionary skills within the lesson so that
students get in the habit of looking up words to check their work (spelling, word
usage, and part of speech).

Individual Practice: 30 Minutes

 Teacher should review the directions from the worksheet and explain that students
will have the next 30 minutes complete the worksheet.

 Note: The first part of the worksheet will ask students to interview a classmate or
family member.

1. If teacher wants students to do that in class, he/she should partner them up

accordingly.

2. If teacher would like students to complete that portion of the worksheet as

homework, he/she should tell students to begin on question #7.

 Teacher should let students know that if they cannot complete the worksheet in the
next 30 minutes, they must complete it as homework.

Conclusion: 5 Minutes

 To conclude this lesson, the teacher should ask a few volunteers to talk about the
person they interviewed and the adjectives they used to describe him/her. If
teacher decided to have students save the interview section for homework, teacher
can ask students to share the adjectives they chose to look up in their dictionaries
for questions #19-20.

 Teacher should remind students that the assignment is due tomorrow and explain
that if they did not complete their worksheet in class, they should spend some time
at home finishing it.

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