This Prompt's Title:

The Verb Game
for Kids

choosing interesting verbs to tell a story

What interesting action words (verbs) can you use in your story writing?

Ideas for Teachers from Teachers
How do you teach young writers to use stronger verbs when writing stories?

Example Blurb: I love sharing Brian Cleary's picture book To Root to Toot to Parachute: What Is a Verb? I use it when teaching students to brainstorm all the wonderful verbs they know but don't realize they know. It helps me stop them from using went and got too often in their writing.

--Corbett Harrison, Reno, Nevada

I use the book Crickwing by Janell Canon as a mentor text. I rewrite a page and replace the vivid verbs with more generic verbs in preparation but I hold it until after I have read the story aloud. I read the story aloud. Then, I show the paragraph with the generic verbs and ask the students, "Does this writing paint a strong mental picture?" Groups work to replace the generic verbs with stronger verbs. Last, I call the students to the floor and re-read the story, this time they have a sheet of paper and they write down all the strong verbs they hear in the story. We then chart them on paper and post in the room. It not only reinforces the use of verbs but allows the students to study authors' craft.

(Marjie chose a Reading in the Content Areas Guide as her gift for sharing this blurb.)

I use the picture book Arrowhawk by Lola M. Schaefer to show my third graders the use of strong verbs.  The subject matter is an instant attention-grabber and since it’s a story that begs not to be interrupted, I first read the book aloud.  After sharing, I go back and reread some pages while students listen for words the author uses in place of fly (soared, raced, swooped, streaked, sailed, glided, flapped), listing the examples on chart paper.  Then we begin our classroom posters for replacing words like went, walk, said, etc.  Words are added throughout the year as we find strong verbs in our reading and writing.

--Michelle Draves, Berlin, Wisconsin

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