Alayne Blackwell
DIRECT INSTRUCTION
LESSON PLAN
Grade: 1
Topic: Verbs
Standards:
1e: Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked
home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home)
5d: Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner (e.g., look, peek,
glance, stare, glare, scowl) and adjectives differing in intensity (e.g.,
large, gigantic ) by defining or choosing them or by acting out the meanings.
Objectives:



SWBAT recognize different tenses of verbs by writing what tense the verbs are
in.
SWBAT identify verbs in various sentences by circling the correct verbs.
SWBAT use present, and past tense verbs by creating their own sentences and
explaining in words or pictures.
Assessment: Students were able to identify verbs and distinguish between tenses by
completing the assessment “Verb Tense Test.” Students were able to write sentences with
appropriate verbs by creating sentences.
Materials:
Poster with “verbs” present/past tense T chart
Post it notes
“Verb Tense” WS
Verb Tense Evaluation
Slips of paper with different verbs
Hat or bowl for charades
Gain Attention/Prior knowledge: Play a short game of Charades using verbs. Have
slips of paper with a verb on it and then have a student act it out. After the students are
seated tell the students they will be learning about verbs today. Ask them what they think
a verb is? Can they remember what an adjective is? Adverb? Noun? Explain this is
another word that describes a certain kind of word in a sentence.
Alayne Blackwell
Teacher Input and Modeling:
Start with the following explanation:
What would happen if we didn't have verbs? Not much at all. Verbs are perhaps the most
important part of speech in the English language. You can't do or be anything unless a
verb lets you. Verbs are everywhere!
Provide a definition on the board. For example:
Verb Defined: A verb is a word that defines action – an action word. It will tell what the
subject of a sentence is doing or what will happen.
Action verbs tell about something a person, animal, force of nature or thing can do or be.
Can you cry, march, rinse, or turn? Can the wind blow or a cup fall? Yes, those are all
actions.
"You use sentences with many verbs daily. Let’s see if you can identify the verbs in the
following sentence."


Example A: “Terry ran upstairs.” (ran tells what Terry did – Terry is the subject.)
Example B: “Katie eats her lunch.” (eats tells what Katie is doing – Katie is the
subject.)
Give students an example, such as “James throws the ball and laughs with his friends
after he falls trying to catch it.” Write it on the board and help the students identify the
verb. Do this a few more times, until everyone (or most) understand what a verb is.
Verb Tense
Explain to your students that:
1.
2.
3.
4.
There are three types of verb tenses, past, present, and future.
A past tense verb describes something that has already happened.
A present tense verb describes something that is currently happening.
A future tense verb describes something that will happen.
Provide the following examples:



Past Tense: I ran with Jaime. Lacy ran with Jeff. Jeff ran to me. We all ran away.
Present Tense: I am walking. Lacy is walking with Jeff. Jeff is walking with me.
We all walk together.
Future tense: I will walk. I will walk with Jeff. Lacy will go walking with Jeff.
Guided Practice:
Alayne Blackwell


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Hand out a “Verb Tense” worksheets to each table. Tell them on the left side of
the page there are various popular verbs and they are to write the past tense,
present tense, and future tense of those words down. Explain that they can work
with the others at their tables to figure out the words. Assign each of them 2
questions to complete. As they finish they will write each verb on a post it note
(provided by you) and bring it up to the front of the class. On the board you will
place a poster board that says “Verbs” on the top and then below it is in a T chart
one side is past tense, and the other is present. On the bottom will be future tense.
Have the children place their verbs where they go with your help if needed.
To continue to reinforce verb recognition and identification, try having students
prepare sentences of their own and identify the verb(s) in each.
Explain that you are going to hang the verbs poster up so they can refer to it if
they forget what a verb is.
Have students form their own past, present, and future tense sentences. Teachers can also
have students share their sentences with the class and identify which verbs are past tense
and which verbs are present tenses.
Check for Understanding: While students are doing guided practice walk around the
room and check to see the students understand what they are doing. Ask them questions
such as “can you explain to me what a verb is?” “Why is this verb present tense?”
Independent Practice:
The Infusion Activity
Have students write a story using common verbs, as well as past, present and future tense
verbs. They will right 3-4 sentences which should infuse noun usage from previous
grammar lessons with verb usage from the current lesson. Depending on their level of
development the student may also write a verb and draw a picture to tell their story. The
important part is that they understand what a verb is, not whether they write a paragraph
or not. Have students take turns reading one of their stories to the class and identifying
the verbs, and whether they are past, present, or future tense verbs.
Closure: Have a student come up to the board and write a sentence/draw picture
depicting a verb sentence with the verb written down; with more than one verb in it. Have
other students determine what the verbs are and what tense they are used. Ask a student
to explain what a verb is. Ask another student what verb tense is.
Reflection:
Alayne Blackwell
Charades words:
add
allow
bake
bang
call
chase
damage
drop
end
escape
fasten
fix
gather
grab
hang
hug
imagine
itch
jog
jump
kick
knit
land
lock
march
mix
name
notice
obey
open
pass
promise
question
reach
rinse
scatter
stay
talk
turn
untie
use
vanish
visit
walk
work
yawn
yell
zip
zoom
Alayne Blackwell
Alayne Blackwell
Verb Tense Evaluation
Name____________________
Identify the verb by circling it, and write if it is future, present
or past, tense:
1) I gracefully jumped over the old rotten log.
2) Bee ran as fast as she could to the store.
3) Bill and Jim carried the heaviest load of bricks.
4) The fire started in the basement in a pile of rags.
5) The world revolves around the sun in 364 days.
6) I walk to the store and get milk each morning.
7) Look at those fireworks!
8) The newborn baby cried for most of the evening.
9) I ran after the ice cream truck.
10) Roger stood up to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Find the word that is NOT an action verb by circling it:
1) ran, and, jump, sing
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2) hum, walk, in, lock
3) row, of, steer, shoot
4) carry, stand, frown, can
5) out, came, change, smile
6) laughed, cried, being, brushed
7) combed, am, rode, ate
8) slept, fell, listened, be
9) was, moaned, screamed, gasped
10) plays, wanted, were, leap
Alayne Blackwell
Plan used: http://education.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/verbs/verb-lessonplans.html
Vivacious Verb Lesson Plans: Part 1
Start with the following explanation: "You use sentences with many verbs daily. Let’s
see if you can identify the verbs in the following sentence."
Provide a definition on the board. For example:
Verb Defined: A verb is a word that defines action – an actionword. It will tell what the
subject of a sentence is doing or what will happen.


Example A: “Terry ran upstairs.” (ran tells what Terry did – Terry is the subject.)
Example B: “Katie eats her lunch.” (eats tells what Katie is doing – Katie is the
subject.)
Give students an example, such as “James throws the ball and laughs with his friends
after he falls trying to catch it.” Have them identify the verb.
Objectives: Students will



Recognize different types of verbs
Identify verbs in various sentences
Use present, and past tense verbs
Suggested Grade Levels:
3rd Grade – 5th Grade
Materials:
Create a “Snap, Crackle, Pop” verbs worksheet by writing popular verbs on the left side
of the page:
Plan:
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
Hand out “Snap, Crackle, Pop” verbs worksheets to the class. Tell them on the
left side of the page there are various popular verbs used in books, and magazines
that are infused throughout each paragraph which they may recognize.
Have students identify the verbs within each paragraph and write them on the
right side of the page.
To continue to reinforce verb recognition and identification, try having students prepare
sentences of their own and identify the verb(s) in each.
Alayne Blackwell
Verb Tense
Explain to your students that:
1. There are two types of verb tenses, past and present.
2. A past tense verb describes something that has already happened.
3. A present tense verb describes something that is currently happening
Examples
Provide the following examples:


Past Tense: I ran with Jaime. Lacy ran with Jeff. Jeff ran to me. We all ran away.
Present Tense: I am walking. Lacy is walking with Jeff. Jeff is walking with me.
We all walk together.
Have students form their own past and present tense sentences. Teachers can also have
students share their sentences with the class and identify which verbs are past tense and
which verbs are present tense.
The Two Paragraph Infusion Activity
Have students write a two paragraph story using common verbs, as well as past and
present tense verbs. These paragraphs should infuse noun usage from previous grammar
lessons with verb usage from the current lesson. Have students take turns reading one of
their paragraphs to the class and identify the verbs within each paragraph.
Other source: http://www.momswhothink.com/reading/list-of-verbs.html