assignment:
Since we will bury dead verbs, it is time to start using strong, vivid, action
verbs in their place! Your task is to write a paragraph that SHOWS the
reader details about a topic.
steps:
1. Choose a topic! You could write about your myth or legend, you could be inspired by the
season, or your own personal life events might influence your choice of topic.
2. Complete the prewriting web. This should help you …
o brainstorm subjects & vivid verbs for your “SHOW” statements
o change your topic sentence to an attention-grabbing intro
o develop a unique concluding sentence
3. On your web, number the subject & verb bubbles in the order you would like for them to be
written in your paragraph.
4. Use your web to write a well-organized paragraph that uses strong, vivid, action verbs.
o make sure N2SSWTSW! (No 2 Sentences Start With the Same Word)
o include a simile, metaphor, or other figurative language (underlined)
o include at least one vocabulary word we’ve studied this year (circle it)
5. Go back & re-read your own writing, have someone edit your paragraph, then revise it!
6. Write or type your final draft in ink. Highlight each vivid verb. Underline your figurative
language. Circle the vocabulary word(s).
example web:
example paragraph:
“Rambunctious Lunch Bunch”
“Prepare yourself,” whispered the principal to a teacher, “Here comes the wild bunch.”
As students climbed over tables, they threw food from lunchboxes and the buffet line. Some
shouted at the top of their lungs like monkeys and others performed antics. Soiled trays
littered the floor where students flung them. Students stood on the tables and danced to
imaginary music. Others burped loudly to express their dislike of the menu. One audacious
student even yelled at the lunchroom monitors, demanding that WEBN play from the loud
speakers. The principal croaked over the intercom in a vain attempt to quiet the anarchy. Food
continued to splatter on the walls. It was a typical lunch in the Westwood Cafeteria.
rubric – use this as a checklist:
Creative title
_____
Topic sentence grabs the reader’s attention
_____
At least five strong, vivid-verb sentences
o
action verbs correctly highlighted
o
no verbs repeated
o
no dead verbs
_____
_____
_____
_____
Simile, metaphor, or other figurative language (underline) _____
Concluding sentence (may use “dead” verb)
_____
N2SSWTSW!
_____
Incorporates at least one vocabulary word (circle it)
_____
Shows evidence of revising (M.U.G.S.)
_____
Final draft is TYPED or NEATLY written in ink
_____
TOTAL …
_____/20
pre-writing web:
Paragraph Title: __________________________________________________
SUBJECT:
TOPIC:
VERB:
SUBJECT:
VERB:
SUBJECT:
“GRABBER”
TOPIC SENTENCE:
VERB:
SUBJECT:
SUBJECT:
VERB:
VERB:
Conclusion sentence:
examples of strong, vivid-verb paragraphs:
“A Day in the Cafeteria” (past tense narrative)
Yesterday, the students in the cafeteria were wild. They behaved like kindergartners.
Flying food filled the air and covered the floor. Teachers ran from the spasmodic scene as they
protected their heads with trays. Ranch dressing saturated Mrs. Q’s already hideous hairstyle.
Mr. C slipped on Jello that carpeted the floor, and he landed right on his behind. Milk erupted
out of people’s noses all over the tables. Yesterday was a wild day in the CMS Cafeteria.
“The Messy Room” (present-tense expository)
“Crunch” go my CDs as I gingerly walk into my totally messy room! Clothes and debris
litter the floor. Sheets and blankets hang off the bed in great disarray. Half-empty Coke cans
on their side spill their contents on the rug. Records cover my desk, burying last year’s
homework. A nasty smell of month-old pizza wafts from the overflowing trash can. Moldy
schoolbooks peek out of my packed closet from underneath piles and piles of junk. Food stains
from wild food fights color the walls. My room is a total disaster… and I can’t leave it until I
clean it up!
“Clinic Fun with Dr. S” (past-tense narrative)
The clinic lady’s ice-cold hands shook as she signed me in on her list of victims for the
day. Then she ushered me in the freezing examination room, and she turned to leave. Next,
the big metal door slammed behind me, leaving me even more skittish than before.
“Come on over, sweetie,” rasped Dr. S in a gravelly voice as I quivered in fear at my
dilemma.
Cold sweat dripped down my face as Dr. S approached with the rusty needle. (As mean
as a salesperson selling wrapping paper in July, Dr. S loves giving shots.) Her aged hands
wound around my upper arm just before the needle stabbed me. Ouch! I hope the common
cold doesn’t land YOU in her clinic!
examples of strong, vivid-verb paragraphs:
1. Highlight all the strong, vivid, action verbs.
2. Put a box around the vocabulary word in each paragraph.
3. Underline the figurative language.
“A Day in the Cafeteria” (past tense narrative)
Yesterday, the students in the cafeteria were wild. They behaved like kindergartners.
Flying food filled the air and covered the floor. Teachers ran from the spasmodic scene as they
protected their heads with trays. Ranch dressing saturated Mrs. Q’s already hideous hairstyle.
Mr. C slipped on Jello that carpeted the floor, and he landed right on his behind. Milk erupted
out of people’s noses all over the tables. Yesterday was a wild day in the CMS Cafeteria.
“The Messy Room” (present-tense expository)
“Crunch” go my CDs as I gingerly walk into my totally messy room! Clothes and debris
litter the floor. Sheets and blankets hang off the bed in great disarray. Half-empty Coke cans
on their side spill their contents on the rug. Records cover my desk, burying last year’s
homework. A nasty smell of month-old pizza wafts from the overflowing trash can. Moldy
schoolbooks peek out of my packed closet from underneath piles and piles of junk. Food stains
from wild food fights color the walls. My room is a total disaster… and I can’t leave it until I
clean it up!
“Clinic Fun with Dr. S” (past-tense narrative)
The clinic lady’s ice-cold hands shook as she signed me in on her list of victims for the
day. Then she ushered me in the freezing examination room, and she turned to leave. Next,
the big metal door slammed behind me, leaving me even more skittish than before.
“Come on over, sweetie,” rasped Dr. S in a gravelly voice as I quivered in fear at my
dilemma.
Cold sweat dripped down my face as Dr. S approached with the rusty needle. (As mean
as a salesperson selling wrapping paper in July, Dr. S loves giving shots.) Her aged hands
wound around my upper arm just before the needle stabbed me. Ouch! I hope the common
cold doesn’t land YOU in her clinic!