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Lesson Plan #: AELP-GRM0206
Mad Libs - Scream!!!
An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan
Submitted by: Peri Sandifer
Email: peri@sport.rr.com
School/University/Affiliation: Haynesville High School, Haynesville, LA
Date: September 21, 2003
Grade Level: 9, 10
Subject(s):

Language Arts/Grammar
Duration: 45 minutes
Description: My students were having difficulty with parts of speech. I decided to make
up a story using the idea of Mad Libs and using all the parts of speech within the story.
This allowed the students to become better acquainted with the parts of speech in a fun
way. This activity can be used to review various parts of speech.
Goals: NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts :
Standard 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own
purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to complete a Mad Lib story using correct parts of speech.
2. Students will strengthen their knowledge and use of parts of speech.
Materials:



pencils/pens
Mad Lib Story
Mad Lib Words Sheet
Handouts in .pdf format; requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Click the icon to obtain the free Reader.
Procedure:
Prior Knowledge: Students will need to know the different parts of speech (e.g. noun,
pronoun, adjective, etc.) and how they function.
First, give students the sheet that contains only the words on it; allow them to fill in the
blanks (e.g. Animal______, Noun_______). Do not give students the actual story until
they have finished this part. Once students have finished filling in the blanks, hand them
the story sheet and have them place the word that they put in the blank with the
corresponding part of speech in the story. This will make a funny story! [ Author's Note:
Students can put the same animal if they choose, but it's more fun to do 5 different
animals. I did it both ways in the classroom, and the kids had more laughs when they
used different animals each time an animal was called for.]
Assessment: Collect students' stories to determine if they comprehended each part of
speech.
Useful Internet Resource:
* NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts
http://www.ncte.org/standards/standards.shtml
Other References: Mad Libs - You can find these online or at a local bookstore. (Their
stories are smaller and only contain 2-4 parts of speech in them.)
Special Comments: Have fun!
MAD LIBS
SCREAM!!!!!
There once was a ________________(animal) on the loose. ______________(proper
noun)
and I tried to catch __________(pronoun), but had no luck. It seemed this day would be
doomed. Then, the unexpected happened.
While at ______________(common noun) cooking, I noticed a rustling in the
___________(plural noun). I _______________(adverb) called the neighbor. He ran
over. As
he peeked ______________(preposition) the corner, he _________________(past tense
verb).
I ran quickly to see what was wrong. What we saw was unbelievable! There swam a/an
______________(animal) in the pool. The _______________(abstract noun) of this
was it
didn’t know it was being watched. Slowly I turned toward ____________(friend’s
name)
______________(conjunction) said, “It’s a/an ______________(adjective) one. Maybe
you
should try ____________(“ing” verb) it first?” _____________(friend’s name) agreed
reluctantly. As he made his move the ______________(animal) ______________(verb)
_________________(preposition) him. _____________(friend’s name) screamed so
loud and
high. I couldn’t help it; I just started laughing. I said, “_____________!(interjection) I
didn’t
know you could scream that high.” Of course, ____________(pronoun) did not find the
situation – nor my comment - ______________(adjective), but chuckled anyway.
Unfortunately, all the commotion scared the ______________(animal) away and we
were not
able to catch it.
The moral of this story is never try to catch a/an ______________(animal) when you
scream
like a/an __________(noun).
MAD LIBS
SCREAM!!!!
Animal_______________________________
Proper Noun___________________________
Pronoun_______________________________
Common Noun_________________________
Plural Noun____________________________
Adverb________________________________
Preposition_____________________________
Past Tense Verb_________________________
Animal________________________________
Abstract Noun__________________________
Friend’s Name__________________________
Conjunction____________________________
Adjective______________________________
“Ing” Verb_____________________________
Friend’s Name__________________________
Animal________________________________
Verb_________________________________
Preposition____________________________
Friend’s Name_________________________
Interjection____________________________
Pronoun______________________________
Adjective_____________________________
Animal_______________________________
Animal_______________________________
Noun_________________________________
Lesson Plan #: AELP-GRM0001
More Grammar Review Using "Jabberwocky"
An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan
Submitted by: Kim Wilson
Email: kcwst9@imap.pitt.edu
School/University/Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Endorsed by: Mr. Poole, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Date: January 28, 2000
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Subject(s):

Language Arts/Grammar
Duration: 50 minutes
Description: This lesson provides students with a grammar review exercise using
"Jabberwocky," by Lewis Carroll.
Goals:
1. To provide an opportunity for students to review essential grammar conventions
while gaining experience, confidence, and stimulating cognitive growth.
2. To provide the teacher with an opportunity to identify where the students are with
their grammar at the beginning of the school year. From there, the teacher can
choose to emphasize the various areas of grammar that need to be strengthened.
3. To reinforce learning through the use of technology.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
1. locate the nonsense words from the poem.
2. summarize the action of the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.
3. identify and label the various parts of speech including nouns, verbs, pronouns,
adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and articles found in the lines of the poem.
4. effectively search for the definitions of the parts of speech.
Materials:


computers with Internet access
pencils
Procedure:
Reading of the Poem
The teacher will distribute copies of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" to each student. The
teacher will read the poem out loud from the web site
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html while the students follow
along on their computers. After the poem is read, the teacher will tell the students that
"Jabberwocky," by Lewis Carroll, is generally considered to be the greatest of all
nonsense poems in English. In the paragraph following the poem, Alice of Wonderland
puts her finger on the secret of the poem's charm:
"It seems to fill my head with ideas -- only I don't know exactly what they are."
Although the strange words have no precise meaning, they seem to carry subtle
overtones. In other words, Lewis Carroll used a lot of nonsense words, but you can still
understand the story.
Interpretation of the Poem
The students will be asked to orally interpret the meaning of the poem by raising their
hands. The interpretation should be something such as, "It is about a brave boy who slays
the fierce Jabberwock." The teacher will ask, "How do you know that is what's
happening?" The answer is that, although the words are nonsense, from taking the real
words in the poem and associating the nonsense words with them, one can get the gist of
the poem. The main actions are there, but the supplementary nouns, adjectives, and verbs
are nonsense. The teacher and students will discuss several of the nonsense words, in
context, as examples.
Example: He took his vorpal sword in hand
We know that a sword is a weapon, and weapons are dangerous. So, vorpal must be an
adjective because it modifies or describes the word sword. It tells what kind of sword it
is; a vorpal sword.
The Parts of Speech
The teacher will tell the students that for homework, they are going to choose one stanza
of the poem and label each word with its appropriate part of speech. The teacher will
review the parts of speech with the students using a handout. See Review of Parts of
Speech.
Labeling the Parts of Speech
The teacher will use a copy of the first stanza of the poem to give an example of what is
to be done for homework (The teacher might want to show this on an overhead
projector). The teacher will explain that, by using the words that they already know the
meanings of and substituting new words for the nonsense ones, they should be able to
figure out what part of speech each word is. They should refer back to the handout on the
parts of speech for help.
Example: 'Twas brilling and the slithy toves
We know that "'twas" means "it was", "and" is a conjunction, and "the' is an article. We
can tell that "brillig", which refers back to 'it" is a reflexive pronoun. We also know
"toves" is a noun because it is plural and because if a noun is put behind "the" it makes
sense. Also, "slithy" must be an adjective because it is describing the word "toves".
Summary
The teacher will summarize what has been done in class today, touching on the review of
the parts of speech and the group work. The students may get into their previous groups
and begin the homework assignment together. The teacher will continue to circulate the
room, offering assistance, answering questions, and keeping the students on task.
Assignment:
Each student must choose one stanza of the poem and label each word with its correct
part of speech.
Students with Disabilities:
The lesson plan may be adapted for a disabled student using the input of guidance
counselors or the student's special education teacher according to his/her specific abilities
and achievements. A student with a disability should do well in the group activities when
paired with a non-disabled student. A copy of the handout on the parts of speech may be
given to the student's parents or special education teacher previous to this lesson so that
he/she will have already reviewed and will be familiar with the parts of speech. A copy of
the lesson plan may also be included to better aid the student's parents or teacher.
Assessment:
A. Progress Toward Objectives:
The teacher will review the homework assignments checking the labeling of the parts of
speech to evaluate student understanding and implementation. If students have effectively
identified and labeled the parts of speech, the current objectives have been met. If they
have not, the parts of speech must be explained and re-evaluated as soon as possible.
B. Self Evaluation:
The teacher will review the class period, asking:
Did I give clear directions?
How was my classroom management?
Useful Internet Resources:
* The Jabberwocky
http://www.bliner.com/scott/jaber_frames.html
* The Ultimate Jabberwocky Page
http://www.waxdog.com/jabberwocky/
Review of Parts of Speech
Article
· the, a , or an
Noun
· a word that names something, such as a person, place, thing, quality, or idea
Common Noun
· a word that names just any member of a group or class
man, city, school, relative
Proper Noun
· a word that refers to a particular individual in a group or class
Albert Lawson, Toledo, Central Cambria High School, Aunt Theresa
Hint:
Noun = Name
The word that answers the question "What?" after an article is a noun.
Pronoun
· a word that substitutes for a noun
Personal Pronouns
· substitute for definite persons or things
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Demonstrative Pronouns
· substitute for things being pointed out
this, that, these, those
Indefinite Pronouns
· substitute for unknown or unspecified things
each, either, neither, one, anyone, somebody, everything, all, few, many, and so on.
Possessive Pronouns
· substitute for things that are possessed
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
Intensive Pronoun
· used to add emphasis
You yourself made the decision.
Reflexive Pronoun
· names the receiver of an action when the doer is the same as the receiver; renames the
doer
The boy fell and hurt himself.
Verb
· a word that expresses action, existence, or occurrence by combining with a subject to
make a statement, to ask a question, or to give a command
Let's paint the car.
Hint:
Any word that will function in this position to complete the command is a verb. Only
works with the present form of the verb. Let's painted the car would not work.
Let's ____________.
(action word)
Adjective
· a word that describes or limits a noun
The small child left. The child is small. Mary looked unhappy. The hostess, calm and
serene, entered the hall.
Adverb
· a word that modifies anything except a noun or a pronoun
Manner: John performed well.
Time: I must leave now.
Frequency: We often go on picnics.
Place: There he sat, alone and quiet.
Direction: The police officer turned away.
Degree: I could barely hear the speaker.
Hint:
Answers the questions: How? When? Where?
Lesson Plan #: AELP-WCP0055
Create Your Own Grammar Exercise
An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan
Submitted by: J. Cummings
Email: ETLC@webmail.bellsouth.net
School/University/Affiliation: Escambia High
Date: March 25, 1999
Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12
Subject(s):

Language Arts/Writing (composition)
Duration: homework or 30 minutes in class
Description: 10 ideas for parts of speech
Goals: The purpose of this lesson is to help students realize the importance of adj., adv.,
prep., and verbs.
Objectives: Student will use cognitive reasoning to surmount a problem in language.
Materials: None specified.
Procedure:
Have students do any of the following:
1. Use a newspaper article to find adjectives.
2. Write a description of your room and underline adjectives.
3. Write a paragraph on how to do something without using any helping verbs.
4. Write a paragraph withaout using any action verbs.
5. Make a list of 10 verbs and give each an adverb.
6. Make a list of 10 adverbs and give each a verb.
7. Make a list of 30 compound nouns.
8. Describe how to start a car without using prepositions.
9. Write a persuasive paragraph without conjunctions ( I use this as an extra credit
execise so the student can do one or any of the exercises ).
Assessment: 10 points for each project completed
http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/language_arts/adjectives/