They're Everywhere!

1. Hold a brief class discussion about the adjective — its definition and proper usage.
2. Distribute paper and pencils.
3. Set your students loose on your classroom! Ask them to note any and all examples of adjectives they spot on classroom posters, memos, bulletin boards, or blackboards.
4. After a set amount of time, gather back together and ask each student to read their adjectives aloud.
5. If any student has included a word that is not an adjective, discuss why it is not and try to clear up any confusion.

1. Read HAIRY, SCARY, ORDINARY aloud to your class.
2. Every other page or so (more or less, depending on your students), hold up a double-paged spread after reading the words.
3. After allowing students to examine the pages, ask them to point out which character or object is displaying the noted adjective.
4. Ask students to discuss the visual clues that helped them identify the correct character or object.
5. Help students realize that the words they use to describe the illustrations are also adjectives!

An Equal and Opposite Adjective
Painlessly introduce even more adjectives using opposites!

1. Have each student choose his or her favorite 10 or 20 adjectives from the book.
2. Ask each student to make a list of his or her chosen adjectives.
3. On the list, have each student write down a word that means the opposite of each of his or her chosen adjectives.
4. Discuss each student's lists; does anyone have similar words? Talk about how adjectives help us provide important details about "a thing, idea, or living being."

1. Ask each student to pick a paragraph or two (depending on the length of the paragraph) from his or her favorite book.
2. Have each student rewrite that paragraph without a single adjective.
3. Have each student read the original paragraph aloud, followed by the adjective-free paragraph.
4. Ask the class to pay careful attention to make sure that every single adjective has been deleted.
5. Talk about how much information was lost from each passage in the second, adjective-free version.

1. Write a list of ten or more sentences on your blackboard, leaving spaces where adjectives would appear. Examples could include: My friend has _______________ hair. My ________________ family enjoys ice cream.
2. Encouraging them to use their imaginations, have students recopy the sentences on a sheet of paper and fill in the blank spaces.
3. Share each students' answers with the class.
4. If time allows, ask each student to come up to the blackboard and write a sentence missing an adjective(s). Allow classmates to fill in the blank spaces.