5 kids with technology on grassy lawn
First Grade

What is a Verb?

Empowered Learner, Creative Communicator
action

Overview​

Students will be able to learn about verbs by watching a Schoolhouse Rock video, Verb, with its catchy tune, then see an instructional video on the definition of verbs and how they are used in sentences. Finally, students will be able to check their knowledge of verbs through games and online quizzes and apply their knowledge in their own writing.

Students will:

  • Understand the definition of verbs.
  • Understand the use of action verbs in a sentence.
  • Apply their knowledge in their own writing.

Vocabulary Words:

  1. Verb: A verb is any member of a class of words that function as the main elements of predicates, that typically express action, state, or a relation between two things, and that may be inflected for tense, aspect, voice, mood, and to show agreement with their subject or object.

To prepare for this lesson:

See Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students.net site in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

  1. Introduction: Have students watch the Schoolhouse Rock video, Verb, for the song and informational videos, “What is an Action Verb?” and Action Verbs.

  2. Then have them apply their knowledge by playing games, doing assessments, and writing.

  3. Activity: Allow them to practice their learning by playing several games:

Different options for assessing the students:

  • Observations
  • Check for understanding

  • Do evaluations:

  • Students can choose a book and underline the verbs in each sentence (copy pages first). If a chapter book, they can choose one page, picture books, several pages.

MITECS: Michigan adopted the "ISTE Standards for Students" called MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students) in 2018.

Empowered Learner
1c. Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

Creative Communicator
6c. Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
6d.Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

Device: PC, Chromebook, Mac, iPad 

Browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, ALL

Websites:

Action Verbs

Balloon Verb Game

Find the Verbs Battleship

First Grade Verb Quiz

Ice Cream Game

Multiplayer Basketball Game

Ninja Fighting Game

Parts of Speech Sorting

Verb Quiz

Verb video

What is an Action Verb?

CONTENT AREA RESOURCES
  • Students watch videos that combine words and songs/speech.
  • Students read directions for games and follow along to successfully pass levels and compete. 
  • Students choose a page from a book of their choice and highlight all of the verbs on the page.
  • Students can liven up their verbs with input from peers or teachers.
  • Do a time-lapse video of action over time: growing seed, shadows, decaying fruit, etc., and post it to the class site.
  • Choose a social study activity and create a way to show others: infographic, slideshow, or video.
  • Choose a project that requires action - growing a plant from a seed, chemical reaction, or some similar activity - and write about the process.
  • Learn about hypotheses and how verbs are important in those statements. 
  • Study the movement of planets and the action words involved (gravitational pull, circular, rotation, etc.).
  • Ask an expert:  have a plumber visit and explain the movement of water in pipes, or a civil engineer explain traffic movement (or jams), or a pilot explain flight.
  • Study erosion and how water and wind change a landscape over time.  Take a field trip to a Lake Michigan shoreline to examine the change.
  • Movement in society is important.  Study the nomads and their mobile lifestyle, or why people move in or out of cities.
  • Watch dances from various countries.
  • Ask an expert: have a physical therapist or occupational therapist come in to talk about how movement matters.
  • Ask an expert: have an ASL student/teacher show how words are put into action in ASL.

Report a bad link, inappropriate content or out-of-date content. 

CREDITS
This task card was created by Caryn Parker, Gull Lake Virtual Partnership, January 2021. 


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