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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Be Specific! -- Freebie

The word "specific" has just kept popping up on all the test prep materials we are working on, but my students weren't grasping the concept of "specific." How can they choose the most specific word if they don't know what that means?

So I showed them lots of books and asked them to guess which book I was wanting to read. I gave them vague clues, finally narrowing them down to clear, concise descriptions of the book I was wanting. That's when the light bulbs came on for most of them. We talked about authors using the most specific words to help the reader create a picture in his mind. 

This game gives students extra practice in choosing the most specific word for a sentence. 

Click on the pic to download the doc.....and please leave a specific comment on what you do to help your students with this skill!

6 comments:

  1. I love this game! I am always telling them to be more specific. Don't make us guess. What do you mean exactly? I think my students will enjoy this game. Thanks so much!

    Lori
    TeachingwithLoveandLaughter

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  2. We work on this a lot more in writing! So many times they use vague wording, especially adjectives. They felt good, bad, or happy, sad. We are working on words like exhilarated, disappointed, exhausted, relieved, guilty, etc. I tend to teach this in mini-lessons where they correct my writing, but I also make sure and stop during reading to talk about how characters are feeling.

    Thank you so much! Your freebies are amazing and you are part of my inspiration for starting my own blog!

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  3. I also talk about this a lot in writing. Just this week I was modeling writing with a story about my Baby Girl hitting me in the eye. I described how she was flapping her arms and we talked about how flailing was a more specific word than "moving her arms all around" and how specific words paint a better picture in our reader's mind.
    Thanks for this activity. It will be great reinforcement!

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  4. I will use this activity when teaching strong verbs, specific nouns and super adjectives. Also, as a "what do I do when I am done" activity. I could always add new cards.

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  5. I will be teaching summer school for students in 1st and 2nd grade. Several of my children are ELL students. I can't wait to build their vocabulary with this game and also challenge my other students to make better word choices.

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  6. Thanks for posting this...It is really great to find some goodies for free. As a new teacher, I can't even afford the cheap tpt items, so I am very grateful for this.

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