On Hand: Water Hole Waiting by Jane and Christopher Kurtz (2002) or other mentor text with strong, unique verbs, whiteboard or chart paper, markers, and a sample of writing with blah verbs.

Mini-Lesson: Read the picture book, pausing to let students visualize some of the strong verbs. For example, if reading Water Hole Waiting, you might stop at, "Sun cartwheels slowly up the sky, herding hippopotami." Discuss how the Kurtzes chose verbs that are unexpected but allow the reader to see the action clearly.

            Now project writing that is lacking in specific, lively verbs. Your sample might be something like the following:

Yesterday I went to the park. First I went on the swings. Then my brother and I went on the seesaw. My brother got off too quickly and I went down.

            After a brief discussion, circle the occurrences of the word went. Ask students to suggest more vivid verbs to use instead. When there is a lull in the brainstorm, wait. In all likelihood students will come up with the dazzling verbs after the more obvious ones have been recorded. Initially students might come up with "Then my brother and I rode the seesaw," but with a little time and exploration, students may offer verbs such as balanced, teetered, flew, oreven elevatored or up-downed. Primary students may not have a large vocabulary to draw from, but they do have a willingness to play with words and to see things from a fresh perspective.

Extension: Have students circle the action words in their own writing. Invite them to choose three words they circled and brainstorm a list of alternative verbs. Then have them choose the very best words from the lists.