Word Choice

Word Choice

Reminders!

• I have extended the due date for assignments from last week (anything from Poetry Portfolio); due this Sunday, February 14.

• No school next Monday, February 15 for President's Day!

• You will need a piece of paper and a writing utensil for today's lesson.

Before we begin... let's review parts of speech

• Noun: a person, place, thing, or idea (Mom, Ohio, tree, love, freedom, snow)

• Adjective: a describing word; often used with sensory language (beautiful, red, sweet, soft)

• Verb: an action word; a word that describes something you do (jump, mix, write, walk)

Open Ended

Think of a word and write it here. Then, say if it's a noun, adjective, or verb.

Word Choice

the use of interesting, creative, and effective vocabulary or words in a piece of writing. 

A writer who uses effective word choice gets a very specific message to the reader.

For example...

• "He got it at Kroger" vs. "He bought the bouquet of roses at Kroger"'

• "She got there by riding the bus" vs. "She arrived to school by riding the yellow bus"

• 'I cooked the steak on the stove' vs. "I seared the steak in a skillet on the stove"

You are now going to listen to the story Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher.

Listen for effective nouns, verbs, and adjectives that the author uses throughout the story and write some down. You should be able to provide an explanation for your answers.

You will be answering: Why did you like the noun/verb/adjective that the author used? What made that noun/verb/adjective stand out for you?

Open Ended

Which word did you write down? Why did you like the noun/verb/adjective that the author used? What made that noun/verb/adjective stand out for you?

Procedural Writing

• Writing involves choosing the best words to communicate ideas so that the reader will understand an author's message.

• Some writing involves telling the reader how to do something or how to make something (a procedure).

Examples

• Recipes

• Rules for games or sports

• Science experiments

• How-to Guides

• Directions for completing something (homework assignments)

Procedural writing must have...

• Purpose (what are we trying to achieve?)

• Materials/ingredients (so you can gather everything beforehand)

• Steps (listed using numbers and specific word choice)

• Conclusion (optional; to sum everything up)

Numbering steps and using specific word choice makes understanding recipes easier.

Multiple Choice

Which uses a more specific word choice?

• Put the cookies in the oven.

• Bake the cookies in the oven.

Now we are going to listen to a reading of Stone Soup.

Write down as many steps as you can when you hear how to make Stone Soup.

Write down the materials (ingredients) necessary for making Stone Soup.

Now we're going to identify the 4 parts of procedure writing that we heard in Stone Soup...

Open Ended

What is the purpose or goal that the characters wished to achieve in Stone Soup?

Open Ended

What are some of the materials or ingredients one needs to make Stone Soup?

Open Ended

What are some of the steps followed to make Stone Soup?

Verbs & Sequence

• Effective word choice: used a variety of appropriate verbs to describe the process or steps in a procedure: chop, stir, dump, cut, plop, pour, and heat

• Sequencing: use of appropriate sequencing when creating a list of steps for a procedure; words that indicate sequence or time, such as first, next, then, after, and finally

Why is this important?

You'll use your understanding of procedural writing to help you understand things better, such as:

homework assignments

recipes

putting together furniture

working in mechanics

fixing things

looking up "how to" do something online

Think back...

• to yesterday, when you had to write how to make a pb&j

• to last week, when you were asked to complete the "About Me" assignment

• to last week, when we were putting together our poetry portfolios

Tomorrow...

• identify verbs that show specific word choice

• place steps in sequential order

• brainstorm specific verbs to demonstrate word choice

Open Ended

Questions? Write them here.