Elementary Shenanigans: You Are Now Entering...THE Dead Word Zone

If you can't tell already...I am totally in love with this time of year! I tend to go ALL OUT {a.k.a. get a little crazy}! I always dedicate the entire month of October to descriptive writing in the classroom. What better time to use descriptive language than in spooky stories, describing how to carve a pumpkin and feeling all of those ooey...gooey...guts on the inside, making SLIMY Oobleck...ok, ok you get the picture. This year, I am beginning our descriptive writing unit with a dead word funeral. We are saying goodbye to those boring dead words once and for all and we are welcoming the use of synonyms that make our writing POWERFUL!

Well...this is the week....our dead word funeral. On Tuesday, the students will be wearing all black and will each be assigned a dead word to wear around their neck. To really get the kids excited about the thought of such powerful words...I have given the classroom yet another makeover. Brace Yourself for...

The Dead Word Zone

Each day, we will attack a new dead word. We will lay that word to rest, and think of other words that have the same meaning but are not so...well...~~overused~~ straight up BORING! :) As we think of synonyms for each word, we will add our new words to the Dead Word Zone in bright yellow paper. These new words will bring our writing to life {hence the bright yellow paper} instead of making it dull and boring like the gray words!

For example: We will begin with the word like. As we think of synonyms for this word, we will write them down on yellow paper and post them all around the word like. As the students write, they can refer to the wall and replace dead words with POWERFUL words!

I will be placing resources for this activity in my Trick or Treat...Writing is Sweet Unit. I am hoping to have this up and ready for you by Tuesday at the latest!!!

Don't forget to check out the two additional units that also incorporate all things Halloween at my TPT Store!

How do you help your kids understand the importance of using powerful vocabulary in their writing? I can't wait to hear your ideas!!!!

Happy Sunday Friends!!!

5 comments:

Ginger SnapsSunday, October 02, 2011
I would love for you to link this up with my Halloween-spiration Linky Party! It's my first one, so the more, the merrier! And this is one of the most creative things I have ever seen in a classroom. I LOVE IT! Might just have to steal this! =)
HollieSunday, October 02, 2011
Cool idea. May need to steal that one. I'm afraid if I were to put up black paper like that it would be on the ground the next day. What did you use to keep it up? Curious???
AnonymousSunday, October 02, 2011
How fun for the students!! I love that you go all out with it, really get them excited and into finding new words :)
Hope KingMonday, October 03, 2011
Hollie - Hot Glue....A.K.A. my decorating bff! Ha! It doesn't take much and as of today...it is still up and ready to go! :)
Ali @ Little Miss Poof BlogSunday, October 09, 2011
Hope...HOW DO YOU DO IT! You constantly come up with amazing ideas, and as a fellow teacher, I am loving it! You are so much more creative than I am. I do borrow your ideas, but I tell my fellow teachers all about you :) They all say now "is this a Hope idea?".

I only have a blog for my classroom parents...I might have to start one to share with all the other teachers out there so that I can post pictures of all YOUR ideas up in my room.

Thanks again!