This is an activity I did with a 3rd grade class. We needed to work on this standard:
EL.3.5.4 2006
Use varied word choices to make writing interesting.
So this is a little activity that you can modify to suit your needs.
Materials needed:
Emergent Reader Books
Paper
Pencil
Thesaurus (if choosing words is difficult)
What to do:
Most emergent reader books have very few words and repeat the same words. This is great when learning to read, but as readers (and writers) progress using the same words can be stifling. Read one of the books to the children. Ask them to pick out the words that are said multiple times. Give each child a book to "rewrite" with better word choices. The children can choose a different word for each word in the book, or focus on changing the words that are repeated.
A Thesaurus can help this lesson, if children seem unable to think of synonyms on their own. Though if they use a thesaurus, make sure that the word they choose fits the sentence. You may need to demonstrate some examples of words that fit and words that do not fit, even if they are synonyms. This goes back to using words in context (another standard this group is struggling with). So by using the thesaurus with this activity you can reach multiple learning standards.
Have fun! The stories they create are fun to read and as a child completes one book, they can rewrite and illustrate it or move onto another book.
