RIC-20806_Teaching_Strategies_for_Writing_BkF_word_choices

Your partner in education 

BOOK F 

TEACHING 

STRATEGIES 

FOR WRITING 

Word choices 

Australian Primary Publisher 

of the Year 2015 and 2016

Teaching strategies for writing (Book F) 

Published by R.I.C. Publications ® 2018 

Copyright © Diane Henderson and Bruce Tuffin 2018 

RIC–20806 

Titles in this series: 

Teaching strategies for writing (Book A) 

Teaching strategies for writing (Book B) 

Teaching strategies for writing (Book C) 

Teaching strategies for writing (Book D) 

Teaching strategies for writing (Book E) 

Teaching strategies for writing (Book F) 

Copyright Notice 

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who purchased this book to photocopy these 

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classes. 

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(including by or for other teachers, students or 

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copyright inspection, please complete the form 

below. Retain this form, the complete original 

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Internet websites 

In some instances, websites or specific URLs may be recommended. While these are checked and rechecked at the time of 

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PO Box 332 Greenwood Western Australia 6924 

Website: www.ricpublications.com.au 

Email: mail@ricpublications.com.au

FOREWORD 

Teaching strategies for writing is series of six books using modelling, guided and independent practice to teach 

students strategies they can use to improve the clarity, correctness and richness of their writing. The focus is on 

sentences, their structure, punctuation and word choices and on developing editing and proofreading skills and their 

habitual use. 

Titles in this series: 

• Teaching strategies for writing (Book A) • Teaching strategies for writing (Book D) 

• Teaching strategies for writing (Book B) • Teaching strategies for writing (Book E) 

• Teaching strategies for writing (Book C) • Teaching strategies for writing (Book F) 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Teacher notes ........................................................................................................................ iv–v 

Class recording sheets 

Assessment activities ..................................................................................................... vi–ix 

Assessment writing tasks ................................................................................................ x–xi 

Student writing checklist ........................................................................................................ xii 

Student writing task – self-evaluation .................................................................................. xiii 

WORD CHOICES 

Unit 1 Nouns, noun groups and adjectives ............................................................ 2–7 

Unit 2 Pronouns, confusing pronouns (me/I), which pronoun? ........................... 8–13 

Unit 3 Verbs, descriptive and overused verbs, adverbials ................................. 14–19 

Unit 4 Choosing correct verbs: tense, consistency, 

subject, regular, irregular ......................................................................... 20–25 

Assessment................................................................................................................... 26–29 

SENTENCE STRUCTURE 

Unit 5 Sentences, word order, statements, questions ....................................... 30–35 

Unit 6 Sentence beginnings ............................................................................... 36–41 

Unit 7 Conjunctions ............................................................................................ 42–47 

Unit 8 Paragraphs ............................................................................................... 48–53 

Assessment................................................................................................................... 54–57 

PUNCTUATION 

Unit 9 Using punctuation in sentences .............................................................. 58–63 

Unit 10 Full stops, capital letters, commas, direct speech ................................. 64–69 

Unit 11 Apostrophes in contractions ................................................................... 70–75 

Unit 12 Apostrophes for possession .................................................................... 76–81 

Assessment................................................................................................................... 82–85 

EDITING AND PROOFREADING 

Unit 13 

Unit 14 

Unit 15 

Unit 16 

Spelling (vowel sounds), sentence structure, 

punctuation, word choices, editing ........................................................ 86–91 

Spelling (dictionary), sentence structure, 

punctuation, word choices, editing ......................................................... 92–97 

Spelling (suffixes, root words), sentence structure, 

punctuation, word choices, editing ....................................................... 98–103 

Spelling (homophones), sentence structure, 

punctuation, word choices, editing ..................................................... 104–109 

Assessment............................................................................................................... 110–113 

TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR WRITING (Book F) 

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iii

TEACHER NOTES 

ABOUT WRITING 

A good writer is not simply one who knows about and can 

use text types. A good writer is one with the capacity to 

produce interesting, informative, grammatically correct 

text, for a specific purpose, that achieves any writer’s 

intent – clear, precise communication. 

TEACHING WRITING 

Students can and should be taught strategies that will 

help them to write better. These include improvements 

in word choices, sentence structure, punctuation and 

editing and proofreading. Writing strategies taught 

should be modelled, discussed and then applied, firstly 

with teacher support and then independently. However, 

the emphasis should always be on the writing process, 

which requires forethought, planning and a rational, 

measured approach in order to produce the desired 

outcome. Editing and proofreading are essential 

components of any writing. It is important that students 

edit and proofread habitually, with a specific purpose, 

and concentrate on the careful consideration of each 

sentence, one at a time. Activities provided in this series 

encourage students to think about appropriate aspects 

of their writing before, during and after the process. 

LESSON PROCEDURE 

Introduction 

Discuss the text title with students. Ask for their 

interpretations of what the title could mean. 

Discuss the text type. Why does it fit into this category? 

What are the specific features of this type of text? 

Guide the discussion to introduce the teaching points/ 

strategies to be covered during the course of the unit. 

For example, check they understand terms such as noun 

group, adverbial, sentence, paragraph and comma. 

Development 

Read and discuss the text, either in groups or as a 

class. Assist students with any unfamiliar vocabulary or 

expressions. 

Differentiation 

Work through the introductory activities with the class 

as a whole, ensuring students understand what is 

required of them. 

Work with those requiring additional assistance while 

the remainder of the class work independently on the 

activities. 

ASSESSMENT 

An assessment is included for each unit in the book. 

Because of the way it is structured, this assessment 

will allow you to see individual student’s understandings 

as well as any common points of weakness which may 

require further assistance. 

FORMAT 

Teaching strategies for writing is organised into four 

sections: 


Punctuation 

Sentence structure 

Editing and proofreading 

Each section has four units of work and one assessment 

unit. 

Teaching units 

Each six-page unit of work has a specific focus, two 

teacher pages and four activity pages. 

Assessment units 

• Following each section is a four-page unit of 

assessment activities–one page for each unit. 

• Answers are provided in the teachers pages for that 

unit. 

• Teacher record sheets – see pages vi–ix. 

Assessment writing tasks 

• A suggested paragraph writing topic for each unit is 

provided on the teachers pages. 

• Teacher recording sheet – see pages x–xi. 

• Student writing checklist – see page xii. 

• Student self-evaluation – see page xiii. 

Review 

In pairs or small groups, students review their answers, 

giving their reasoning where required and critiquing the 

longer sentence or paragraph responses. 

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TEACHER NOTES 

Sample open pages 

TEACHER INFORMATION 


SENTENCES, WORD ORDER, 

STATEMENTS, QUESTIONS 

UNIT 5 

SENTENCES, WORD ORDER, 

STATEMENTS, QUESTIONS 

UNIT 5 

Focus 

Sentence structure — sentences, word order, statements to 

questions 

Progression 

Recognise 

Students will recognise a sentence from modelled examples. 

Choose 

Students will choose a variety of sentences from given examples, 

with teacher support. 

Use 

Students will use sentences in self-written sentences and 

paragraphs. 

Definition of terms 

A sentence is a set of words that makes sense by itself. It may be 

a statement, a question, an exclamation or a command. 

Nouns are words used to name people, things and feelings. 

An antonym is a word which has the opposite meaning to another 

word. 

A rhetorical question is one which is making a point rather than 

seeking an answer. 

Introduction 

Good writers improve their writing by planning sentences and 

paragraphs. 

LESSON NOTES AND PLANS 

Introduction 

• Discuss the text title with the class. 

• Explain the ‘real’ meaning of the word ‘fantastic’; that is, based in 

fantasy; not real. 

• What do they think the text may be about? 

• What type of text do students think this is? Why? (Discuss the 

features of informative texts.) 

• Identify the number of paragraphs and discuss why they have 

subheadings. 

• Discuss why organising text in this way is important. (It helps the 

reader to organise the information.) 

• Read the text with the class. 

Sentences – Changing sentences – Page 33 

• Read and discuss the definitions at the top of the page. 

• Explain that sentences can be either long or short and that the 

number of words in a set of words is unrelated to whether or not it 

qualifies as a sentence. 

• Discuss different types of sentences—statements, questions, 

commands and exclamations—and how each is punctuated. 

• Explain that a small change in a sentence can make a big difference 

to its meaning or give the opposite meaning; for example, adding 

suffixes, the word ‘not’ or by writing an antonym. 

• Explain the terms ‘positive’ and ‘negative’. 

• Read through the activities with the class as a whole, ensuring they 

understand what is required of them. 

• Work with those requiring additional assistance while the remainder 

of the class work independently on the activities. 

Word order – Page 34 

• Explain that word order can make a difference. 

• Discuss some of the reasons students gave to Question 2(a) (sounds 

funny, harder to say etc.). 





Questions – Page 35 

• Discuss with students the definition at the top of the page. (Ignore 

rhetorical questions.) 

ANSWERS 

Sentences, changing sentences – Page 33 

1. (a)–(d) Teacher check 

2. (a) The griffin is not a curious creature. 

(b) Dugongs would not make ugly mermaids. 

(c) There are not thousands of creatures in the world’s folklore. 

(d) It is impossible that Bigfoot really exists./It is not possible 

that Bigfoot really exists. 

3. (a) unreal 

(b) no 

(c) a difficult 

Word order – Page 34 

1. (a) pen (b) spaghetti 

(c) back 

(d) bolts 

(e) eggs/green eggs (f) later 

(g) key 

(h) fro/from 

2. (a)–(c) Teacher check – should all relate to word order 

helping to make sense 

3. (a) There have always been mythical creatures in the world’s 

folkore. 

(b) Stories of the kraken were based on a real giant squid. 

(c) Fans of the Harry Potter films would know of a griffin. 

(d) Surely dugongs are too ugly to be mistaken for mermaids! 

(e) I think if I was a creature I would be Bigfoot! 

(f) Mermaids in tales are said to lure sailors to their death. 

Questions – Page 35 

1. (a) full stop 

(b) full stop 

(c) question mark 

(d) question mark 

(e) full stop 

(f) question mark 

2. (a) Teacher check: What is Bigfoot and where is it found? 

(b) what, where 

(c) it 

(d) to avoid reptition (Bigfoot) 

3. (a)–(d) Teacher check 

4. Teacher check – Example: Is a griffin a beast to be feared? 

ASSESSMENT ANSWERS 

Assessment activity – Page 54 

1. (a)–(b) Teacher check 

2. Teacher check – Example: Remains of Bigfoot have never/not 

been found. 

3. (a) Even today, many cultures have a belief in fantastic 

creatures. 

(b) Mermaids are said to be half woman and half fish. 

4. Teacher check – Example: What is a griffin and how far back 

does it date? 

5. (a)–(c) Teacher check 

6. Teacher check – Example: Is the kraken based on the giant sea 

squid? 

Class record sheet – Page vii 

ASSESSMENT WRITING 

• Paragraph topic – Nightmare creatures 

• Focus: Sentence structure – Sentences, changing sentences, word 

order, questions 

Self-evaluation – Page xiii 

• Work with the class as a whole, demonstrating methods of changing 

statements to questions. Ensure students are comfortable with this 

concept. 

5. Teacher check 



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Teacher page 1 Teacher page 2 

31 

UNIT 5 

UNIT 5 

FANTASTIC OR REAL? 

SENTENCES, CHANGING SENTENCES 

1. By definition, something that is fantastic is based on fantasy; it’s not real. Every culture on Earth, from the 

earliest times to the present, has fantastic creatures in its folklore. But are they all fantasy, or could some be 

based in reality? Let’s explore some and see for ourselves. 

Mermaid/Merman 

2. With so much of the earth covered by water, it’s no wonder that tales of fantastic sea 

creatures exist. In some form or another, stories of mermaids and mermen (called merfolk 

collectively) are told around the world. Usually, they are portrayed as being human from 

the waist up, but a fish from the waist down. They also don’t have a very good reputation, 

being responsible for luring ships onto the rocks and sailors to their death! Some 

historians say the legends arose when people saw dugongs. If you’ve seen a picture 

of dugongs, you know they would make pretty ugly mermaids! 

Sasquatch/Bigfoot 

3. Bigfoot is a legendary creature of the North Americas. He is described as being two to 

three metres tall, weighing well over 200 kilograms, with a flat, moon-shaped face, small 

ears and covered entirely in hair. Native Americans told stories of him from the earliest 

times. ‘Sightings’, whether real, fake or just mistaken identity, have also been made since 

Europeans arrived on the continent. Strangely enough, even today, the creature has managed 

to never be captured, nor have any remains been found. I wonder why? 

Kraken 

4. The kraken is a gigantic sea monster to be found off the coasts of Norway and Greenland. 

It was said to attack sailing ships, dragging them and their helpless crews underwater. 

Stories tell of it fighting—and defeating—the largest of whales. It is described as 

having many arms, with spiked suckers on them, and a giant beaked mouth to tear flesh. 

Sound familiar? It should. Some scientists now believe that the kraken was ‘real’. They think 

that it was based on sightings of a giant squid that is known to grow up to 15 metres long! 

Griffin 

5. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, you’ve seen a griffin. It is a curious creature, combining a lion’s back legs 

and body, and an eagle’s head, claws and wings. It’s origins may date back 5000 years! But why those two 

creatures? Well, the lion is said to be the king of beasts, so that choice is easy. And the eagle? To many people, 

it is the king of the air. Put the two together and you have a very powerful beast, one to be 

feared. So it’s not surprising that griffins in mythology were often shown as being guardians 

of treasure or kings. Even today, griffins feature on flags and army pennants. (Oh, Harry 

Potter, you ask? Dumbledore has a griffin for a door knocker. And Gryffindor is a version of 

the French griffon d’or, which means golden griffon. Now you know.) 

6. So there you have just a tiny few of the many fantastic creatures in folklore. How many are there, you ask? 

Hundreds, if not thousands. But how many are based on real life? The answer to that I’m afraid would take 

a lifetime.There is the vampire, unicorn, naiad, dragon, centaur, leprechaun, werewolf, bunyip, cerberus, 

chupacabra, fairy, faun, gorgon, satyr, sphinx, loup-garou ... 

A sentence is a set of words that makes sense by itself. 

An antonym is a word which has the opposite meaning to another word. 

1. A sentence must make sense on its own. Rewrite the statements to make complete 

sentences. 

(a) Stories of fantastic sea creatures 

(b) Bigfoot has never 

(c) Guardians of treasure 

(d) A giant beaked mouth 

Writers can give a new meaning to a sentence by making small changes. 

For example: by adding words like ‘not’ or by adding a prefix — ‘likely’ to ‘unlikely’ — or by 

writing an antonym. 

2. Change the sentence from a positive to a negative by adding a word or prefix. 

(a) The griffin is a curious creature. 

(b) Dugongs would make ugly mermaids. 

(c) There are thousands of creatures in the world’s folklore. 

(d) It is possible that Bigfoot really exists. 

3. Change the meaning by writing an antonym of the underlined word. 

(a) Some scientists today believe the kraken may have been real. 

(b) There have been some recorded sightings of Bigfoot by early settlers. 

(c) Choosing a lion for the griffin was an easy task. 

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Activity page 1 Activity page 2 

33 

UNIT 5 

UNIT 5 

WORD ORDER 

QUESTIONS 

1. Complete the pairs. 

(a) and paper (b) and meatballs 

(c) forth and 

(d) nuts and 

(e) ham and 

(f) sooner or 

(g) lock and 

(h) to and 

2. Word order makes a difference. 

(a) What did you notice about the pair in Question 1 (c)? 

A question needs an answer and is followed by a question mark. 

1. Add question marks at the end of questions and full stops after any statements. 

(a) I don’t believe in monsters 

(b) Please tell me you don’t believe in them 

(c) Where is Bigfoot found 

(d) Why do mermaids have a bad reputation 

(e) I always get asked about griffins (f) Don’t you know about the kraken 

2. Bigfoot is a giant ape-like creature found throughout North America. 

(a) Write the question that is answered by the statement. 

(b) Why do you think that was ? 

(c) What does that tell you about word order? 

(b) Which two question words did you use? 

3. Change the order of the words so the sentence makes sense. 

(a) creatures have been the in mythical world’s There always folklore. 

(c) What pronoun did you need to add to your question? 

(d) Why did you need the pronoun? 

3. Write a question about: 

(a) mermaids and dugongs 

(b) squid the of on based kraken were a real Stories giant. 

(b) lion and eagle 

(c) know the of a Harry films would griffin Potter Fans of. 

(c) giant squid 

(d) Norway and Greenland 

(d) for are to too Surely mermaids! dugongs ugly be mistaken 

4. Change the statement to a question. 

A griffin is a beast to be feared. 

(e) be I I I a think if was creature would Bigfoot! 

5. Complete the questions about the text. 

(a) When 

(f) to to said sailors Mermaids their tales are lure death in. 

(b) Where 

(c) What 

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Activity page 3 Activity page 4 

35 



v

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES 

CLASS RECORD 

Date: 

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 

vi 




CLASS RECORD 

Unit: Focus: Date: 

Paragraph topic: 

Name 

Comment 

x 



STUDENT WRITING CHECKLIST 

Name: 

Date: 

Assessment writing topic: 

Paragraph 

I have read the paragraph and it makes sense. .......................................................... 

I have read it to check for spelling errors. .................................................................. 

I have made corrections. ............................................................................................ 

Punctuation 

I have checked the sentences one at a time for: 

• capital letters to start sentences and proper nouns. ........................................... 

• full stops, question marks, exclamation marks. ................................................. 

• commas. ................................................................................................................ 

• apostrophes for contractions and ownership. ...................................................... 

• speech marks. ....................................................................................................... 

I have made corrections. ............................................................................................ 

Sentences 

I have checked the sentences one at a time for: 

• sense – Does each sentence make sense by itself? ............................................ 

• length – Are any sentences too long? ................................................................... 

Should they be separated? ..................................................................... 

Should some be joined? .......................................................................... 

• beginnings – Have I used interesting beginnings? ............................................... 


I have made changes. ...................................................................... 

verbs – Are they informative and different? ............................................................... 

Have I used the correct verb tense? ............................................................... 

Are there too many boring verbs? .................................................................. 

adverbials – Do some verbs need adverbials to tell how, 

when or where something happened? ................................................... 

noun groups – Are the noun groups descriptive? ...................................................... 

Can I add some descriptive adjectives to tell 

more about nouns and pronouns? ...................................................... 

pronouns – Have I used the correct pronouns? ......................................................... 

I have made changes and corrections. .................................................... 

xii 



STUDENT SELF-EVALUATION 

Name: Unit: Date: 

I wrote a paragraph about: 

My goal was to focus on: 

How well did I achieve my goal? 

Three things I did well in my writing were: 

• 

• 

• 

Next time I write a paragraph I will try to: 

STUDENT SELF-EVALUATION 

Name: Unit: Date: 

I wrote a paragraph about: 

My goal was to focus on: 

How well did I achieve my goal? 

Three things I did well in my writing were: 

• 

• 

• 

Next time I write a paragraph I will try to: 



xiii


NOUNS, NOUN GROUPS 

AND ADJECTIVES 

UNIT 1 

Focus 

Word choices – nouns, noun groups and adjectives 

Progression 

Recognise 

Students will recognise a noun/noun group/adjective from 

modelled examples. 

Choose 

Students will choose informative nouns/noun groups/adjectives 

from given examples, with teacher support. 

Use 

Students will choose and use appropriate, informative nouns/noun 

groups/adjectives in supplied and self-written sentences. 


Nouns are words used to name people, places, things, feelings and 

ideas. 

A noun group is a noun with other words used to name people, 

places, things, feelings and ideas. 

Adjectives are describing words adding to or changing the 

meaning of a noun or pronoun. 

Introduction 

Good writers improve their writing by their choice of words used 

to correctly name people, places, things, feelings and ideas. They 

can choose words to add information to nouns to make a more 

precise noun group. Noun groups have a noun, plus: 

• a determiner, e.g. the camera, many photos 

• a possessive, e.g. the camera’s lens, Dad’s camera 

• an adjective, e.g. focused photos, interesting subjects 

• nouns, e.g. camera lens, phone screen 

• a number, e.g. ten photos 


Introduction 

• Discuss the text title with students. 

• Do they think the text will be an imaginative story or will it be giving 

them information? 

• Why do they think this? What are some of the features of informative 

or imaginative texts? 

• Introduce the term ‘noun/noun group’ and explain that the words 

naming different people, places, things, feelings and ideas are 

nouns. Use examples from the classroom: board, desks, students, 

teacher, Michael (any student name), school name. 

• Read the text with or to the class. 

• Identify some of the nouns used in the text to name people, places, 

things, feelings and ideas. 

• Identify nouns with capital letters. What do these nouns name? Why 

do these nouns have capital letters? 

Nouns – Page 5 

• Read and discuss the definition at the top of the page. 

• Discuss why nouns are an important part of every sentence and 

why it is important for writers to think about nouns and to choose 

interesting and informative nouns. 

• Work through the activities with the class as a whole, ensuring they 




• Encourage students to share and discuss their answers to 

Question 4(b). 

Noun groups – Page 6 


• Explain that instead of using just one word to name something, good 

writers will often add more information by writing a group of words. 

• Work through the examples of noun groups given on this page. 

• Show by example how careful choice of noun groups can lead to 

a clearer understanding by the reader; for example, The digital 

camera vs The expensive digital camera with a zoom lens. 

Adjectives – Page 7 


• Explain that while adjectives can make writing more interesting and 

precise, they can be overdone. 

• Encourage students to discuss their answer to Question 5, and in 

particular why they chose the adjectives they did. 

2 




NOUNS, NOUN GROUPS 

AND ADJECTIVES 

UNIT 1 

ANSWERS 

Nouns – Page 5 

1. (a) focus 

(b) speck 

(c) friends 

(d) tower 

2. (a) light 

(b) screen 

(c) eye 

(d) shoot 


4. (a) Mum, Dad, Nikon , Pentax , Eiffel Tower 

(b) Teacher check 



1. (a) a padded camera case with a wide shoulder strap 

(b) six stunning landscape photos 

2.–5. Teacher check 

Class record sheet – Page vi 


• Paragraph topic – Say cheese! 

• Focus: Word choices – nouns, noun groups and adjectives 


Noun groups – Page 6 

1. (a) tiny speck in the distance 

(b) point-and-shoot digital camera 

(c) antlers growing out of their heads 

(d) best possible result 

(e) visually impressive or important part 


Adjectives – Page 7 


2. (a) main 

(b) spiky, black 

(c) basic photographic 




3

UNIT 1 

SMILE! 

1. Do you have a smartphone or a point-and-shoot 

digital camera? Or can you perhaps use Mum and 

Dad’s? Do you take photos? Would you like to take 

better photos? 

2. If you answered ‘yes’ to the above questions, 

here are just a few tips that will help you take 

photographs you’ll want to look at again and again. 

People will say to you, ‘Oh, but you must have an 

expensive camera to take photos like that’. The 

truth is, you don’t need a Nikon or a Pentax to 

take good photos. All you need is a good eye and a 

bit of basic photographic knowledge. 

Selfies 

3. No. Don’t. Not ever. That is all. 

The rule of thirds 

4. Some cameras and phones 

will actually show lines on the 

screen that divide your view 

into thirds horizontally and 

vertically. Where those lines 

intersect is where you should 

put the most interesting parts 

of your photo. That’s right— 

not in the middle of the screen. 

Keep it straight 

5. Sounds logical, doesn’t it? While there are some 

times when you want to shoot at an angle for a 

special effect, do it all the time and you’re going 

to get dizzy just looking at them! 

Point of interest 

6. Sometimes called the focal point, this is the part 

of the photograph you want people to focus on. If 

you don’t have one, their eyes will wander all over 

the photo without really ‘seeing’ anything. 

Get closer 

7. Have you ever taken a photograph you thought 

would be stunning, only to find when you look at 

it later that the main focus is just a tiny speck in 

the distance? Or taken photos of your friends to 

find they’re so far away you can hardly make out 

their faces? Get closer. Fill the frame (the screen/ 

viewfinder) with your subject. If your subject’s 

too tall, like say the Eiffel Tower, turn your phone/ 

camera vertical and pick the most visually 

impressive or important part to photograph. 

Watch the background 

8. If you are taking portraits or photos of people, look 

behind your subjects. You don’t want to discover 

later that the spiky, black plant growing behind 

them makes it look as though they have antlers 

growing out of their heads! And try to avoid having 

too much light (or the sun!) behind your subject. 

All you will get will be a silhouette as your phone/ 

camera tries to adjust for the light. 

Above, below, alongside 

9. Look at things from different angles. Don’t always 

shoot face on. Shooting upwards from a low angle 

makes the subject look bigger. Shooting down 

from above makes the subject less imposing. And 

sometimes it may make a photo more impressive to 

shoot from the side … or even from behind. 

Take plenty 

10. The more you take, the higher the chances you will 

get one ‘just right’ shot. But don’t forget to delete 

the ones that didn’t work! 

Edit 

11. Get a free photo editing app. Use 

it to trim, highlight, colour 

and otherwise adjust your 

photo for the best possible 

result. Happy snaps! 

4 



UNIT 1 

NOUNS 

Nouns are naming words for people, places and things. 

For example: Mum, camera, photo. 

Good writers choose their nouns carefully. 

1. Which noun in Paragraph 7 means: 

(a) a central point of attention? 

(b) something looking small because of distance? 

(c) people you are fond of? 

(d) a very tall structure? 

2. Choose the best noun for each sentence. 

shoot screen eye light 

(a) You need enough 

(b) The 

to take a photo, but not behind the subject. 

on a smartphone is the same as a camera viewfinder. 

(c) Don’t always have the phone/camera at 

level. 

(d) You can either ‘take’ or ‘ 

’ a photograph. 

3. Write an interesting sentence using each noun. 

(a) shoot 

(b) antlers 

(c) camera 

4. Proper nouns name specific places, things or people and always start with a capital. 

(a) Find five proper nouns in the text. 

(b) Write an interesting sentence using two of the proper nouns. 



5

UNIT 1 

NOUN GROUPS 

A noun group is a noun with other words which add more information about the noun. 

For example: clearly focused photos; soft, warm light at sunset; camera with a zoom lens. 

Good writers use informative noun groups to make their writing more precise. 

1. Write the whole noun group from the text. 

(a) speck (para. 7) 

(b) camera (para. 1) 

(c) antlers (para. 8) 

(d) result (para. 11) 

(e) part (para. 7) 

2. Add some words of your own to each noun to make an informative noun group; e.g. a photo 

in a silver frame, soft glow of afternoon light. 

(a) photo 

(b) light 

(c) result 

(d) focus 

(e) knowledge 

3. Write an interesting sentence using two of the noun groups from Question 2. 

4. Write two noun groups from Paragraph 8. 

(a) 

(b) 

5. (a) Write a noun group using the word eye. 

(b) Use this noun group in an interesting sentence. 

6 



UNIT 1 

ADJECTIVES 

Adjectives are describing words. They can tell more about a noun. 

For example: a simple, cheap, pocket camera. 

1. Write three interesting adjectives you could use to describe each noun. 

(a) photo 

(b) camera 

(c) subject 

(d) lens 

2. Write the adjective(s) used in the text to describe each noun. 

(a) 

focus 

(b) 

(c) 

plant 

knowledge 

3. Use each adjective to describe a noun in an interesting sentence. 

(a) unfocused 

(b) impressive 

4. Add adjectives to make the sentences more descriptive. 

(a) One photo of a subject. 

(b) My phone is a camera. 

(c) A subject makes a photo. 

(d) knowledge is needed before cameras. 

5. On the back of this page, write a descriptive paragraph about your favourite photograph. 

Before you start, think about adjectives you could use to tell how it looks, what it’s about, 

and where and why it was taken. Write some of these adjectives in the box below. 



7


PRONOUNS, CONFUSING PRONOUNS 

(ME/I), WHICH PRONOUN? 

UNIT 2 

Focus 

Word choices – pronouns, confusing pronouns (me/I), which 

pronoun? 

Progression 

Recognise 

Students will recognise a pronoun from modelled examples. 

Choose 

Students will choose appropriate pronouns from given examples, 

with teacher support. 

Use 

Students will choose and use correct and appropriate pronouns in 

supplied and self-written sentences. 


Pronouns are words used to replace nouns. 

Personal pronouns are used in place of a person or thing. 

A relative pronoun comes before the clause describing the noun 

or pronoun to which it refers. 

A possessive pronoun replaces a noun identifying ownership by 

the person or thing to which it refers. 

A noun group is a noun with other words used to name people, 

places and things. 

The subject of a verb is the person or thing ‘doing’ the action. 

The object of a verb is the person or thing affected by the action. 

Introduction 

Good writers improve their writing by replacing nouns with 

appropriate and correct pronouns. The use of pronouns prevents 

constant repetition of a noun, making text more manageable and 

fluid. It is important for students to know the correct pronouns to 

use in the context of a sentence. 

Possessive pronouns are used to replace the name of a person or 

thing; e.g. That bag belongs to him (Dad), it is his. 

Note: The words ‘his’ and ‘its’ can be used as a possessive 

determiner as well as a possessive pronoun; e.g. his bag, its tail. 

The following table shows subjective, objective and possessive 

personal pronouns. 

Note: Subjective and objective pronouns are required when the 

pronoun refers to the subject or object of the verb; for example, 

I (subject) boarded the ship. The crew welcomed us (object) 

onboard. 


Introduction 

• Discuss the text title with students. Ask them who could be running 

for their life. From what? 

• Do they think the text will be an imaginative story or will it be giving 

them information? 

• Why do they think this? What are some of the features of informative 

and imaginative text? 

• Introduce the term ‘pronoun’ and explain that words replacing nouns 

are pronouns. Use examples from the classroom; e.g. Mary = she, 

the board = it, the tallest boy in the class = he, students = they. 

• Read the text with the class. 

• Identify some of the pronouns used in the text to replace people, 

places and things. 

• Identify single and plural pronouns from the text. 

Pronouns — Page 11 

Personal pronouns 

Person Subjective Objective Emphatic/ 

reflexive 


Possessive 

First singular I me myself mine 

Second you you yourself yours 

Third (male) he him himself his 

Third (female) she her herself hers 

Third (neuter) it it itself its 

First plural we us ourselves ours 

Second you you yourselves yours 

Third they them themselves theirs 

The relative pronouns ‘who’, ‘which’ and ‘that’ are used to refer to 

nouns and pronouns; e.g., the boy who, he who, the team that, the 

book which. 

The correct use of ‘who’ for people is more critical. Although 

‘which’ and ‘that’ can both be used in many contexts, ‘which’ should 

strictly be used to refer to a particular desk (telling which one); 

e.g. the desk which is by the door. The relative pronoun ‘that’ has 

a broader reference and doesn’t refer to one desk; e.g. the desks 

that are by the door. 

• Explain that good writers use pronouns instead of repeating the 

same nouns. 

• Explain why it is important to use the correct pronoun for the noun it 

replaces. 

• Work through Question 1(a) with the group. Assist any students who 

require further clarification. 

• Read the information relating to relative pronouns. Work through the 

examples as a class. 

8 




PRONOUNS, CONFUSING PRONOUNS 

(ME/I), WHICH PRONOUN? 

UNIT 2 

• Elicit further examples of relative pronouns from the class to ensure 

understanding. 

• Read through the remaining activities with the class as a whole, 

ensuring they understand what is required of them. 



• Encourage students to share their answers to Question 5. 

Confusing pronouns – Me or I? – Page 12 

• Discuss the examples at the top of the page and the terms ‘subject’ 

and ‘object’. 

• Encourage students to read the sentences aloud to help them to 

choose the correct pronouns. Encourage them to ask the question ‘Who 

did it?’; if the answer is ‘I’, then ‘I’ is correct; if not, it should be ‘me’. 

• Explain that adding another person in front of ‘me’ and ‘I’ makes 

selecting the correct pronoun difficult, even for many adults. Some 

of them always say ‘somebody and I’, which can be incorrect. 

• Read the ‘Hint’ and examples with students and have them practise 

omitting the other person. 

• Provide opportunities for the class to share their answers to 

Question 4 and to discuss how they tackled the task. 

Which pronoun – Who, that or which? – Page 13 

• Questions 1 and 2 focus on the relative pronouns ‘who’, ‘that’ and 

‘which’. 

• Explain that ‘who’ must be used for people. NOTE: ‘That’ and ‘which’ 

refer to things, places and can both be used for groups of people; 

e.g. the team which, a class that, (but ‘the members of the team 

who’). 

• Before completing Question 3, discuss nouns that the pronouns in 

the box could be used to replace. 

ANSWERS 

Pronouns – Page 11 

1. (a) Cathy – she 

(b) Mum and Dad – they 

(c) The creature with trailing tentacles – it 

(d) strange, glowing jellyfish monsters – them 

2. (a) There is the monster that is gliding down the road. 

(b) Mum hugged the baby, who was crying. 

3. Cathy was scared of them because she had no idea what they 

were. 

4. There is the jellyfish that scares me because I think it is alien. 

5. (a) it (b) them (c) it 


Which pronoun – Who, that or which? – Page 13 

1. (a) that (b) who (c) that 

(d) that (e) who 

2. (a) who – Teacher check 

(b) which – Teacher check 

(c) that – Teacher check 

3. (a) yours (b) mine 

(c) theirs (d) ours 

(e) his/hers (f) mine 



1. (a) The hideous jellyfish alien – it 

(b) The terrified people – they 

(c) The film director – he/she 

2. Come and look at the aliens that have landed on earth. 

3. When you see the alien I want you to run away from it as fast as 

you can. 

4. (a) me (b) I (c) me (d) I 

5. (a) it (b) he 

6. (a) that (b) that (c) who 

7. (a) mine (b) theirs (c) hers 



• Paragraph topic – My favourite film star 

• Focus: Word choices – pronouns 


Confusing pronouns – Me or I? – Page 12 

1. (a) I (b) I (c) me (d) me 

2. (a) I – me (b) me – I (c) I – me (d) I – me 

3. (a) I (b) I (c) me (d) me 




9

UNIT 2 

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! 

1. Cathy was exhausted. She couldn’t run any more. She just had to rest. 

There was a destroyed shop nearby and she was able to climb in 

through the space where the window had once been. It was a clothing shop, an expensive one. Kathy pulled 

handfuls of clothes from the racks and made herself a crude bed in one corner. Too exhausted to do more, she 

threw herself down and curled up in a ball of misery. 

2. What had happened? One minute she had been at home, reading a book in her bedroom. The next minute, her 

world had turned upside-down. 

3. When it had first started getting dark, she had just assumed a cloud was covering the sun and kept reading. 

But when the explosions started, she stood up and looked out the window. It was no cloud in the sky. Instead, 

there was a dull grey metal disk of some kind, like an umbrella turned up the wrong way. Clouds swirled around 

the disk, from which shafts of light shot out at great speed, followed by the explosions she had heard. 

4. Her bedroom door was flung open and her parents were there, her mother holding her baby brother close 

to her. She had never seen them look so unsure of themselves, so ... frightened! ‘Cathy! Out! Now!’ her father 

shouted. ‘Come on!’ 

5. Her book dropped to the floor as she bolted after them. They ran into the front street, joining the stream of 

people all fleeing, pushing and shoving each other, trying to get away. 

6. There was an explosion close by, and a house disappeared in flame and smoke. Cathy was blown off her feet. 

When she managed to fight her way upright again, Mum and Dad were gone, swept away in the panicked, 

screaming crowd. 

7. Cathy elbowed her way to a tree growing in a park. She hunched down 

behind it, her back to the rough bark, closed her eyes and put her hands 

over her ears and sobbed as the crowd streamed past, gradually thinning. 

8. Finally, she realised she was alone. She stood up and looked behind her. 

The once peaceful street was a war zone. Smoke filled the air from a 

dozen destroyed houses, and smashed burning cars littered the road, as did 

people’s possessions, carelessly discarded as they fought to get away. 

9. No! She was not alone! At the far end of the street, something was moving, drifting in and out of the smoke. 

Cathy stepped out from behind the tree, raised her arm to wave and started to call out. But the call died in her 

throat. What emerged from the smoke may have been alive—but it certainly wasn’t human! To Cathy it looked 

like a jellyfish, with long, trailing tentacles, and eyes on stalks that swivelled left and right as it glided above 

the ground. 

10. So she ran. And ran and ran, through the afternoon and into the night, she ran. Now, she could run no more. It 

was dark and quiet. Deadly quiet. Too quiet. On her hands and knees she crawled silently across to the window, 

keeping low. In the ruined street outside were two of the jellyfish, glowing pale green. They were heading for 

her. She stifled a gasp. This was it! She held her breath. 

11. The shrill sound of the telephone cut through the silence. Amazed, Cathy stood up. Even the jellyfish had 

stopped dead in the street. 

12. ‘Cut, cut!’ screeched the director. ‘What idiot has brought a mobile phone onto my film set!’ 

10 



UNIT 2 

PRONOUNS 

A pronoun is used to replace a noun/noun group. 

For example: ‘a clothing shop’ – it, ‘Cathy’ – she. 

1. What pronoun could be used in each sentence to replace the noun/noun group? 

(a) Cathy was frightened and tired. 

(b) Mum and Dad had never looked so frightened. 

(c) The creature with trailing tentacles was gliding down the street. 

(d) Cathy was terrified of the strange, glowing jellyfish monsters. 

A relative pronoun joins a main clause to a related clause: ‘This is the shed. Dad built 

this shed’ — ‘This is the shed (main clause) that (relative pronoun) Dad built (relative 

clause)’; ‘Here’s the boy who threw the ball’. 

2. Join the two clauses. 

(a) There is the monster. It is gliding down the road. 

(b) Mum hugged the baby. He was crying. 

3. Rewrite this sentence using pronouns. 

Cathy was scared of the jellyfish because she had no idea what the jellyfish were. 

4. Join the sentences using pronouns where necessary. 

There is the jellyfish. The jellyfish scares me because I think the jellyfish is alien. 

5. Write a pronoun to replace the underlined noun group. 

(a) The once peaceful street was a war zone. 

(b) They joined the stream of people. 

(c) She made a crude bed. 

6. Think of a short sentence for the noun group. Write the sentence using at least one pronoun. 

the panicked, screaming crowd 



11

UNIT 2 

CONFUSING PRONOUNS – ME OR I? 

Good writers choose correct pronouns. 

The pronoun ‘I’ is used as the subject of a verb. 

The pronoun ‘me’ is used as the object of a verb. 

For example: I was fightened by the alien. (who was frightened? = subject = I) 

The alien was frightening me. (was frightening whom? = object = me) 

1. Circle the correct pronouns. The verbs are highlighted. 

(a) I’m sure (I, me) would be frightened if an alien came down the street. 

(b) There was an alien in the street and (I, me) ran away. 

(c) The house exploded and blew (I, me) onto the ground. 

(d) Unless I ran like the wind, there would be little hope for (I, me). 

2. Correct the sentences where necessary. Write the correction above the error. 

(a) Dad shouted at me to hurry because there was big danger for I. 

(b) Mum said me had to drop the book and run! 

(c) I think, for I at least, the ruined houses were the worst. 

(d) The thought of not seeing my family again is frightening I. 

When ‘I' and ‘me’ are used with two or more other people, it can be more difficult to choose 

the correct pronoun. 

Hint: Try saying the sentence with only the pronoun. 

Example 1: My family and (I or me) ran from the house. 

Try saying the pronouns separately: 

‘I’ ran from the house. / ‘Me’ ran from the house. 

Example 2: The explosions were terrifying for my family and (I, me). 

Try saying: The explosions were terrifying for ‘I’. / The explosions were terrifying for ‘me’. 

3. Circle the correct pronoun. 

(a) I hope my family and (I or me) are reunited soon. 

(b) Mum promised she and (I or me) would find each other. 

(c) Dad would always try to save my brother and (I or me). 

(d) I had no doubt the aliens would harm my family and (I or me). 

4. Write an interesting sentence on the back of this page using: 

(a) my family and me 

(b) my family and I 

12 



UNIT 2 

WHICH PRONOUN – WHO, THAT OR WHICH? 

Good writers use the pronoun ‘who’ for people and ‘that’ or ‘which’ for everything except 

people. 

For example: The frightened people who ran past us ... 

The explosion that rocked the street ... 

The alien, which had eyes on stalks, glided ... 

1. Add ‘who’ or ‘that’. 

(a) The giant object 

(b) The people 

(c) The explosions 

(d) Whatever it was 

(e) Cathy, 

hovered overhead was definitely alien. 

were fleeing down the street were completely panicked. 

destroyed the houses terrified me. 

came out of the smoke, it wasn’t from Earth. 

by now was exhausted, took shelter in a shop. 

2. Write ‘who’, ‘that’ or ‘which’ on the first line, then complete the sentence. 

(a) The director, , 

(b) The explosions, , 

(c) The aliens, , 

3. Complete the sentences using pronouns from below. 

mine yours his hers ours theirs 

(a) ‘Is that phone 

?’ the director screamed at Cathy. 

(b) ‘No’, said Cathy. ‘It’s absolutely not .’ 

(c) ‘It could be 

(d) ‘No way! It’s not 

(e) ‘Perhaps it’s 

though’, she said, pointing. 

either’, protested the two ‘aliens’. 

’, the ‘aliens’ said, pointing to the cameraman. ‘Or even 

’, they added, pointing to the make-up lady . 

(f) Not me’, she replied. ‘See those people over there? Well, it could be .’ 

(g) ‘Oopsies!’ said the director, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a phone. 

‘It’s !’ 



13


VERBS, DESCRIPTIVE AND 

OVERUSED VERBS, ADVERBIALS 

UNIT 3 

Focus 

Word choices – verbs, descriptive verbs, overused verbs, 

adverbials 

Progression 

Recognise 

Students will recognise a verb/adverbial from modelled examples. 

Choose 

Students will choose the more or most informative verb/adverbial 

from given examples, with teacher support. 

Use 

Students will choose and use appropriate, informative verbs/ 

adverbials in supplied and self-written sentences. 


Verbs or ‘doing’ words show actions or states of being or having. 

A verb group is a verb combined with other auxiliary verbs. 

An action verb is one which describes an action or feeling. 

Adverbials are words or groups of words that add information, 

usually to a verb or verb group. They can tell how (manner), when 

(time) or where (place) something happens. Adverbs can modify 

(add information to) any words that are not nouns or pronouns. 

(These are modified by adjectives.) 

Introduction 

Good writers improve their writing by their choice of informative 

and appropriate verbs and adverbials. 


Introduction 

• Discuss the text title with the class. Why would the writer say ‘I like 

snow’? Discuss the pros and cons of snow. List them on the board. 

• Read the text with students. Discuss the type of text it is (imaginative 

recount). Use questioning to remind students of the features of this 

text type. 

• Show by example how careful choice of action verbs can lead to a 

clearer understanding by the reader. (For example, Rain falls heavily 

vs Rain hammers down relentlessly.) 

Descriptive verbs – Page 17 


• Discuss why verbs are a vital part of every sentence and why it 

is important for writers to think about verbs and choose good, 

interesting and informative verbs. 





Overused verbs – Page 18 

• Review students’ understanding of the term ‘verb’ and ask them to 

provide examples. 

• Discuss the overuse of (pallid) boring verbs like saw, went, got, put 

and said and give alternatives for said, such as yelled, screamed, 

whispered, ordered, demanded. 

• Explain that better verbs can give more information about what is 

happening and can change the meaning of a sentence. 

• Brainstorm and list more informative verbs for got, put and say. This 

will assist the class to complete the questions on the page. 

• Provide opportunities for the class to share the paragraph they 

wrote for Question 5. 

Descriptive adverbials – Page 19 

• Read and discuss the definition of adverbials and the examples 

given. 

• Explain that good writers add adverbials to give the reader more 

information about verbs and to make their writing more interesting. 

• Brainstorm and make three lists of adverbials that could tell how, 

when and where rain fell; e.g. how — constantly, with a roar like a 

train; when — in a few minutes, overnight; where — over the grey 

city. 

• Work through the activities with those requiring assistance. Others 

should complete the activities independently. 

14 






UNIT 3 

ANSWERS 

Descriptive verbs – Page 17 


2. (a) Suggest: hurtled 

(b) Suggest: blistering 

(c) Suggest: twinkled (accept ‘glowed’ if justified) 


4. (a) oozing 

(b) Teacher check — it has connotations of heat; molten tar or 

hot honey ‘ooze’ 

5. (a) chuckling 

(b)–(d) Teacher check 




4. between 




• Paragraph topic – Storm! 

• Focus: Word choices – verbs and adverbials 


Overused verbs – Page 18 

1. (a) muttering 

(b)–(d) Teacher check 


Descriptive adverbials – Page 19 

1. darkly under their breath 

2. like a beached whale 




15

UNIT 3 

LET IT SNOW 

1. I like snow. There, I’ve said it. In fact, I’ll say it again. I–like–snow. And right now there are people muttering 

darkly under their breath, ‘That’s because you don’t have to live with it!’ 

2. Well, that’s true. Where I live we don’t have snow—ever. Our winter is a drab, grey shroud—the sky is grey, the 

ocean is molten lead, the streets and houses are dark and even the people are drab. Rain pelts icily from the 

sky and the wind slices with nasty intent through every layer of clothing to make your very bones ache. 

3. So when I get to experience a winter with snow I jump at the opportunity. New snow is clean, white and bright. 

And when the sun shines on it, it sparkles with the fire of a million jewels. 

4. Sure, it can be cold in the snow. But it’s a different ‘cold’. You can rug up against it. It’s not a miserable, damp 

cold like ours. And when the sun’s smiling down from a cloudless sky, and the wind’s just breathing softly, you 

can even be pleasantly warm in the snow. 

5. Is there anything to match Christmas in the snow? I mean, that’s a real Christmas! Where I live, Christmas Day 

is usually around 35° C—yet we still struggle through a ‘traditional’ hot Christmas dinner. Come on, now— 

35° C and we’re ploughing into ham, turkey, roast vegetables, greens, gravy and sauce, followed by Christmas 

pudding with custard, brandy sauce and ice cream! All eaten with the air-conditioner and fan struggling 

mightily to keep us from dissolving into little grease blobs. Then we stagger off to find somewhere cool to 

sleep it all off. No wonder! 

6. But a white Christmas? That’s altogether different. Just for a start, all the carols suddenly have real meaning. 

Jingle bells, White Christmas, Sleigh ride and even Frosty, the snowman are different songs when it’s silently 

snowing and the trees are glistening and fairy lights are dancing in the dark. When everything is drooping and 

wilting in the heat and people in the shops are hot and short-tempered, Jingle bells oozing from the shopping 

centre’s speakers loses a lot of its appeal! 

7. I love playing in the snow, too. I don’t ski or 

snowboard very well, but I can sit on a toboggan 

and whoosh my way down a snow-covered slope 

with the best of them. I’ve even hurtled down on 

a tractor tube, dodging and weaving between 

fir trees and learners, wailing like a banshee, 

completely alive with the joy of it. Then at night, 

a hot shower or bath followed by a mug of hot 

chocolate in front of a log fire chuckling softly in 

the grate. 

8. Compare that with a day at the beach at home. First off, you need the hat, the sunscreen, the sunglasses 

and the beach towel. Once there, it’s a mad dash over the dazzlingly white beach sand—which the sun has 

superheated so you have to dance a jig to avoid burning your feet. Throw the towel down, plop yourself on it. 

Ah, that’s better. But that superfine beach sand eventually wriggles its way into everything, and you need a 

swim to get rid of it. Into the water—and belted clean off your feet by the first wave. You come up spluttering 

and spouting salt water like a beached whale. Then at night, a lukewarm shower to sluice off the sticky salt, 

followed by a cold drink in front of a fan that wheezes as it pathetically stirs the hot air. 

9. Yes, I know why I like snow. 

16 



UNIT 3 

DESCRIPTIVE VERBS 

Good writers want their readers to have the clearest understanding of their writing. They 

can do this is by choosing their descriptive verbs carefully. 

For example: instead of writing, ‘The rain fell from the dark sky’, a good writer would try to 

think of a more descriptive verb or verb group and perhaps write, ‘The rain spat from the 

dark sky’. 

1. Rewrite the sentence. Use a verb that is more descriptive and gives more information. 

(a) The wind blew through the trees. 

(b) The sun shone through the clouds. 

2. Choose the best verb to complete each sentence. You won’t use all the words. 

rode blistering shone warm hurtled twinkled slid hot glowed 

(a) I 

down the slope on a toboggan. 

(b) The beach sand was . 

(c) The fairy lights 

on the Christmas tree. 

3. Write each descriptive verb in an interesting sentence. 

dissolve ooze wriggle 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

4. Good writers often find new or different verbs to use. 

(a) Which verb in Paragraph 6 did the writer use to describe 

how the music was coming through the speakers? 

(b) Why do you think the writer chose that particular verb? 

5. (a) Which verb in Paragraph 7 tells how the fire is burning? 

(b) Write a good sentence on another topic using this verb. 

(c) Think of another descriptive verb the writer could have used. 

(d) Use this verb in an interesting sentence. 



17

UNIT 3 

OVERUSED VERBS 

There are some verbs we use all the time in our writing that are not very informative. 

For example: ‘put’, ‘said’, ‘went’, ‘got’. 

1. (a) Which verb in Paragraph 1 did the writer use instead of ‘saying’? 

(b) Use this verb in an interesting sentence that shows its meaning. 

(c) Write two other descriptive verbs you could use instead of ‘saying’. 

(d) Use one of these verbs in an interesting sentence that shows its meaning. 

2. (a) Choose a descriptive verb to complete the sentence. 

The snow 

down from the darkening sky. 

(b) Write an interesting new sentence using the descriptive verb you chose. 

3. (a) Write a sentence using the verb ‘got’. 

(b) Write the sentence again using a better, more descriptive verb. 

4. (a) Write a sentence using the verb ‘put’. 

(b) Write the sentence again using a better, more descriptive verb. 

5. Write a short paragraph about walking in the rain on a winter’s day. Think of some good 

descriptive verbs to include in your writing.You must not use the verbs ‘got’, ‘put’ or ‘said’. 

18 



UNIT 3 

DESCRIPTIVE ADVERBIALS 

An adverbial can tell when, how or where the verb happens. Good writers can add 

meaning to verbs by choosing informative adverbials. 

For example: instead of writing, ‘The rain fell’ a better writer would add information about 

how the rain fell and write, ‘The rain fell ceaselessly’ or tell when by saying, ‘The rain fell 

all day and all night’. 

1. Which adverbial in Paragraph 1 tells how people were muttering? 

2. Which adverbial in Paragraph 8 tells how: 

the writer spluttered and spouted salt water? 

3. Write an adverbial that helps the reader to better understand how something happened. 

(a) The tube hurtled 

(b) The wind sliced 

down the snowy slope. 

through my thick jacket. 

4. Think of a descriptive adverbial of time to tell when you think each verb could have happened. 

(a) The Christmas lights sparkled. 

(b) It snowed. 

5. Write a descriptive adverbial of place to tell where you think each verb could have happened. 

(a) The light was shining. 

(b) The clouds were racing. 

6. Write a good adverbial to tell how, when or where an event could have happened. 

(a) The wave broke. 

(b) I screamed. 

(c) The trees glistened. 

7. Complete the sentences. Each one starts with an adverbial. Use a good verb to match it. 

Underline the verbs you chose. 

(a) Silently and softly, 

(b) When night falls, 

(c) All day long, 



19


CHOOSING CORRECT VERBS: TENSE, 

CONSISTENCY, SUBJECT, REGULAR, IRREGULAR 

UNIT 4 

Focus 

Word choices – choosing correct verbs: tense, consistency, subject–verb 

agreement, regular and irregular verb forms 

Progression 

Recognise 

Students will recognise the tense of a verb; subject–verb agreement (asking 

‘who or what is doing the action?’); regular and irregular verbs; and auxiliary 

verbs, from modelled examples. 

Choose 

Students will choose the tense of a verb; subject–verb agreement; regular 

and irregular verbs; and auxiliary verbs, from given examples, with teacher 

support. 

Use 

Students will use the correct tense; subject–verb agreement; regular and 

irregular verbs; and auxiliary verbs in self-written sentences and paragraphs. 


Verb tense – happening now = present tense; already happened = past 

tense; yet to happen = future tense. 

Subject–verb agreement – The form of the verb must match who or what is 

performing the action; e.g. I am reading. They are reading. 

Main verb – the verb describing the action. 

Auxiliary verbs are verbs added to the main verb which can change its 

tense; e.g. He swims. He is swimming. He had been swimming. 

Regular verbs follow a regular pattern when changing from the present to 

the past tense; e.g. shop – shopped, rate – rated. 

Irregular verbs are verbs which do not follow a regular pattern when 

changing from the present to the past tense; e.g. buy – bought, swim – swam, 

fly – flew. 

Note: Auxiliary verbs 

The verbs to be and to have are used as auxiliary or ‘helper’ verbs. They have 

many forms which change with subject and the tense. See the chart below. 

Introduction 

The verb ‘to be’ 

The verb ‘to have’ 

Person Pronoun Present Past Present Past 

First I am was have had 

Second you are were have had 

third he/she/it is was has had 

First we are were have had 

Second you are were have had 

Third they are were have had 

Good writers improve their writing by their choice and use of correct verb 

forms for emphasis and to make meaning explicit. 


Introduction 

• Discuss the text title with students. 

• What information does it give concerning what the story 

may be about? 

• Does the title make the reader want to read on to find out 

more? 

• Read and discuss the text, either in groups or as a class. 

Verb tense – Page 23 

• Read and discuss the information at the top of the page. 

• Discuss and elicit from students the tense of the story 

(varies; mainly past tense—historical). 

• Could the story be written in another tense? Which one? 

(Present) 

• Read through the activities with the class as a whole, 


• Work with those requiring additional assistance while 

the remainder of the class work independently on the 

activities. 

Regular and irregular verbs – Page 24 

• Review students’ understanding of the term ‘verb’ and ask 

them to provide examples. 

• Explain that regular verbs follow a pattern in the past 

tense, but that there are many English verbs that are 

irregular and don’t do this. They will need to think about 

verbs carefully when they write. 

• Discuss regular and irregular verbs with the class and ask 

them for examples. 

• Introduce the concept of auxiliary verbs as ‘helper’ verbs; 

that is, they help the main verb. For example, ‘I had been 

hoping for a good result in my test’. 

• Identify examples of auxiliary verbs used in the text. 

• List some present and past tense and singular and plural 

forms of the verbs ‘to be’ and ‘to have’. 

Matching verbs — Page 25 

• Discuss with students how verb forms change, depending 

on who or what is doing the action. Use simple examples; I 

am running; we are running. 

• Introduce the concept of the subject; i.e. ask who or what 

is doing the action. For example; ‘The alien spacecraft 

landed on earth’. Ask who or what ‘landed on earth?’. ‘The 

alien spacecraft (the subject) landed on earth’. 

• Read through the activities with the class as a whole, 


• Provide opportunities to share and discuss sentences from 

Question 4 with a partner. 

20 




CHOOSING CORRECT VERBS: TENSE, 

CONSISTENCY, SUBJECT, REGULAR, IRREGULAR 

UNIT 4 

ANSWERS 

Verb tense – Page 23 

1. (a) past 

(b) present 

(c) future 

2. (a) saw 

(b) will land 

(c) claim/claimed 

3. (a) will carry away 

(b) will be examined 

(c) will land 

4. (a) fly – Teacher check 

(b) flew – Teacher check 

(c) will fly – Teacher check 

5. Very scared now, they jump back in their car and race off. 


Regular and irregular verbs – Page 24 


2. (a) flew 

(b) drove 

(c) said/was 

(d) found/had 

3. (a) had been abducted – past 

(b) has been proved – past 

(c) are going to increase – future 




1. (a) past 

(b) future 

(c) present 

2. (a) crashed 

(b) will encounter 

3. (a) gave 

(b) left 

(c) shone/took 

(d) understood/thought 

4. Teacher check: form is ‘forgot’ 

5. (a) is being examined – present 

(b) will be taken – future 

(c) have been denied – past 

6. (a) were watching – the children and teachers 

7. (a) was found 

8. (a) Teacher check – Example: making up 

(b) Teacher check – Example: being/they have been/having been 




• Paragraph topic – A close encounter 

• Focus: Word choices – verb tense, matching verbs 


Matching verbs – Page 25 

1. (a) accelerated/UFO 

(b) will investigate/The air force 

(c) used/Mr and Mrs Hill 

(d) performed/the aliens 

2. (a) were questioned 

(b) was carried away 

(c) were shown 

(d) was found 




21

UNIT 4 

SPACE VISITORS 

1. Has Earth been visited in the past by aliens? Is it still being visited by them today? Is there any evidence of 

these visits? While scientists say there is no credible proof of aliens dropping in for afternoon tea, anything 

is possible. What do you believe? 

2. In 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico in the United States of America, a rancher found the wreckage of something that 

had crashed. The air force was called in to investigate and declared it to be the remains of a weather balloon. 

They carried away all the wreckage. Many people, however, believed it to have been a crashed spacecraft, 

complete with dead aliens. They accused the government of hushing up the event by lying about it. 

3. In 1990 the US government put out a statement saying the wreckage was definitely a balloon used for 

observing atomic bomb tests. Despite this, there are millions of people today still convinced it was an alien 

spaceship. 

4. How about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)? Do you believe they are real? If you do, you can join millions 

of people around the world who agree with you. And that includes schoolchildren, just like you. In Melbourne, 

Australia, in 1966 more than 200 students from two schools watched a UFO for about 20 minutes. 

5. The unknown object, described as being silvery-grey and about twice the size of a motor car, flew over the 

school then slowly descended and apparently landed behind a stand of pine trees, in an open grass field. After 

a few minutes, it took off again, gathering speed rapidly, until it disappeared from sight. 

6. Later, a circle of flattened and crushed grass was found where the UFO had touched down. To this day, no real 

explanation for what was seen has been given. 

7. As if it isn’t scary enough seeing a UFO, how about being abducted by aliens—a real-life ‘close encounter of 

the third kind’? The most famous case of this kind happened in America in 1961. Mr and Mrs Hill were driving 

home from a holiday in Canada. It was late at night when they saw a light in the sky behaving strangely. When 

they stopped and used binoculars for a closer look, they realised it was a UFO. Even more startling, they could 

see ‘people’ inside it. 

8. Very scared now, they jumped back in the car and raced off. 

They had only been driving a couple of minutes when they 

realised, with a shock, they were more than 50 kilometres 

down the road from where they had stopped! 

9. After that, Mrs Hill began having nightmares. When she went 

to see a psychiatrist, she and her husband were hypnotised. 

They were then able to recall being taken by the aliens into the 

spacecraft where they had medical examinations before being 

returned to their car. They were able to describe the aliens 

as bald and short, with greyish skin, pear-shaped heads and 

slanting eyes, like a cat. The case is still being discussed and 

examined. 

10. So, how do you feel about aliens now? What do you think we 

will find in the future? Will we find aliens? Or are we alone? 

After all, as they say on the The X-Files, ‘The truth is out there’. 

22 



UNIT 4 

VERB TENSE 

Verbs can have many different forms and different endings. 

A verb or verb group changes according to its tense. 

• He runs. (present) • He ran/He has run. (past) • He will run. (future) 

If an event is happening, it must be in the present tense; if it has happened, it must be in the 

past tense; if it hasn’t happened yet, it must be in the future tense. 

1. What is the tense of each verb? Write ‘past’, ‘present’ or ‘future’ after each sentence. 

(a) The Roswell incident happened in 1947. 

(b) There are many reports of UFOs every day. 

(c) Despite the evidence, many people will believe otherwise. 

Writers also need to think carefully to avoid mixing up tenses like this: In 1961 Mr and Mrs 

Hill were abducted (past) and will be examined (future) by aliens. 

2. Correct the tense of the verb and write it in the space provided. 

(a) In 1996 more than 200 children and their teachers will see a UFO. 

(b) In the future, perhaps aliens landed on earth. 

(c) Some people will claim the government lied in 1947. 

3. Change the verb group from the present to the future tense. 

(a) They are carrying away all the wreckage. 

(b) UFO sightings are being examined. 

(c) The UFO is landing in the field. 

4. Write a short sentence to show how to use each tense of the verb ‘to fly’ correctly. 

(a) present tense 

(b) past tense 

(c) future tense 

5. Rewrite the first sentence in Paragraph 8 in the present tense. 

6. (a) Write an interesting sentence telling what aliens do to Mr and Mrs Hill. (present tense) 

(b) Change your sentence, telling what they did to Mr and Mrs Hill. (past tense) 

(c) Write a sentence telling of a UFO landing as it is happening now. 



23

UNIT 4 

REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS 

Regular verbs 

Changing most verbs to the past tense is easy — we add ‘ed’ or ‘d’ (if the word ends with ‘e’). 

For example: land – landed, float – floated. 

1. Write a short, interesting sentence using the past tense of each regular verb. 

(a) destroy 

(b) believe 

(c) jump 

(d) examine 

Irregular verbs need to change more. 

For example: run – ran, catch – caught, is – was. 

2. Write the past tense of the irregular verbs from the story. 

(a) The UFO flies over the schools. 

(b) Mr and Mrs Hill drive back from their Canadian holiday. 

(c) The government says the wreckage is just 

a weather balloon. / 

(d) They find they have no memory of the abduction. / 

Auxiliary verbs 

Different verbs in a verb group helping the main verb are called auxiliary verbs. The verbs ‘to 

have’ and ‘to be’ are the most common auxiliary verbs. They change more than the main verb. 

For example: It is flying. It has been flying. 

3. Circle the verb group (main and auxiliaries) and write the verb tense on the line. 

(a) The Hills had been abducted by aliens. 

(b) None of the UFO sightings has been proved. 

(c) With social media, these reports are going to increase. 

4. Write a verb group with at least three auxiliary verbs in: 

(a) the future tense 

24 

(b) the past tense 



UNIT 4 

MATCHING VERBS 

Matching verbs 

Verbs can also change to show who or what is doing the action and when it happened. 

For example: I was eating. They were eating. I am eating. She is eating. 

1. Circle the verb then draw a line under who or what is doing the action. 

(a) The UFO accelerated away quickly. 

(b) The air force will investigate all reports. 

(c) Mr and Mrs Hill used binoculars for a closer look. 

(d) The aliens performed medical examinations. 

2. Write the correct verb group. 

(a) The witnesses was questioned by the authorities. 

(b) At Roswell, the wreckage were carried away. 

(c) Not one of the landings have been shown to be true. 

(d) A circle of flattened and crushed grass were found. 

3. Write a verb or verb group to match who or what is doing the action. 

(a) For years, scientists 

(b) People say they have amnesia 

(c) World governments 

UFOs are not real. 

abducted. 

of covering up alien landings. 

(d) What 

you think is the strangest part of Mr and Mrs Hill’s story? 

4. Choose a suitable subject to match each verb group and use them together in an interesting 

sentence. 

(a) will be investigated 

(b) are being watched 

(c) is going to believe 



25

ASSESSMENT UNIT 1 

NOUNS, NOUN GROUPS, ADJECTIVES 

Name: 

Date: 

1. Write the whole noun group from the text: 

(a) David bought a padded camera case with a wide shoulder strap. 

(b) Fee took six stunning landscape photos. 

2. Add some words of your own to the noun to make an informative noun group. 

(a) camera 

(b) photograph 

(c) portrait 

3. Write an interesting sentence using each noun group from Question 2. 

(a) 

(b) 

4. Write three interesting adjectives you could use to describe each noun. 

(a) subject 

(b) phone 

(c) light 

(d) focus 

5. Use the adjective to describe a noun in an interesting sentence. 

(a) focused 

(b) fiery 

(c) impressive 

(d) expensive 

26 




PRONOUNS 

Name: 

Date: 

1. Underline the noun/noun clause. Replace it with a pronoun. Write the pronoun on the 

line. 

(a) The hideous jellyfish alien was gliding down the street. 

(b) The terrified people screamed and shoved everyone out of their way. 

(c) The film director called ‘Cut!’ 

2. Join the two clauses. 

Come and look at the aliens. They have landed on Earth. 

3. Rewrite the sentence using pronouns. 

When you see the alien I want you to run away from the alien as fast as you can. 

4. Choose the correct pronoun. Write it on the line. 

(a) ‘Dad! Help 

(b) ‘I’m sorry, but 

!’ Cathy called. 

just can’t run any more.’ 

(c) Mum was worried about the safety of my brother and . 

(d) Dad said the family and 

had to run like the wind. 

5. Write one pronoun to replace the underlined noun group. 

(a) The dirty, dusty street was littered with rubbish. 

(b) My frightened, crying brother hugged Mum. 

6. Add ‘who’ or ‘that’. 

(a) The flashing lights 

(b) The aliens had eyes on stalks 

(c) Anyone 

leapt from the sky caused huge explosions. 

swivelled from side to side. 

stayed behind was in deadly danger. 

7. Complete the sentences using pronouns. 

mine theirs hers 

(a) ‘That phone is definitely not 

(b) ‘Not 

(c) ‘I still say it’s 

’, said Cathy. 

either’, said the director, pointing at the ‘aliens’. 

’, the ‘alien’ said, pointing to the make-up lady. 



27




Name: 

Date: 

1. Rewrite the sentence using a verb that is more descriptive and gives more information. 

(a) The rain hit the roof. 

(b) I ran over the hot beach sand. 

2. Write the descriptive verb in an interesting sentence. 

wailed 

ploughing 

3. Add an adverbial telling: 

(a) when: I had a hot bath and drink. 

(b) where: The toboggan flew. 

(c) how: We ate Christmas dinner. 

4. Underline the adverbial that helps the reader to better understand how something 

happened. 

I dodged and weaved between fir trees and learners. 

5. Write a good adverbial to tell when an event could have happened. 

We had a cold drink. 

6. Write a good adverbial to tell where an event could have happened. 

We never have snow. 

7. Write a good adverbial to tell how an event could have happened. 

Everything is drooping and wilting. 

8. Complete the sentences, which start with an adverbial. Use a matching verb and underline 

it. 

(a) Like a crazy driver, 

(b) While we slept, 

28 




CHOOSING CORRECT VERBS 

Name: 

Date: 

1. Write ‘past’, ‘present’ or ‘future’ after the sentence. 

(a) The Hills were abducted. 

(b) UFOs are not real. 

(c) Perhaps we will have an encounter. 

2. Correct the tense of the verb and write it in the space provided. 

(a) In 1947 a spacecraft is crashing at Roswell. 

(b) In years to come, we enountered aliens. 

3. Write the past tense of the irregular verbs. 

(a) The aliens give the Hills a physical examination. 

(b) The officials leave with all the wreckage. 

(c) The aliens shine a light on the people and take them away. / 

(d) People understand the explanations but think the opposite. / 

4. Write a short sentence to show how to use the verb ‘to forget’ correctly. 

past tense 

5. Underline the verb group (main and auxiliaries) and write the verb tense on the line. 

(a) The wreckage is being examined throughly. 

(b) With more smartphones, more images of UFOs will be taken. 

(c) UFOs have been denied by governments for years. 

6. Underline the verb then write who or what is doing the action. 

The children and teachers were watching the UFO. 

7. Write the correct verb group. 

Not one believable witness were found. 

8. Write a verb or verb group to match who or what is doing the action. 

(a) You should read widely before 

your mind. 

(b) People say they have amnesia after 

abducted. 

9. Choose a suitable subject to match the verb group. Use them both in an interesting 

sentence. 

has been covered up 



29

RIC-20806_Teaching_Strategies_for_Writing_BkF_word_choices

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