Foundations of Literacy and Expression · 1st Year

Active learning ideas

Action Words and Naming Words

Active learning lets students move and manipulate language, turning abstract grammar into concrete understanding. When children act out verbs or hunt for nouns in their environment, they connect words to meaning in ways that worksheets alone cannot. This hands-on engagement builds lasting memory for foundational grammar skills.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Writing
• NCCA: Primary - Reading

• 20–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 20 min · Whole Class

Simulation Game: Verb Charades

Students draw a 'verb card' from a hat (e.g., jump, whisper, stir) and must act it out for the class. The audience must guess the action and then use it in a full sentence with a noun (e.g., 'The boy is jumping').

Can you find three action words in this sentence?

Facilitation Tip

For Verb Charades, model both loud and quiet actions so students see the full range of verbs beyond physical movement.

What to look for

Present students with a short paragraph. Ask them to underline all the naming words in blue and circle all the action words in red. Review their choices as a class, asking 'Why is this a naming word?' or 'What action does this word show?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 25 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Noun Scavenger Hunt

In small groups, students are given a category (e.g., 'Things made of wood' or 'Things that are blue'). They must find and list as many nouns as possible in the classroom that fit their category, then share their list with the class.

What is the difference between a naming word and an action word?

Facilitation Tip

During the Noun Scavenger Hunt, provide picture cards for students who need visual support to match words to objects.

What to look for

Give each student a slip of paper. Ask them to write one sentence about their favourite animal, using at least one naming word and one action word. Collect the slips and quickly check for correct identification of nouns and verbs.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Sentence Builders

Set up two stations: one with 'Noun' cards and one with 'Verb' cards. Students move between them to pick one from each and create the silliest sentence possible (e.g., 'The pencil danced'), then draw a picture of it.

How do action words help us understand what is happening in a story?

Facilitation Tip

In Sentence Builders, circulate and listen for students using their own examples rather than repeating the modeled sentences word-for-word.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you are telling a friend about your weekend. What naming words would you use to describe the people and places you visited? What action words would you use to describe what you did?' Facilitate a brief class discussion.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching nouns and verbs works best when students physically interact with language rather than only hear about it. Avoid long definitions upfront; instead, let students discover patterns through guided exploration and peer discussion. Research shows that movement and collaboration strengthen memory for grammar concepts in young learners.

By the end of these activities, students should confidently label nouns and verbs in sentences and explain why each word belongs in its category. They will also demonstrate this understanding through speaking, sorting, and writing tasks. Clear evidence of learning includes accurate identification, explanation, and application in new contexts.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Verb Charades, watch for students thinking verbs must be loud or big actions like jumping or shouting.

  Have students sort their charades actions into 'Loud Verbs' and 'Quiet Verbs' categories, then discuss why words like 'whisper' or 'think' are still actions.

• During the Noun Scavenger Hunt, watch for students labeling any object they see as a noun without considering whether it names a person, place, or thing.

  Ask students to explain their choices aloud, prompting them to say, 'This is a chair because it is a thing we sit on,' to reinforce the naming function of nouns.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Inquiry Circle
• Stations Rotation