Courseversity

Action words

Primary EducationGrade 1English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G01-ELA-U06-L0245–60 min

You will learn

  • Say what an action word is.
  • Name actions in pictures.
  • Use an action word in a sentence.
  • Act out a word.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Action words tell what someone does.
  2. Run, jump and eat are action words.
  3. They are also called verbs.
  4. Every sentence needs an action word.

Words to know

action word
a word that tells what someone does
verb
the grammar name for an action word
run
move fast on your feet
jump
push up off the ground

1. Discover: Doing words

The teacher says, “Let us act! Run on the spot! Jump! Clap! Sit!” The children do each action. “Those are doing words,” says the teacher. “We call them action words, or verbs.”

Think: What action words can you do right now?

2. Understand: Action words

Idea 1: What is an action word?

An action word tells what someone or something does: run, jump, eat, sleep, read, write, play.

Idea 2: Action in a sentence

“The dog runs.” “Ama reads.” The action word tells what happens.

Idea 3: Act it out

You can show an action word with your body. This helps you remember it.

Remember: Action words, called verbs, tell what someone or something does.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Find the action

The dog runs. Which word is the action?

  1. Ask: what does the dog do?
  2. Find the doing word.

Answer: runs

Example 2 (We do it together): Complete

Ama ___ a book. (reads/blue)

  1. Which word is a doing word?
  2. Pick it.

Answer: reads

Example 3 (You try): Act it out

Show the word jump.

Show the steps and answer
  1. Think of jump.
  2. Do it safely.

Answer: You jump with your body.

Did you know?

Verbs are the most important words in a sentence because they tell us what happens.

Why this matters

Action words bring sentences to life, so we can say and write what people do.

4. Explore: Action charades

Act out words.

  1. A leader acts out an action word.
  2. The group guesses the word.
  3. Say a sentence with the word.
  4. Swap leaders.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can show and say action words.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • The ___ ___.
  • I can ___.
  • Ama likes to ___.
  • The action word is ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. The dog runs. Action word?

runs

Question 2. Ama reads a book. Action word?

reads

Question 3. Act out the word jump.

jump

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. The boy eats. Action word?
  2. The bird flies. Action word?
  3. Ayo jumps. Action word?
  4. Name one action word.
  5. Action words tell what someone ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Fill in: Kofi ___ a ball. (kicks/red)
  2. Name three action words.
  3. What is the action in: The cat sleeps?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Write a sentence with an action word.
  2. Why do sentences need action words?
  3. Ama says red is an action word. Is she right?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Tell a family member three things you do every day.

Show a sample answer

I wake up. I eat. I play.

Another one. Play action charades with a friend.

Show a sample answer

I act out swim, and my friend guesses it.

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Choosing a naming word.
Fix: An action word tells what happens.
Another mistake: Forgetting the action in a sentence.
Fix: Ask: what does it do?

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can say what an action word is.
  • I can find action words.
  • I can use action words in sentences.
  • I can act out a word.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. An action word tells what someone ___.

2. Which is an action word?

3. Which is an action word?

4. The dog runs. The action word is ___.

5. Ama reads a book. The action is ___.

6. The bird flies. The action is ___.

7. The cat sleeps. The action is ___.

8. Another name for an action word is a ___.

9. Kofi ___ a ball. Which word fits?

10. Ama says red is an action word. What is wrong?

11. Which sentence has an action word?

12. We can show action words with our ___.

Challenge 1. Which word is NOT an action word?

Challenge 2. Which sentence uses an action word well?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Action words tell what someone does.
  • They are called verbs.
  • Sentences need them.
  • We can act them out.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Describing words. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What is an action word? [1 mark]
  2. Name two action words. [2 marks]
  3. The dog runs. What is the action word? [1 mark]
  4. Write a sentence with the action word jump. [2 marks]
  5. Explain why sentences need action words. [3 marks]

Total: 9 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. a word that tells what someone does [1]
  2. one verb [1]; another verb [1]
  3. runs [1]
  4. uses jump [1]; a full sentence [1]
  5. they tell what happens [1]; without them the sentence is not complete [1]; example [1]

Score guide: 8 to 9 = secure. 6 to 7 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. An action word tells what someone ___.
  2. Another name for an action word is a ___.
  3. The dog runs. Action:
  4. Ama reads. Action:
  5. The bird flies. Action:
  6. Name three action words.
  7. True or false: red is an action word.
  8. True or false: jump is an action word.
  9. Act out an action word.
  10. Write a sentence with an action word.

Homework

List five things you do each day and act out two of them.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. An action word tells what someone ___. does 1
2. Another name for an action word is a ___. verb 1
3. The dog runs. Action: runs 1
4. Ama reads. Action: reads 1
5. The bird flies. Action: flies 1
6. Name three action words. three valid verbs 1
7. True or false: red is an action word. false 1
8. True or false: jump is an action word. true 1
9. Act out an action word. a suitable action 1
10. Write a sentence with an action word. a valid sentence 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 eats; 2 flies; 3 jumps; 4 e.g. run; 5 does. Level 2: 1 kicks; 2 three valid verbs; 3 sleeps. Level 3: 1 a valid sentence; 2 they tell what happens; 3 no, red is a colour word.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Say what an action word is Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Name actions in pictures Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Use an action word in a sentence Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Act out a word Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Choosing a naming word. An action word tells what happens.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Use pictures and actions.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child learns words that tell what people and animals do. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Play action charades.
  • Point out action words in books.
  • Say what you do together.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: say what an action word is; name actions in pictures; use an action word in a sentence; act out a word.

Prerequisite knowledge. Naming familiar objects.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Ask learners to act out run, jump, clap.

Explanation (10 min). Teach action words and verbs.

Guided activity (10 min). Play action charades.

Independent activity (10 min). Learners share sentences.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What does it do? Which word is the action?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use pictures and acting. Extension. Use stronger action words, such as sprint instead of run.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Choosing a naming word. An action word tells what happens.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 9-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Use pictures and actions. Enrichment. Write a short story using ten action words. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 1 » Language. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core L.1.1.e (use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future) and L.1.5.d (distinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner); Education Endowment Foundation Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1 guidance (vocabulary and spoken language); Cambridge Primary English Stage 1 (grammar and vocabulary). These sources informed the lesson.

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