Action Stars Teacher Guide
Action Stars
Teacher Facilitation Guide
Grade 1 | ELA
Duration: 35 Minutes
Objective
Students will be able to identify action verbs and act them out to demonstrate understanding.
Materials
- Action Stars Slide Deck
- Action Stars Charades Cards
- Action Stars Worksheet
- Yellow Dry-Erase Marker
- Whiteboard
Key Concept
Verbs show action.
Highlighting verbs in yellow (visual scaffolding) helps students distinguish them from nouns and adjectives.
1. Warm-up: Simon Says (5 min)
Start the class with a game of "Simon Says." Emphasize the action words with your voice.
- "Simon says TOUCH your nose."
- "Simon says HOP like a bunny."
- "Simon says WIGGLE your fingers."
The Hook: Ask students: "What were those special words that told you what to DO?"
2. Video: Introduction to Verbs (5 min)
Play the Khan Academy video. Use these strategic pauses:
0:25 Pause:
"Turn to a partner and act out one 'action' word."
0:40 Pause:
"Try to make a sentence without a verb. Is it possible?"
0:48 Pause:
"Before the narrator writes the word, what do you think the bear might do?" (Take 2-3 predictions).
3. Main Activity: Action Charades (20 min)
Step 1: Choose a student to draw a card from the Verb Charades deck.
Step 2: The student acts out the verb (no talking!). The class raises their hands to guess.
Step 3: Once guessed, write a simple sentence on the board using the student's name. Use your yellow marker to write or highlight the verb.
Example: Sarah JUMPS.
Step 4: Repeat with several students. Challenge the class to identify who is doing the action and what the action is.
4. Closure: Recess Verbs (5 min)
Have students turn to a "knee partner." Ask them to share one thing they like to do at recess.
Student A says:
"I like to swing on the swings."
Student B identifies:
"The verb is swing!"
Teacher Note: Misconceptions
Students often think "action" means lots of movement (like running). Remind them that verbs like sleep, think, or sit are still action verbs because they tell us what the subject is doing!
Action Stars Slides
Action Stars
Let's Learn About Verbs!
Grade 1 ELA
Simon Says!
1️⃣
Listen for the action words.
2️⃣
Do what Simon says!
3️⃣
What words told you what to do?
The Big Question
What is a VERB?
A verb is an action word. It tells us what someone or something is doing!
Video: Meet the Verb
3 Pause Points!
Embedded media
Verb Charades
The Actor
Picks a card and acts it out with NO noise!
The Audience
Raises their hand to guess the verb!
Let's Read Verbs!
The bear roars.
The bear runs.
The bear sleeps.
Notice how the yellow words are the things the bear does.
Knee Partner Share
"What is one thing you like to do at recess?"
1
Share your sentence
2
Partner names the verb
Action Stars Worksheet
Name:
Date:
Verb Action!
Find the hidden actions!
A verb is an action word. Read each sentence. Circle the verb!
The bear roars loud.
We jump over the puddle.
The birds sing a song.
My cat sleeps on the bed.
Be an Action Star!
Draw a picture of yourself doing an action (like running, dancing, or eating).
I like to .
Write your action word on the line!
