All About Nouns – Lessons by K. Polette

LaVergne Middle School

Focus on Achievement- Aug. 19,2013

• In your journal, list what you already know about nouns. Think about different types, spelling rules, punctuation rules, etc.

Be prepared to share with a neighbor!

Essential Question

• How can you identify and use various types of nouns and pronouns in writing?

What is a noun?

• Talk to your neighbor – what do you remember about nouns from previous years of school?

• What do you remember about the different types of nouns?

What do these words have in common?

boy girl man woman

teacher student principal cook

brother sister cousin uncle

acrobat nurse lawyer clown

What do you notice about these nouns?

Can you transform them into proper nouns? Choose 3 to transform into proper nouns.

Do exercise 3 on page 74 in Language book.

What do these words have in common?

swamp beach street city

St. Louis El Paso Denver Boise

USA Ireland Missouri Tibet

New Zealand

Idaho Montana Oregon

Write down three of these nouns that are proper nouns.

What different categories can we place these in?

What do these words have in common?

house fence grass door

mirror lamp toothbrush watch

soap dish book desk

shoe pencil bucket telephone

*A concrete noun must be a noun that .

Write down three of these nouns that seem related

One more list!

happiness sadness fear anger

truth justice honesty beauty

pride loyalty love hate

jealousy envy courage peace

What makes these nouns different from the previous list?

*An abstract noun must be a noun that .

Write down three nouns that make your life better.

Writing Activity 1 – abstract and concrete nouns

•Complete the following pattern with abstract and concrete nouns. In the first blank put an abstract noun, and in the second blank put a concrete noun that tells about the abstract noun.Ex:I can’t see love, but I can see a wedding ring.I can’t see chaos, but I can see a tornado.I can’t see happiness, but I can see a smile.

Your turn!

• I can’t see joy, but I can see .• I can’t hear sadness, but I can hear .• I can’t hear victory, but I can hear .• I can’t see innocence, but I can see .• I can’t see peace, but I can see .• I can’t see beauty, but I can see .

Review Time – your ticket out of class

1. What is a noun?2. What is a concrete noun? Use one in a sentence. 3. What is an abstract noun? Use one in a sentence. 4. What is the difference between common/proper nouns?5. Do Review A on page 76 in Language book.

Focus on Achievement 8/20/13

•Write two patterns of your own using one abstract and one concrete noun in each sentence.

I can’t see , but I can see .

I can’t hear , but I can hear .

-Circle the concrete nouns.-Underline the abstract nouns.

Review

• Which of the following sentences contains an abstract noun?

A) When I wake up, I enjoy a good cup of coffee.

B) After school, the excitement that is bottled up inside me explodes into joy!

C) At bedtime, I read a few chapters from a book before going to sleep.

Review

• Which sentence contains a concrete noun as the subject?

A) Friendship is a joy.B) Life is sweet.C) Hamburgers are delicious!

Writing Activity 2

•Complete the following pattern with concrete nouns. In the blank, put a concrete noun that is an example of the underlined abstract noun.If were an animal, it would be a . EX:If anger were an animal, it would be a tiger.

Writing Activity 2

• If anger were an animal, it would be a .• If fear were an animal, it would be a .• If playfulness were an animal, it would be a .• If loyalty were an animal, it would be a .• If beauty were an animal, it would be a .• If boredom were an animal, it would be a .• If speed were an animal, it would be a .

Grading Time

• Pick three of your favorite sentences from Writing Activity 1 and three from Writing Activity 2. On a sheet of paper, write those six sentences and turn them in for a grade. I’m grading on:– nouns that make sense– spelling– punctuation– neatness

Focus on Achievement

•Complete the following pattern with an abstract noun and an –ing phrase. Write three sentences.•Use this pattern: is .Ex:Fear is going into the basement alone at night.Love is knowing that I will be forgiven.Justice is seeing the good guys win.Excitement is hearing the roar of the crowd.

What do these words have in common?

animal country game food

movie book group building

plant city person state

friend tree bird dog

What do these words have in common?

bullfrog rose bush Star Wars George Washington

Seattle Chicago Monopoly Sears Tower

tacos The Beatles Australia Where the Wild Things Are

Chris Oak tree Cardinal German Shepard

General and Specific Nouns

•General nouns name groups of things.•Specific nouns name particular things.

“Animal” is general; “bullfrog” is specific.“City” is general; “Seattle” is specific.“Movie” is general; “Star Wars” is specific.“Country” is general; “Thailand” is specific.

Think of two specific nouns for each general noun

• city: .• country: .• book: .• person: .• weather: .• game: .• plant: .

Great writing uses specific nouns

Rewrite each sentence using a strong noun in place of the weak, bland word.

•My favorite thing at school is math.•The best stuff to eat is macaroni and cheese.•One of my favorite things to do is riding my bike.

What is a collective noun?

A collective noun is a noun that describes a collection of people or things. This collection is spoken of as one whole.

•Example: a pride of lions•Example: a school of fish•Example: a gang of thieves

Can you identify the collective noun in these sentences???