Flipped Lesson: Mad (Libs) for Nouns and Verbs

Purpose/rationale: Last week, the 19 students in this eighth grade Language Arts class reviewed
and learned about the first part of speech well be addressing in a series of lessons: nouns. This
lesson will focus on activating prior knowledge about nouns and verbs, and scaffolding students
knowledge and understanding of both parts of speech for tomorrows lesson on gerunds,
participles, and infinitives. In order to have a successful college experience, students must have
an appropriate understanding of Standard American English, and included in that knowledge is
the comprehension of grammar and mechanics, which this lesson will help build and reinforce
through practice. More specifically, this lesson targets several Florida Standards addressing the
conventions of SE and its various verbals and parts of speech. The night before this lesson,
students should have watched the Khan Academy video Introduction to Verbs. Students should
have taken notes as need be, and come to class ready for the following activities, which will
reinforce what was taught in the video, and offer a forum for discussion and improvement. The
flipped lesson style utilized here will aid students in reinforcing knowledge of the topic as they
gain the opportunity to practice their skills in class with guided supervision.

Florida Standards:
LAFS.8.L.1.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
a. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and
their function in particular sentences.
b. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
c. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional,
and subjunctive mood.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
LAFS.8.L.2.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive
mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action;
expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).
Objectives:
SWBAT define various parts of speech, including nouns and verbs.
SWBAT modify sentences by exchanging appropriate nouns and verbs.

SWBAT compose complex, detailed sentences.

Materials:
Writers Journals, pencils, a whiteboard, dry-erase markers
Anticipatory set:
At the beginning of class, students should be instructed to sit quietly in their assigned seat, and
pull out their Writers Journals and writing utensils. Students should then open to the first blank
page in their journals and await further instruction.
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity:
Time

Student is doing

Teacher is doing

10 minutes

Student is writing at least

three paragraphs addressing
the bell ringer prompt.

When students are settled and

ready, stand by the whiteboard
at the front of the room and
welcome everyone. Then point
to the board and ask for a
volunteer to read out loud the
prompt for the day, which will
say:
Your topic today is kindness.
Think of a time you saw
someone go out of their way
to do an act of kindness for
someone else. What did they
do? What happened? Write at
two- three paragraphs about
the experience. Teacher
should facilitate as students
write.

5 minutes

Paying attention to the teacher

and peers responses,
answering questions.
Circle all verbs in his/ her
bell-ringer response, and
underlining all nouns.

Ask students the following

questions: What did you
think of the video you
watched last night for
homework? Was it new
information to you, or just
review? Call on two students
raising their hands for each

question.
Then, ask students to look
back at what they just wrote
for the bell-ringer.
Say, Last week we learned
about nouns, and now, were
studying verbs. Using what
youve already learned, I want
you to underline every noun in
what you wrote for todays
bell-ringer, and circle every
verb. Use a pencil so that you
can erase if need be!
Write noun on the
whiteboard and underline it,
and write verb and circle it.
5 minutes

Listening quietly, sharing

examples of their nouns and
verbs, and answering other
questions posed by the
teacher.

Bring class back to attention

by asking students to put
down their pencils. Say, Id
like to hear some examples of
nouns you circled, for review.
Who found a unique noun in
their writing? Call on around
five students, and write their
nouns on the board, under the
underlined noun. Now,
what about those verbs? Who
found a descriptive verb in
their writing? Call on around
five students, and write their
verbs on the board, under the
circled verb. Lets review.
What makes a verb, a verb?
Call on several students, and
guide students toward simple
answer: It shows action.
Ask students if they learned
anything else from the Khan
Academy video that stuck
with them. Call on up to four

students.
5 minutes

Students should collaborate in

pairs to brainstorm at least
five creative sentences.

Tell students, Were going to

some more practice now. I
would like for you to get into
pairs with a person sitting next
to you. Assist student with
getting into pairs, and if there
is an odd number of students,
form a group of three. Now, I
want you, in your pairs, to
come up with five interesting
sentences. We dont want any
boring little sentences, like
Jane ran fast, do we? Try to
tell a story with complex,
creative sentences. Keep it
appropriate. Use a pencil, and
double space your writing!

5 minutes

Students should follow

instructions, erasing all nouns
and verbs in their sentences,
and replacing them with
underlines and noun or
verb marked underneath
accordingly, and look up when
finished.

Now, who here has heard of

the game mad libs? Give
students a moment to raise
their hands. Were going to
make our own little game of
mad libs! Im going to give
you a couple minutes now, and
I want one person from each
pair to erase all the nouns, and
the other person to erase all
the verbs. After you erase each
noun or verb well, draw a line
for someone else to fill in the
blank, and write either noun
or verb underneath the line,
according to what the word
was that you erased. When
you are finished, write your
names at the top of the paper
and look up!

5 minutes

Work in pairs to write in verbs

or nouns in the blanks
accordingly.

Instruct students to exchange

papers with another pair
sitting nearby. Tell class, You
now have five minutes to fill

in each blank with a noun or

verb! You are not allowed to
use the names of anyone you
know to fill in any noun
blanks, but you can make it
silly! Start timer for five
minutes.
10 minutes

Students may volunteer to

read their new sentences out
loud, in turns, and sit quietly
listening the rest of the time.
(Laughing is fine)

Ask students to pass their

papers back to the original
pairs. Ask for volunteers to
read their sentences out loud
to the class. Call on as many
volunteers as time allows.

5 minutes

Students should listen quietly

and answer questions when
the opportunity is presented.

Ask class, did anyone have

any verbs or nouns that
seemed like they could be
both a verb or a noun? Ask
any volunteers for examples.
Tonight for homework youll
be watching a video that talks
about verbs like these, as well
as other verbals. End class by
reminding students to check
the class website for the link
to the homework video.

Summary/Closure:
Teacher will remind students to check their emails for the links to the video they are to watch for
homework, in anticipation of the next days flipped activities.
Assessment:
Formal assessment: none
Informal assessment: Student-shared examples of nouns and verbs, students completed
Mad Libs activities, shared with the class, students answers to questions posed by the
teacher.
Homework/follow-up assignment:
Watching the YouTube video Verbals: Gerunds, Infinitives, and Participles.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c2b-zhk1DQ) Students should watch the video and take

notes as they learn, and come to class the following day prepared to take part in activities in
which the information presented in the video will play a central role.
Accommodations/adaptations:
Herbert Millner (M)- ADHD: Seat student front and center, allow extra time if needed. Provide a
typed copy of the verbal instructions. Student will receive peer assistance in the pair activities.
Paten Vander (F)- Speech impairment: Assist with pronunciation if required. Student will not be
required to provide any oral presentation of his work. Allow his pair extra time on the
assignment if needed.
Lya Gross (F)- Mild dyslexia: Provide further help as needed. Have students partner do the
writing for the paired assignment. Do not call on her unless she volunteers.
Oliver Fore (M)- Mild autism: Seat student front and center, allow extra time if needed. Pair
student with an experienced buddy for the pair assignment.
ELL Students: Pair students with non-ELL students for the paired activity, provide support and
answer questions as needed.
Low-SES Students: Keep classroom open at least ten minutes before school starts and during
lunch to allow internet access to students who may not obtain it at home.
Attachments/Appendices:
Prerequisite video: Khan Academy Introduction to Verbs video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T9xMqvjdLk
Video for homework: Verbals: Gerunds, Infinitives, and Participles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c2b-zhk1DQ
Plan B:
If students come to class clearly having not watched the assigned video in advance, show it in
class, and assign questions students must answer for the following homework video, to make
sure the incident is not repeated.
If students finish the mad libs activity early, more time may be used for students to share their
finished mad libs.