Using adjectives

Using adjectives

Online interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about using adjectives in a sentence.
Colourful socks with toes
Do you like my new socks? I chose them because they are:
 
stripy,  long,  bright,  and colourful.

Question Change answer

I want to choose some shoes to wear with my new socks.  What colour? What style? Should I wear old ones or new ones? 
 
Here are some adjectives to describe all my different shoes. 
 
Help me sort the adjectives into the boxes.  Decide whether each adjective describes the shoes' colour, style, or condition - how old or new they are.
holey
red
running
high-heeled
shabby
scuffed
sparkly
new
grey
slip-on
shiny
perfect
casual
ancient
stripy
lace-up
Colour
Style
Condition

Question 1Change answer

Here are the shoes I've chosen. 
red sneakers
Choose one adjective from each box to describe them.
Choose one adjective to describe their condition.     newoldshabbyperfectholey
Choose one adjective to describe their colour.          redbrightgreystripysparkly
Choose one adjective to describe their style.             lace uprunninghigh-heeledslip-oncasual

Question 1Change answer

Write one of the adjectives you've chosen in each box below to complete the sentence.
These  , ,  shoes will look lovely with my long, stripy socks.
Read the sentence.
Do the adjectives sound as if they are in the right order? Change them around until the sentence sounds right.

Question 1Change answer

girl's toes sticking through holey shoes
Now write an adjective in each box to finish these sentences.
The first sentence is about the shoes in the photo.
The second sentence is about what kind of new shoes you would like. 
Read your sentences aloud.
Do the adjectives sound as if they are in the right order? Change them around until the sentences sound right.
Help! I need a new pair of shoes because these ones are , , and .
I'd like some new  shoes that are  and .

Question 1Change answer

girl's toes sticking through holey shoes
Share your sentences with a classmate. 
Ask them to answer these questions by writing in the boxes.
Help! I need a new pair of shoes because these ones are , , and .
I'd like some new  shoes that are  and .
Which adjective do you think does the best job of describing these old shoes?
What adjective could you add to describe these old shoes?
Task administration: 
This task can be completed online. It is NOT auto-marked.
 
This resource is one of three with a similar format: Using Adjectives, Using Adjectives 2 and Using Adjectives 3. These resources provide information on students’ ability to write a string of adjectives in the correct order. All three resources have a shared task at the end, where students comment on their partner’s work.
 
Teachers could work through one resource with the class or a group of children, before students move on to complete the other resources individually or in pairs.
 
Copyright: 
Images: Dreamstime
Level:
2
Curriculum info: 
English, Creating meaning, Writing
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
adjectives, description, vocabulary
Description of task: 
This resource provides information on students’ ability to write a string of adjectives in the correct order.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:

  • use vocabulary that clearly conveys ideas
  • use sentences that are mostly correct grammatically

as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.

Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Writing meaningful text: text features, sets 3
Writing meaningful text: vocabulary knowledge, sets 2-3
within the Writing Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
This resource was trialled by 33 year 7 and 8 students.
 
The table below shows the difficulty level of each task, based on the results of this trial.
 

Task Student response
1
Sorting adjectives into categories

All adjectives sorted correctly – very difficult
Most adjectives  sorted correctly – easy
Over half adjectives sorted correctly – very easy.
 
2
Placing adjectives in the correct order in a sentence

Adjectives placed in correct order - easy
3
Choosing and ordering adjectives

Appropriate adjectives chosen – very easy
Adjectives placed in correct order – medium
4
Giving feedback on partner’s work

Identifying an effective adjective – very easy
Suggesting an additional adjective – medium
 
Teaching and learning: 

Adjectives fall into different groups or categories, depending on the aspect of the noun that they describe (for example, colour, shape, or size). If two or more adjectives describe a noun, they are usually placed in a particular order, depending on which category they belong to. Here are some of the more common categories, in the order they are normally written:
 
opinion size age/condition colour material
style/purpose
 noun
awful tiny old red plastic running shoes
 
Here are some of the student responses to each task from the trial, with suggested next steps for teaching and learning.
 
Task Student response and next steps
1 Sorting adjectives into categories
This task asks students to sort adjectives relating to shoes into different categories: those that describe age/condition (e.g., ‘shabby’), those that describe colour (e.g., ‘red’), and those that describe style or purpose (e.g., ‘lace-up’).
 
Most students in the trial found this task easy. They were able to sort the majority of the adjectives into appropriate categories. Many students, however, had difficulty deciding on a category for the adjectives ‘shiny’, ‘stripy’, and ‘sparkly’.  This is not surprising, as these adjectives can describe either colour or style.
 
Next steps
To help students generate adjectives in different categories, bring in or choose an object to focus on, for example, a colourful scarf or an interesting vase or mug. Choose a category of adjective, for example ‘colour’, and brainstorm as many adjectives as you can in that category. Then move on to another category, for example ‘material’.  Repeat with other objects. Notice that some adjectives can fit in multiple categories.
2
Placing adjectives in the correct order in a sentence
This task scaffolds students towards writing a sentence that includes a string of adjectives. They place the adjectives in an order that sounds correct.

Most students in the trial were able to place adjectives in an order that read correctly. A few students used an order that did not sound correct, for example:
 
‘These old, casual, red shoes’ rather than ‘These old, red, casual shoes’.

Next steps
Help students to notice the order in which adjectives are usually written.
 
Use the adjectives that you brainstormed in (1) above. Experiment with placing three or more adjectives in different orders in front of the noun. Discuss the different phrases and whether they sound right.

For example, compare ‘shabby red cotton scarf’ with ‘cotton shabby red scarf’. What do you notice about the categories of adjectives and their order?
3
Choosing and ordering adjectives
This task asks students to complete two sentences by adding appropriate adjectives. Students are reminded to check that the adjectives sound as if they are in the right order.

Most students in the trial were able to choose appropriate adjectives to describe the shoes. Some students chose an order for their adjectives that did not read smoothly, for example:
‘I’d like some new Adidas shoes that are Running and Green.’
‘I’d like some new Running shoes that are Nike and Purple.’

About two-thirds of the students also wrote each adjective with an initial capital letter, even though the adjectives formed part of a sentence.

Next steps
Work with students to generate lists of adjectives to describe objects, as in (1) above. Write each adjective on a card. Write some corresponding nouns on different coloured card. As a class or in groups, try ordering three or more adjectives in different ways to describe the nouns. Which orders sound best? What do you notice about the different categories of adjective?
4
Giving feedback on partner’s work
In this shared task, a partner gives feedback on the adjectives used to describe the shoes, and suggests an additional adjective.

Most students were able to provide appropriate feedback and to suggest an appropriate addition.