Dead Words R.I.P.

Check out how Fairview Elementary teacher Deb Conley targets dead and worn out words with her fourth graders in Sherwood, OH. She identifies the overused adjectives and verbs she wants writers to avoid and then encourages students to brainstorm more specific synonyms using this handout. Download Deb’s handout or make your own version using the blank template on page 2. Thanks for sharing, Deb!

Diane Burns, K-5 Literacy Coach at Aylesworth Elementary School (Portage, IN), encouraged her students to lay to rest some of their worn-out words. She focused on words that were consistently popping up in their writing and asked them to avoid those words and to replace them with better words that painted a more specific picture.