Explain to the class that a noun is a person, place, animal or thing. It can often be touched or held. Describe verbs to the class as action words or words that describe when a person or animal does something. Ask students to name some nouns and verbs that they see in the classroom.
Ask students to identify some common materials, play equipment and school furniture as nouns; then ask them what verbs can be performed with those items. For example, a second-grader can sit in a chair, jump with a rope or draw with a marker.
Show students a series of picture cards displaying images of people, places, things, animals or actions. Allow students in the class to call out whether each card depicts a noun or a verb. Some cards may include both. For example, if a picture card shows a child kicking a ball, kicking is the verb but the child and the ball are nouns.
Play a game of charades with the class. Portray different nouns and verbs using your body language and movements, without talking, and challenge students to guess what you are acting out. To earn a point, students must also specify whether it is a noun or a verb.
Reinforce the concept of nouns and verbs by creating stories. Write short stories that are missing nouns and verbs. Assign each student a partner; each child must ask his partner for examples of nouns and verbs to fill in the blanks without reading the story. After all blanks are completed, the story is read aloud with the selected nouns and verbs. The result may be silly or serious -- in either case, it will be memorable to the second-graders.