Compile a list of nouns. Write each word on a separate strip of paper, fold the paper in half and put it in a container. Ask a child to pick a word strip from the container and read it aloud. Going up and down the classroom rows, have one child at a time say an adjective that makes the noun more interesting such as “gentle nurse,” “tall nurse” or “angry nurse.” When every student has had a turn, or when you want to change the noun, ask another student to pick a noun from the container.
Tell your students they are going to be like detectives. Detectives ask questions and observe carefully. Sometimes they use a spy glass (magnifying glass) to examine details. Have your students make a circle with their thumb and index fingers to act like a spy glass. This will help them focus on a small object or piece of an object. They should ask themselves how the object looks, sounds, tastes, smells and feels. After examining their object for several minutes, ask them to write a list of adjectives to describe the object to someone who has never seen it.
Have your students write an adjective on a strip of paper, fold the paper and put it into a container. Duplicate a story with blanks where adjectives could be and give one to each student. Each student should pick an adjective out of the container. Begin to read the story aloud. The first student in a row will read his adjective when you encounter the first blank. Continue up and down the rows until you have finished reading the silly story.
Have a day or week when anytime a student asks you a question, she must use adjectives before any nouns. If she wants to ask for a tissue, she would say, “May I have a white tissue from your crowded desk to blow my runny nose?” If she needs math help, she would say, “May I have help with a frustrating problem in my blue math book?”