Ask students to create their own pictures using as many materials as possible so there is a good mixture of colors, shapes and textures. Have each student describe his own picture and the work of a fellow student, using as many adjectives as he can. Put together a slide show of famous works of art and start a class discussion to describe the pictures. Divide the class into teams of two and have them sit back-to-back; one person in each pair is equipped with art utensils (colored pencils, watercolors, or crayons) and the other is the instructor. The instructor must tell the artist what to draw, for instance "draw a long, wavy line in a bright color," or "paint a leafy, autumnal tree." When each pair has had time to create a picture, share the work in a class discussion.
A lesson on the five senses can also be a gateway into talking about adjectives. Record or find a compilation of everyday sounds; have students describe the sounds using adjectives and try to guess what object or creature is making the noise. For touch and smell, hide objects in an opaque box and have each student touch or smell the objects without seeing them and then describe and guess what could be in the box using creative adjectives. For sight, present photographs of objects in extreme close-up and have the students describe and try to guess the object using descriptive adjectives, such as wet, shiny, prickly, crooked, petite, or other words that relate to shape, size or general appearance.
Create a short story using a wide range of prepositions, adjectives, nouns and verbs. Remove some of the key parts of and have the students come up with replacements without knowing the context of the whole story. Then reveal the context with the new parts of speech in place, and have a student read the silly, and often very weird, story to the class. Play fill-in-the-blank games with human interest news stories by removing key words, like adjectives to describe a person, place, or pet, and prepositions which describe the location of towns or objects; work as a large team to fill in words that make the story more descriptive and interesting. Offer fill-in-the-blank worksheets on prepositions or adjectives for students to take home or complete during independent study time.
Create a fantasy map with bridges, forests, houses, pathways and maybe some fairytale creatures. Pass out copies of the map and have students guide the rest of the class to a destination on the map of their choosing, primarily using prepositions, for instance, “over the bridge,” “through the forest,” or “down the path.” Or choose one location on the map and have the students describe where it is in relation to other places. For example, ask, "Where is the post office?" and the students could answer, "The post office is on Main Street, across from the school and next to the park." Students can also play guessing games in pairs or small groups, with one student secretly choosing a location on the map and the other team members asking questions using prepositions to guess the location.