Procedure Guide: POSSIBLE ANTONYMS

Purpose: To increase vocabulary and recognition of relationships among words

Preparation

• Choose a list of target words from a text currently being read by students.
• Write a list of Target words on a transparency, chalkboard, or sheet of large chart paper.

Before

• Explain the purpose of the activity.
• Model selecting antonyms for a target word (other than the ones from the current text).

Example: homely (beautiful, winsome, lovely, gorgeous, attractive, handsome)

During

• Working in pairs, have students locate and write the antonyms for each target word. If they are unsure of the target word meaning, have them use context clues to determine it.

After

• Have each pair choose its most unique antonym and write a sentence using its unique synonym.
• Have each pair read their sentence aloud, and have the class decide the target word for which it is an antonym.

Assessment

Choice of antonyms

Appropriateness of synonym/antonym in the sentence