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Using a Thesaurus
In this language arts worksheet, students learn to use a thesaurus to replace words they already know. Students read 20 sentences and replace the underlined word with a new word found in the thesaurus.
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In Other Words: Using a Thesaurus
Help your young writers stay engaged with their writing through the practical use of a thesaurus. They work to reinforce the use of synonyms as a way of making writing more interesting and to determine word meaning by finding synonyms....
Have Fun Teaching
Synonyms (Thesaurus Search)
Smart, intelligent, perceptive. Here's a worksheet that asks kids to use a thesaurus (an online one, perhaps?) to find a series of synonyms for the six words listed.
Curated OER
The Visual Thesaurus and the SAT
Demonstrate strategies for tackling unfamiliar vocabulary words in preparation for the SAT. Using Visual Thesaurus computer software, middle and high schoolers interpret contextual clues, solve sample sentence completion questions, and...
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Thesaurus Power
Give your class the advantage of Thesaurus Power! They will use a thesaurus to understand word meanings and relationships. They focus on how a thesaurus functions and how it gives the entry word, definition, synonyms, antonyms, and part...
Curated OER
Using the Thesaurus: Synonyms
in this synonyms worksheet, students use a thesaurus to look up 12 words. Students then read four possible choices and circle the word that is not a synonym for the given word.
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Using a Thesaurus
In this writing worksheet, students read about how to use a thesaurus. Students also replace a word, using a thesaurus, in each of five sentences.
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Using a Thesaurus
In this using a thesaurus worksheet, students read a sentence with a word underlined. Students use a thesaurus to change the underlined word to a stronger or more interesting synonym. There are 5 sentences.
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Improve Your Spelling with the Visual Thesaurus
Using Visual Thesaurus software, class members participate in a computer-based spelling bee. Then they work in groups to analyze the words and use deductive reasoning to infer spelling patterns. They then present one of their "rules" to...
Curated OER
Using a Thesaurus
Learners discover how to use a thesaurus. In this language arts lesson plan, students explore thesauruses as they look up words and write sentences for the new words they encounter.
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Word Association Poetry with Visual Thesaurus (or Not)
Young poets get inspiration and guidance for making word association poems with the Visual Thesaurus. Your class could complete this project with nothing more than a pencil and paper as well. A nice one-off for a substitute during your...
Curated OER
Using Descriptive Language
Students examine the use of adjectives in a product review, then write their own descriptive review. In this writing and word usage lesson, students first analyze the choice of adjectives in a New York Times article about the iPhone,...
Teach-nology
Using the Thesaurus: Synonyms
Kids are asked to choose the one option that is not a synonym for the provided keyword on a synonym worksheet.
Curated OER
Using Words as a Way into Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief
Use the Visual Thesaurus to predict the subject matter of Rick Riordan's book The Lightning Thief. A pre-reading activity encourages middle schoolers to use context clues and word meaning to discover what the book is about. After they...
Curated OER
Thesaurus Forage
Looking for a game that teaches students about how to use a thesaurus, and reinforces the concept of synonyms? Each player will have the opportunity to use their "tools" in this engaging lesson. They will use their thesauruses in order...
Curated OER
Using a Thesaurus
In this writing worksheet, students read the definition of a thesaurus. They use a thesaurus to replace an underlined word with a synonym in each of 15 sentences.
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Synonyms
Use this resource to help learners improve the quality of their writing. Discuss the importance of using synonyms for commonly used words. Class members also learn to use a thesaurus, and revise a writing sample to include more...
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Clicking Your Way to Poetry: Composing Word Association Poems with the Visual Thesaurus
Use a Visual Thesaurus to compose word association poems. Discuss poetry and word association, create word maps, then practice creating poems based on playful word associations. A perfect way to celebrate "Poem in Your Pocket Day" (April...
Curated OER
Seeing Words in a New Way
What's the best resource to use when looking up words? Use Visual Thesaurus to see a word's meaning. The class accesses the interactive website and then compares and contrasts the difference between using a traditional dictionary and the...
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Exploring the Power of Puns
Read and analyze a variety of Shakespearean and contemporary puns using Visual Thesaurus computer software. Middle and high schoolers analyze a pun as a class; in small groups they analyze a Shakespearean pun using contextual clues and...
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Learning Vocabulary by Using Reference Materials
Finding engaging ways to help your middle schoolers build their vocabulary is not easy to do. The lesson presented here offers a great way to motivate them to build vocabulary by making it into a game. Teams of pupils use a dictionary...
Library Sparks
Reference Tools Vocabulary Challenge
Young scholars love the opportunity of going to the library to jump into that one comfy chair in the whole room with a book, or be a lucky one to get to the computers before anyone else. But knowing how to locate books and other...
Curated OER
Using a Thesaurus--Antonyms
In this antonyms instructional activity, students utilize a dictionary or thesaurus to find the most appropriate antonym for the following four words: exceptional, passive, prepared and fast.
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Using a Thesaurus--Synonyms
In this synonyms worksheet, students utilize a thesaurus book to find the most appropriate synonym for reveal, vacant, decent and plausible.