Objective
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to identify and use proper nouns in sentences.
Materials and Prep
- Pen or pencil
- Blank paper
Before starting the lesson, the student should have a basic understanding of nouns and sentence structure.
Activities
- Activity 1: Proper Noun Hunt
- Activity 2: Proper Noun Story
- Activity 3: Proper Noun Sort
Ask the student to read a passage from "Runt" and identify all the proper nouns mentioned. They can underline or highlight them on the page. Once done, have them write down the proper nouns they found on a separate piece of paper.
Have the student create a short story using at least five proper nouns. Encourage them to be creative and use characters or places from "Runt" if they wish. After writing the story, they can read it aloud or share it with someone else.
Provide the student with a list of common nouns and proper nouns. They should cut out the words and sort them into two categories. They can glue or tape the words onto a separate sheet of paper, labeling one side "Common Nouns" and the other side "Proper Nouns".
Talking Points
- Proper nouns are specific names of people, places, or things.
- Proper nouns always start with a capital letter.
- In the book "Runt", we can find proper nouns like Annie Shearer, Upson Downs, and Runt.
- Proper nouns help make our writing more interesting and descriptive.
- When we use proper nouns, we are referring to something or someone unique.
- Can you think of any other proper nouns from the book "Runt"?
- Why do you think the author chose to give the main character the name Annie Shearer?
- How would the story be different if the setting was changed from Upson Downs to a big city?
- Why do you think the author decided to name the dog in the story "Runt"?