One Light, One Sun: Nouns, Verbs, and Meaningful Language
Grade: 1 and 4 Subject: Language Arts, Literature, Music Time: 30–45 minutes
The original lesson uses One Light, One Sun by Raffi as a language-arts connection. Grade 1 students identify action words; Grade 4 students identify nouns and use nouns and verbs in sentences about the earth.
Grade 1 Objective
Identify common action verbs in a read-aloud text and use selected verbs in oral or written sentences.
Grade 4 Objective
Identify common and proper nouns and verbs and use them accurately in sentences.
Procedure: Grade 1
- Read a teacher-selected age-appropriate excerpt or related text and listen for action words.
- Model: “The bird flies.” Explain what the verb tells us.
- Students identify additional verbs and act out a few.
- Students use two verbs in oral or written sentences.
- Exit check: identify a verb in a new sentence.
Procedure: Grade 4
- Model identifying a noun and verb in a short passage.
- Students annotate a passage for nouns and verbs.
- Students write three sentences about the earth using specific nouns and strong verbs.
- Partners identify one noun and one verb in each sentence.
Assessment
Grade 1: correctly identify verbs from a short set. Grade 4: correctly identify nouns and verbs in a new passage and use them in complete sentences.
Extension
Revise a plain sentence by replacing a general verb with a more precise one. Older students can discuss how word choice changes meaning or tone.