Revision Move 1 — Choose a Stronger Verb

Skills targeted

Objectives

Students replace 'said', 'went', and 'got' in their drafts with Tier-2 verbs from Set 6 (insisted, declared, complained, persuaded) where appropriate.
Students name the STRONGER VERB revision move and annotate where they used it.

Vocabulary

revision movestronger verbannotate

Lesson plan

Warm-up

5 min

Tier-2 retrieval: teacher reads 4 sentences with 'said' as the verb; children call out which Tier-2 verb (insisted/declared/complained/persuaded) would be stronger.

Teacher moves

Affirm strong matches
Push back on weak matches with the force continuum

Direct instruction

12 min

We are starting our revision menu. There are five named moves. Today we meet move 1: CHOOSE A STRONGER VERB. Watch my draft from yesterday: 'I said class librarian is the best.' That's fine — but I have an opinion. So let me INSIST it: 'I insisted that class librarian is the best.' Notice how my sentence got stronger and showed my feelings. The STRONGER VERB move means: find a tired verb (said, went, got, did) and trade it for a precision verb from your Tier-2 set. The green revision pencil makes the change. Sticky-note the move on the margin: 'STRONGER VERB.'

Key examples

Notice we don't replace every said — only where the stronger verb genuinely fits.

model Before: 'My brother said he likes pancakes.' After: 'My brother insisted he likes pancakes.' Annotation: 'STRONGER VERB — insisted shows he wouldn't back down.'

prompt Teacher revises one sentence live on the doc-cam.

Checks for understanding

Why don't we replace 'said' with INSISTED every time?
Name one verb you might trade in your own draft.

Media


        M-2-S-WR-06-A

Chart Physical / non-image

Anchor chart titled 'REVISION MOVES (a writer's choice)' with 5 numbered cards: 1. ADD DETAIL (green highlight, with an adjective+adverb icon); 2. STRONGER VERB (yellow highlight, today's focus — with an arrow showing said→insisted); 3. VARY SENTENCE LENGTH (orange highlight, with short and long sentence icons); 4. COMBINE (purple highlight, with two strips joining into one); 5. CHECK TENSE (blue highlight, with a clock icon). Today's move (#2) circled in green pencil. 11x17 print-ready.

Guided practice

12 min

Tasks

Open your draft from yesterday. Find one tired verb. Cross it out with the green revision pencil. Write the Tier-2 replacement above it. Margin-note 'STRONGER VERB.'

scaffold Tier-2 Set 6 card at desk for reference
Trade drafts. Read your partner's STRONGER VERB change. Does it fit?

scaffold Yes/Maybe/Try-different rubric card

Media


        M-2-S-WR-06-B

Illustration

Reference image of a Grade-2 draft page with one sentence: 'My brother said he likes pancakes.' The word 'said' has a single green strike-through; above it, 'insisted' is written in green pencil. Margin sticky-note reads 'STRONGER VERB — insisted shows he wouldn't back down.' Print-ready, dyslexic-friendly handwriting style.

Formative assessment

3 min

Exit ticket

Write the BEFORE and AFTER of one verb-revision from your draft. Add the move name 'STRONGER VERB.'

scoring Real change with appropriate Tier-2 verb = mastery; change that doesn't fit = practicing; no change = reteach.

Closure

2 min

Moves

Read your revised sentence aloud.
Predict: tomorrow we meet recommended, delighted, disappointed.

Homework

10 min

Tasks

Find one place in your draft where a stronger verb could go. Make the change tonight with the green pencil.

Exercises in this lesson

eng.g2.s.ex_12 Find one tired verb (said, went, got, did) in your draft. Replace it with a Tier-2 Set 6 verb. Annotate 'STRONGER VERB' in the margin.	stronger verb apply · diff 2
eng.g2.s.ex_13 Place these 4 Tier-2 verbs on a force continuum from gentle (left) to strong (right): COMPLAINED, INSISTED, PERSUADED, DECLARED.	tier2 force continuum place · diff 2

Differentiation

Scaffolds

Pre-highlighted tired verbs in the child's draft
Verb-trade card (said → insisted/declared/complained/persuaded)
Adult scribe for the annotation

Extensions

Try TWO stronger-verb moves in one paragraph.
Find a tired verb in a mentor text and propose a Tier-2 upgrade.

English Learners

Bilingual Tier-2 verb cards
Slow oral rehearsal of the new verb in context

Ieps 504s

Verbal trade with adult; teacher writes the change
Reduced target: 1 change instead of 2

Teacher notes

This is the first NAMED revision move of the term. The metalanguage matters: children should be able to say 'I used the STRONGER VERB move' by the end of class. Resist letting them apply the move everywhere — over-application weakens prose. The Tier-2 verbs only fit when the FORCE matches the meaning. Plan to add move 2 (ADD DETAIL) in lesson 7.