Adjectives are highly useful words that can do a great deal to enhance a piece of writing. Integrating adjectives gives the piece detail and flow. It also increases the reader's ability to visualize the text. Before middle school writers can improve their descriptive writing, they need to develop an understanding of what an adjective is and how it functions within a sentence. Help students become acquainted with adjectives by engaging them in learning activities.

Adjective match-up
Ask students to match adjectives with objects that they correctly describe in the high energy game "adjective match-up." Before class, look around the room and select adjectives that could be used to describe objects in the class. List all of these adjectives. From this list, create two sets of index cards. Use a different color on each set of cards.

Once students arrive, tell them that they are going to divide into teams and race around the room, labeling objects with the appropriate adjectives. Give each team one set of cards and a roll of masking tape. Explain to the students that the race will be run in a relay style.

Have the members of each team line up, and place the index card stack and tape on the floor in front of the first team member. When you say, "go," the first person in each line grabs an index card and uses the tape to put the card on an object that it could describe. The student then returns to the end of the line. Continue the game until one team has placed all of its cards. Yell, "stop," and check their placements. If all of the cards are appropriately placed, the team that finished wins.

Adjective sort
Help students differentiate between adjectives and other parts of speech in the "adjective sort" game. Using a stack of index cards, make word cards. On each card, write one word. This word should be either an adjective or another easily identifiable part of speech. Do not include any words that can have meanings dependent upon their use in a sentence. Place all of these cards into a basket or sack. Divide the chalk board in half. Label one half "adjective" and the other half "other."

Tell students that they are going to pick the adjectives out of the collection of words. Call students up one at a time and ask them to pick a word from the bag or basket. Tell them to read the word aloud and then declare the word either an adjective or an "other." If the student categorizes the word correctly, reward them with a small trinket or bonus points. Tape the word in the appropriate category on the chalkboard.

Adjective treasure hunt
Show students how abundant adjectives are in most written works. Photocopy a page out of a novel that you are reading in class or a literature book. Provide each student with a photocopy and a highlighter. Ask the students to highlight the adjectives present on the page. Go over the adjectives once all students have tried to highlight independently, allowing them to identify ones that they may have missed.