This document provides information and activities for teaching synonyms to students. It defines synonyms as words that have different spellings and sounds but the same meaning. The document suggests that students already use synonyms without knowing it and that learning synonyms enhances writing. It then provides example synonym activities like reading a book and finding synonyms in it, working in pairs with thesauruses to find word synonyms, and playing synonym games online or with cards. It also includes more advanced activities like a synonym memory game and rewriting paragraphs by replacing words with synonyms.

1. Joyful
Upset
TEACHING
SYNONYMS
By Letizia Mastrantoni
Happy
Educator

2. WHAT ARE
SYNONYMS?
SYNONYMS ARE
WORDS THAT LOOK
DIFFERENTLY AND
SOUND DIFFERENTLY Here is a game that tests your knowledge
BUT MEAN THE SAME of synonyms
THING
http://www.vocabulary.co.il/synonyms/inte
WHY TEACH rmediate/elementary-find-the-synonym/
SYNONYMS?
STUDENTS USE
SYNONYMS EVERYDAY
WITHOUT KNOWING IT.
SYNONYMS ENHANCE
WRITING AND
VOCABULARY BY
PROVIDING STUDENTS
THE OPPORTUNITY TO
FIND A DIFFERENT WAY
OF SAYING THE SAME
THING

3. SOME
EXAMPLES OF
SYNONYMS
ARE 

4. A Song About Synonyms
Your students may be a little old for
sesame street but it gets the point across
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=7RQSWGV3NCK

5. SYNONYM ACTIVITIES:
Start out by reading
Alexander and the
Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day
By Judith Viorst

6. *ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE STORY, TAKE OUT A THESAURUS.
*ASK STUDENTS IF THEY KNOW WHAT YOU CALL MULTIPLE WORDS THAT
MEAN THE SAME THING?
USING THE THESAURUS, LOOK UP THE WORD HORRIBLE.
*TELL STUDENTS THAT A SYNONYM IS THE NAME FOR MULTIPLE WORDS
THAT MEAN THE SAME THING
*ASK STUDENTS IF THEY NOTICED ANY SYNONYMS IN THE BOOK YOU JUST
FINISHED READING
*USING THE THESAURUS, TELL STUDENTS THE SYNONYMS FOR HORRIBLE
*HAVE STUDENTS PARTNER UP WITH SOMEONE SITING NEXT TO THEM AND
PASS OUT THESAURUS’
*GIVE EACH SET OF PARTNERS A WORD CARD TO LOOK UP
*AFTER 2-4 MINUTES, CALL ON EACH GROUP AND CREATE A CHART USING
THE WORD CARDS AND SYNONYMS FOUND
*NOW THAT SYNONYMS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED, THERE ARE MANY GAMES
AND ACTIVITIES YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR STUDENTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
SYNONYMS

7. PLACE SYNONYM WORD CARDS INSIDE A PAPER BAG AND HAVE
STUDENTS SELECT THEM ONE BY ONE.
IF STUDENTS PULL OUT 2 WORD CARDS THAT ARE SYNONYMS
THEY MUST WRITE DOWN THE WORDS AND COME UP WITH ONE
MORE SYNONYM (USING A THESAURUS)
IF THEY PULL OUT 2 WORDS THAT ARE NOT SYNONYMS, THEY
MUST WRITE DOWN AND LOOK UP A SYNONYM FOR EACH WORD
SELECTED

8. http://www.scholastic.com/wordgirl/synonym_toast.htm
http://www.teflgames.com/msie_synonyms01.htm
Fun games
to play to
practice
synonyms
online
http://www.kidport.com/Grade3/LanguageArts/Synonyms.htm
http://www.firstschoolyears.com/literacy/word/other/synonyms/interactive/synonyms.htm

9. MORE SYNONYM ACTIVITIES
Synonym Memory : Have students match synonym cards by laying cards
face down and having them select 2 cards at a time. If they select synonyms they
have another turn. Person with the most cards at the end is the winner
Paragraph Replacer:
Give students a paragraph with 8-10 words circled in it.
Have students rewrite the paragraph replacing the circled words with new
words that are synonyms.
Have students answer the following questions about the activity
1) Is the writing more interesting with the new words?
2) Does the writing still make sense?
3) Did you learn any new words from this activity?
4) What tools did you use to find the synonyms?

10. RESOURCES
YOUTUBE.COM
BRAINPOP.COM
ANDERSON, N. A. (2006). ELEMENTARY CHILDREN'S
LITERATURE: THE BASICS FOR TEACHERS AND
PARENTS. (2 ED.). BOSTON, MA: PEARSON.