For most students, speech and informal writing flow naturally. Yet students often struggle with formal or academic writing. This mini-lesson explores verb choice in a variety of online resources, then encourages students to draw conclusions about verb use which they can apply to their own writing. Students begin by identifying verbs in a variety of contexts, determining whether constructions rely on active or passive voice. Following classroom discussions about verbs, students apply the strategies they have learned to their own writing by revising verb choice to match audience and purpose. (author/ncl)

This site gives practice in writing less wordy, more direct sentences. Anytime an employee can write tight reports, business runs more smoothly. This site does a good job of defining, illustrating, and then showing students where active and passive voice are used in the media. Students practice using the internet, learn about various news sites, and also learn about current affairs while completing this mini-lesson. It utilizes hands-on illustrations of active and passive voice, which is a good way to approach this abstract topic. (dam)