Describing Apples Worksheet

Describing words are how a young reader turns a plain noun into a picture in the mind, and an apple is the perfect place to practice them. This describing apples worksheet asks second graders to read a full sentence, find the clue inside it, and choose the one describing word that the clue names. A peel that catches the bright light is shiny. A bite that ends in a loud snap is crunchy. An apple that makes your mouth pucker is sour. Working this way teaches students that adjectives are chosen on purpose, not sprinkled in at random, and that the sentence around a word is the evidence for what it means.

The sheet is a word bank cloze, so the thinking happens in the reading rather than in the spelling. Eight describing words sit in the word bank at the top of the page, and six sentences below each carry a printed answer box. Students read a sentence, decide which word the clue points to, and write it in the box. Two of the eight bank words are extra on purpose, so the page cannot be finished by crossing off one word at a time. Use this 2nd grade vocabulary worksheet during a fall apple unit, in a small reading group, as morning work, or as a quick check before an adjective lesson. The answer key on the final page makes it easy to correct together.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• Answer key
• 6 sentence items with a word bank of 8 describing words

There are three reasons this describing apples worksheet helps children learn the skill. First, every sentence gives a real clue, so students have to read for meaning instead of guessing from the shape of a word. Second, the two extra bank words are genuine describing words for an apple, which means the page rewards careful reading rather than a process of elimination. Third, the six words together cover taste, sound, touch, sight, and shape, so children leave with a small bank of sense words they can use in their own writing.

Try a few more ways to build the same skill at home or in the classroom. Bring in two kinds of apples, let children taste both, and write a describing word for each on a sticky note. Play a guessing game in which one student describes an object with three words while the rest of the class guesses what it is. Ask students to pick one word from the bank and write a brand new sentence with it. Older students can sort the eight words by which sense tells them the answer, then add one more word to each group.

Related Resources

• Describing Words Worksheet – Hot Air Balloon
• Describing Pictures Adjectives Worksheet
• Describing Things or Events Worksheet
• Adjective Song by Have Fun Teaching