New
New
Year 3
Rich vocabulary associated with small or thin words
I can use the words 'dainty, 'diminutive' and 'minuscule' effectively in multiple contexts.
New
New
Year 3
Rich vocabulary associated with small or thin words
I can use the words 'dainty, 'diminutive' and 'minuscule' effectively in multiple contexts.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Dainty is an adjective which means small, delicate and pretty.
- Diminutive is an adjective which means unusally small.
- Miniscule is an adjective which means tiny or microsocpic.
Keywords
Noun - a naming word for people, places or things
Adjective - a word that describes a noun
Synonym - a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word
Word pair - words that often appear together
Common misconception
Diminutive and minuscule can often be used interchangeably, but not always.
Use the word pairs to help pupils see and hear the words in nuanced contexts. i.e. 'minuscule amount' works but not 'diminutive amount'.
Supplement the slides with more images to help embed learning. For example, it would be nice for children to see an image of a 'dainty' sandwich in comparison to a large baguette.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What is an adjective?
a naming word for people, places or things
a being or doing word
Q2.
What is a noun?
a word that describes a noun
a being or doing word
Q3.
What is a synonym?
words that often appear together
a being or a doing word
Q4.
Which word is a synonym of 'small' in this sentence. 'Did you see that tiny spider crawl across the wooden floor?'
see
wooden
crawl
floor
Q5.
Which words are adjectives in this sentence? 'Did you see that tiny spider crawl across the wooden floor?'
spider, floor
see, crawl
Q6.
Which words are nouns in this sentence? 'Did you see that tiny spider crawl across the wooden floor?'
see, crawl
tiny, wooden
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What adjective does this image represent?
shrivelled
squat
Q2.
What adjective does this image represent?
robust
minuscule
Q3.
Match the word with the correct definition.
small, delicate and pretty
unusually small
tiny or microscopic
Q4.
Match the word pairs that make sense.
lace
stature
particle
Q5.
Select the missing word to complete the sentence. 'She placed her __________ fingers over the harp strings and lightly strummed to create mesmerising music.'
minuscule
diminutive
Q6.
Select the missing word to complete the sentence. 'Grit had only a __________ amount of glitter left in his craft supplies, just enough to add a touch of sparkle to his handmade birthday card.'
dainty
diminutive
Q1 Mrs Wordsmith Q2 Mrs Wordsmith