Valentine-

Themed
Creative
Writing
Wacky Lib Activity
 Valentines Day History Wacky Libs
Class Set of:
Wacky Lib Categories
Materials Valentines Day History and Traditions with blanks
Teacher Keys

1. Explain to students that they will be completing a Mad Libs-inspired activity. You may
want to share the following background information about Mad Libs:
The game, Mad Libs, is a template word game.
In the game, one player prompts another for a list of words to substitute into a
story. Then, the completed story is read aloud. The altered story is often comical
and nonsensical.
The game was first invented in 1953.
Since its origin, more than 100 million copies of the books have sold.
2. Note that to effectively play the game, students need a solid understanding of different
parts of speech.
3. Give mini-lesson on parts of speech.
4. If you think its necessary, review the other elements that students will be asked to
include in todays Wacky Lib activity: Type of female family member (mother, aunt,
Lesson & sister), Phrase to end a letter (sincerely, yours truly), Article of clothing (pants, hat),
Popular Expression (lol, everything happens for a reason, just sayin).
Activity 5. Have students pick a partner.
6. Distribute the Wacky Libs Categories worksheet (not the worksheet with the text and
blanks).
7. Instruct partnerships to go back and forth asking each other to offer up a word for each
category in the Wacky Libs column of the worksheet. For instance, Partner One would
give a date and then Partner Two would give a noun.
8. When students have filled in each category, distribute the Valentines Day History and
Tradition worksheet with the blanks. Have students read the story aloud filling in the
blanks with the words they volunteered. (Consider having partnerships read their Wacky
Libs text to another partnership.)
9. Extend the lesson by distributing the nonfiction passage Valentines Day Origins,
Traditions, and Superstitions found here.
10. Review the correct words to fill in each blank.

This lesson is excerpted from this resource filled with fun AND educational ways to celebrate
Valentines Day while practicing critical English Language Arts skills.

Click HERE
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For classroom use only by a single teacher. Please purchase one licensure per teacher using this product.
All rights reserved by author.

Copyright 2015 Brain Waves Instruction

 WACKY LIBS FACTS

Date __________________________ Date __________________________

Verb __________________________ Verb __________________________

Plural Noun _________________________ Plural Noun _________________________

Plural Noun _________________________ Plural Noun _________________________

Verb __________________________ Verb __________________________

Plural Noun _________________________ Plural Noun _________________________

Person in the Room ___________________ Person in the Room ___________________

Adjective __________________________ Adjective __________________________

Noun __________________________ Noun __________________________

Plural Noun _________________________ Plural Noun _________________________

Noun __________________________ Noun __________________________

Adjective __________________________ Adjective __________________________

Female Family Member Type ______________ Female Family Member Type ______________

Phrase to End a Letter _______________ Phrase to End a Letter _______________

Noun __________________________ Noun __________________________

Article of Clothing ___________________ Article of Clothing ___________________

Popular Expression __________________ Popular Expression __________________

Plural Noun ________________________ Plural Noun ________________________

Adverb __________________________ Adverb __________________________

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 Valentines Day History and Traditions
___________
Valentines Day is celebrated on February 14th across the United States and in many
DATE
_________ Valentines Day by giving cards,
other places around the world. People celebrate
VERB
flowers
_________, chocolates, and other gifts to their loved ones.
_________.
PLURAL NOUN PLURAL NOUN

_________ that February 14th is Valentines Day, there are many

While everyone knows
VERB

little known facts about the origin of the holiday, superstitions for the day, and
_________. Here are just a few
traditions.
PLURAL NOUN

Some people believe that the holiday began after a priest named
_________
Valentine secretly married couples in ancient Roman times. These
PERSON IN ROOM
_________ emperor named
ceremonies were performed after a cruelADJECTIVE
_________. When
Claudius outlawed marriage in order to populate his army.
NOUN
Valentine was arrested for the secret marriages, young lovers threw
_________ up to his window to show that they believed in
flowers and notes
PLURAL NOUN
_________.
love.
NOUN

_________ man named Valentine fell in love

Another legend is that an imprisoned
ADJECTIVE
_________.
with the jailors daught er. On the day he was to die, he left her a love
FAMILY MEMBER
_________________
note and signed it, love from . Some believe that the note
PHRASE TO END A LETTER

started the tradition of sending valentines.

Valentines Day has been celebrated for hundreds of years. In the Middle
Ages, young people picked names out of a bowl
_________ to see who their
NOUN
valentines would be. They would wear the name they picked on their
_________
sleeves for a week. This tradition is where the expression,
ARTICLE OF CLOTHING

_________________ comes from.

POPULAR EXPRESSION

Hundreds of years ago, children in England

_________
celebrated Valentines Day by dressing up as adults
PLURAL NOUN

and caroling from house to house.

In the 1840s, Esther Howland sent the first valentine in the

_________
United States. Her valentines were carefully made and
ADVERB
included ribbons, lace, and illustrated pictures.
Copyright 2014 Brain Waves Instruction All rights reserved by author.
For classroom use only by a single teacher. Please purchase one licensure per teacher using this product.
Copyright 2014 Brain Waves Instruction All rights reserved by author.
For classroom use only by a single teacher. Please purchase one licensure per teacher using this product.
 KEY
Valentines Day History and Traditions

Valentines Day is celebrated on February 14th across the United States and in many
other places around the world. People celebrate Valentines Day by giving cards,
flowers, chocolates, and other gifts to their loved ones.

While everyone knows that February 14th is Valentines Day, there are many little
known facts about the origin of the holiday, superstitions for the day, and
traditions. Here are just a few

Some people believe that the holiday began after a priest named
Valentine secretly married couples in ancient Roman times. These
ceremonies were performed after a cruel emperor named Claudius
outlawed marriage in order to populate his army. When Valentine was
arrested for the secret marriages, young lovers threw flowers and
notes up to his window to show that they believed in love.

Another legend is that an imprisoned man named Valentine fell in love

with the jailors daughter. On the day he was to die, he left her a love
note and signed it, love from your Valentine. Some believe that the
note started the tradition of sending valentines.

Valentines Day has been celebrated for hundreds of years. In the Middle
Ages, young people picked names out of a bowl to see who their
valentines would be. They would wear the name they picked on their
sleeves for a week. This tradition is where the expression,
to wear your heart on your sleeve comes from.

Hundreds of years ago, children in England

celebrated Valentines Day by dressing up as adults
and caroling from house to house.

In the 1840s, Esther Howland sent the first valentine in the

United States. Her valentines were carefully made and included
ribbons, lace, and illustrated pictures.

Copyright 2014 Brain Waves Instruction All rights reserved by author.

For classroom use only by a single teacher. Please purchase one licensure per teacher using this product.
 READING UNITS
WRITING UNITS
POETRY
UNITS
LITERATURE
TEST PREP

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