Back to the lesson plan builder
Lesson length30 min45 min60 min
Questions🔀 New questions

Print the plan for yourself; the student sheet prints on its own page after it.

English lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 30 minutes

Active and passive voice

Grammar

CCSS L.8.1.BCCSS L.8.3.AEngland: Y6 GPS (passive voice)England: KS2 SATs GPS

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Active and passive voice.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Perfect tenses (past, present, future)

Leads to: Verb moods and shifts in voice or mood; Academic style: hedging, nominalisation and objectivity; Rewriting passive sentences in the active voice

Materials: Sentence strips, Highlighters, Mini whiteboards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Perfect tenses (past, present, future)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Choose the correct perfect tense. Scientists ___ (discover) a new kind of frog. (had discovered / have discovered / will have discovered / discovering) → have discoveredPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?
  2. Choose the correct perfect tense. Mia was tired because she ___ (run) all the way. (had run / runs / has run / will have run) → had runPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?
  3. Choose the correct perfect tense. We ___ (visit) the museum twice this year. (had visited / have visited / visiting / will have visited) → have visitedPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
  • Share the objective: Active and passive voice. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? The children have planted the trees. • The trees has been planted by the children. • The trees have planted the children. • The trees have been planted by the children. • The children have been planted by the trees.
  • Step 1: Move the object to the front, use be + past participle in the same tense, and put the doer after 'by' (or leave it out).
  • Step 2: So the answer is: The trees have been planted by the children.
  • Answer: The trees have been planted by the children.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? The council will build a new library. • A new library will build the council. • The council will be built by a new library. • A new library is built by the council. • A new library will be built by the council. (A new library will build the council. / The council will be built by a new library. / A new library is built by the council. / A new library will be built by the council.) → A new library will be built by the council.Prompt: In a passive sentence, the thing the action is done TO becomes the subject.
  2. Is this sentence active or passive? The match will be shown live on TV. (active / passive) → passivePrompt: Who or what is the subject? Is the subject DOING the action or RECEIVING it?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Is this sentence active or passive? The prize was won by a girl from Leeds. (active / passive) → passivePrompt: Who or what is the subject? Is the subject DOING the action or RECEIVING it?
  2. Choose the best answer. A newspaper does not know who damaged a statue. Which sentence fits? (The statue was damaged overnight. / The statue damaged overnight. / They damaged the statue overnight, probably. / Somebody damaged it, who knows.) → The statue was damaged overnight.Prompt: The passive voice lets a writer leave out the doer or put the focus on what was affected.

Watch out for

  • Naming the feature but not using it in their own sentences.
  • Thinking a sentence is right because it sounds right when spoken casually.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Perfect tenses (past, present, future).
  • Use concrete materials: sentence strips.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Verb moods and shifts in voice or mood; Academic style: hedging, nominalisation and objectivity; Rewriting passive sentences in the active voice.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-6.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

Active and passive voice

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? A bee stung my brother. • My brother stung a bee. • My brother was stinged by a bee. • My brother was stung by a bee. • A bee was stung by my brother.

    • A. My brother stung a bee.
    • B. My brother was stinged by a bee.
    • C. My brother was stung by a bee.
    • D. A bee was stung by my brother.

  2. Question 2

    Choose the best answer. Which sentence puts the focus on the painting rather than on the painter?

    • A. The artist completed the painting in 1890.
    • B. The artist, in 1890, completed the painting.
    • C. The painting was completed in 1890.
    • D. In 1890 the artist completed it.

  3. Question 3

    Is this sentence active or passive? Scientists discovered a new species of beetle.

    • A. active
    • B. passive

  4. Question 4

    Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? The council will build a new library. • A new library will be built by the council. • A new library will build the council. • A new library is built by the council. • The council will be built by a new library.

    • A. A new library will be built by the council.
    • B. A new library will build the council.
    • C. A new library is built by the council.
    • D. The council will be built by a new library.

  5. Question 5

    Choose the best answer. A newspaper does not know who damaged a statue. Which sentence fits?

    • A. Somebody damaged it, who knows.
    • B. The statue was damaged overnight.
    • C. They damaged the statue overnight, probably.
    • D. The statue damaged overnight.

  6. Question 6

    Is this sentence active or passive? The cake has been eaten!

    • A. active
    • B. passive

Free from eurekami.com

for the adult only

Answer key: Active and passive voice

  1. 1. C. My brother was stung by a bee.

  2. 2. C. The painting was completed in 1890.

  3. 3. A. active

  4. 4. A. A new library will be built by the council.

  5. 5. B. The statue was damaged overnight.

  6. 6. B. passive