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English lesson plan · 11th grade (Year 12 in England) · 30 minutes

Subject–verb agreement across long interruptions (SAT)

Grammar

CCSS L.11-12.1CCSS L.9-10.1England: SAT Standard English Conventions (Form, Structure, and Sense)England: ACT English

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Subject–verb agreement across long interruptions (SAT).

  • 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: Agreement when the verb comes first (There are…, Here comes…); Agreement in relative clauses (one of those who…)

Leads to: ACT-style editing: NO CHANGE or a better option?

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 (Agreement when the verb comes first (There are…, Here comes…); Agreement in relative clauses (one of those who…)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Is this sentence correct in formal written English? Behind the old mill lie a narrow path and a stream. (correct / incorrect) → correctPrompt: The subject comes AFTER the verb here. Find it.
  2. Is this sentence correct in formal written English? Tom is one of those people who always arrive late. (correct / incorrect) → correctPrompt: Who/that/which takes its number from the noun it refers back to.
  3. Choose the verb that agrees with the subject. Here ___ the results of the survey. (is / are) → arePrompt: The subject comes AFTER the verb here. Find it.

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
  • Share the objective: Subject–verb agreement across long interruptions (SAT). 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 choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The sound of thousands of frogs calling across the wetlands ___ deafening at night.
  • Step 1: The verb agrees with the head noun of the subject, however much information comes in between.
  • Step 2: The subject is 'sound' (singular).
  • Step 3: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "The sound of thousands of frogs calling across the wetlands is deafening at night."
  • Step 4: So the answer is: is
  • Answer: is
  • 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. Is this sentence correct in formal written English (SAT/ACT style)? One of the most influential architects of the twentieth century, Zaha Hadid have designed buildings around the world. (correct / incorrect) → incorrectPrompt: Strip away everything between the subject and the gap: phrases, clauses, appositives.
  2. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The migration patterns of the monarch butterfly, a species that travels up to 4,000 kilometres each year, ___ scientists. (fascinate / fascinates) → fascinatePrompt: Strip away everything between the subject and the gap: phrases, clauses, appositives.

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 correct in formal written English (SAT/ACT style)? What the researchers found in the frozen soil samples supports the theory. (correct / incorrect) → correctPrompt: Strip away everything between the subject and the gap: phrases, clauses, appositives.
  2. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The sound of thousands of frogs calling across the wetlands ___ deafening at night. (are / is) → isPrompt: Strip away everything between the subject and the gap: phrases, clauses, appositives.

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: Agreement when the verb comes first (There are…, Here comes…).
  • 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: ACT-style editing: NO CHANGE or a better option?.
  • 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-11.

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

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Subject–verb agreement across long interruptions (SAT)

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? What the researchers found in the frozen soil samples ___ the theory.

    • A. supports
    • B. support

  2. Question 2

    Is this sentence correct in formal written English (SAT/ACT style)? One of the most influential architects of the twentieth century, Zaha Hadid designed buildings around the world.

    • A. correct
    • B. incorrect

  3. Question 3

    Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The migration patterns of the monarch butterfly, a species that travels up to 4,000 kilometres each year, ___ scientists.

    • A. fascinate
    • B. fascinates

  4. Question 4

    Is this sentence correct in formal written English (SAT/ACT style)? A team of engineers from three universities has developed a battery that charges in minutes.

    • A. correct
    • B. incorrect

  5. Question 5

    Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The sound of thousands of frogs calling across the wetlands ___ deafening at night.

    • A. are
    • B. is

  6. Question 6

    Is this sentence correct in formal written English (SAT/ACT style)? The sound of thousands of frogs calling across the wetlands are deafening at night.

    • A. correct
    • B. incorrect

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Answer key: Subject–verb agreement across long interruptions (SAT)

  1. 1. A. supports

  2. 2. A. correct

  3. 3. A. fascinate

  4. 4. A. correct

  5. 5. B. is

  6. 6. B. incorrect