English lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 30 minutes
Adding -ly: happily, gently, basically
Spelling
CCSS L.3.2.EEngland: Y3/4 Spelling (suffix -ly)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Adding -ly: happily, gently, basically.
- 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: Suffixes -ment, -ness, -ful, -less, -ly; Adjective or adverb? (quick or quickly)
Leads to: Adding -ation: inform → information, admire → admiration; Doubling in longer words: forgetting, beginning, but gardening
Materials: Word cards, Look-say-cover-write-check sheets, Mini whiteboards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Suffixes -ment, -ness, -ful, -less, -ly; Adjective or adverb? (quick or quickly)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Choose the word with the right suffix to finish the sentence. We felt ___ that the rain would stop soon. (hope) (hopeness / hopely / hopement / hopeful) → hopefulPrompt: Read the sentence with each choice.
- Which word fits? Be ___ with the scissors! (carefully / careful) → carefulPrompt: Does the word describe a noun (a thing) or a verb (how something is done)?
- Which word is the ADJECTIVE (it describes a noun)? The puppy wagged its fluffy tail. (wagged / fluffy / puppy / tail) → fluffyPrompt: Find the verb and the nouns first.
Hook · 3 min
- Show a word spelled two ways and ask which looks right, then why.
- Share the objective: Adding -ly: happily, gently, basically. 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: Add -ly to "busy" to make an adverb. Type the new word.
- Step 1: The word ends in a consonant + y, so change the y to i before adding -ly.
- Step 2: So the answer is: busily
- Answer: busily
- 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.
- Add -ly to "terrible" to make an adverb. Type the new word. → terriblyPrompt: Look at the last letters of the word: -y, -le, -ic, or something else?
- Which is the correct way to add -ly to "busy"? (busly / busyally / busyly / busily) → busilyPrompt: Check how the root word ends.
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.
- Which is the correct way to add -ly to "careful"? (carefully / carefuily / carefuly / carefulally) → carefullyPrompt: Check how the root word ends.
- Add -ly to "tragic" to make an adverb. Type the new word. → tragicallyPrompt: Look at the last letters of the word: -y, -le, -ic, or something else?
Watch out for
- Spelling every word exactly as it sounds.
- Learning a list for a test but not using the words in writing.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Suffixes -ment, -ness, -ful, -less, -ly.
- Use concrete materials: word cards.
- 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: Adding -ation: inform → information, admire → admiration; Doubling in longer words: forgetting, beginning, but gardening.
- 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-3.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder