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

SAT/ACT Standard English Conventions (mixed)

Grammar

CCSS L.11-12.1CCSS L.11-12.2England: SAT Standard English ConventionsEngland: ACT English

Objective and success criteria

Students will: SAT/ACT Standard English Conventions (mixed).

  • 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 with tricky subjects (SAT/ACT); Pronoun–antecedent agreement; Verb tense and form in context

Leads to: Finite and non-finite verbs (SAT Form, Structure, and Sense)

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 with tricky subjects (SAT/ACT); Pronoun–antecedent agreement; Verb tense and form in context). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Choose the verb that agrees with the subject. Not one of the volunteers ___ late. (was / were) → wasPrompt: Find the head noun of the subject. Cross out prepositional phrases (of…, from…, in…).
  2. Choose the pronoun that agrees with its antecedent (formal written English). The company announced that ___ profits had risen. (its / they're / it's / their) → itsPrompt: Find the noun the pronoun refers back to.
  3. Choose the verb form that fits the context. Since 2015, the town ___ three new parks. (opened / had opened / has opened / opens) → has openedPrompt: Look for time clues (in 1969, since, by the time, next month).

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
  • Share the objective: SAT/ACT Standard English Conventions (mixed). 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 conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The novel's themes of memory and loss ___ readers long after the final page.
  • Step 1: SAT/ACT convention questions test agreement, verb form, pronouns and sentence structure.
  • Step 2: The subject is 'themes' (plural), so the verb is 'stay with'.
  • Step 3: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "The novel's themes of memory and loss stay with readers long after the final page."
  • Step 4: So the answer is: stay with
  • Answer: stay with
  • 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 choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Before the invention of the printing press, books ___ copied by hand. (have / was / were / had) → werePrompt: Identify the subject and the verb, or what the pronoun refers to.
  2. Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The orchestra performed the symphony, ___ composed in 1824. (which had been / they had been / having had been / it had been) → which had beenPrompt: Identify the subject and the verb, or what the pronoun refers to.

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. Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The architect designed the library so that ___ reading rooms would fill with natural light. (its / there / it's / their) → itsPrompt: Identify the subject and the verb, or what the pronoun refers to.
  2. Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Before the invention of the printing press, books ___ copied by hand. (were / had / was / have) → werePrompt: Identify the subject and the verb, or what the pronoun refers to.

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 with tricky subjects (SAT/ACT).
  • 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: Finite and non-finite verbs (SAT Form, Structure, and Sense).
  • 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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SAT/ACT Standard English Conventions (mixed)

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The marine biologist, along with her two assistants, ___ the coral reef every spring.

    • A. are surveying
    • B. have surveyed
    • C. survey
    • D. surveys

  2. Question 2

    Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The architect designed the library so that ___ reading rooms would fill with natural light.

    • A. there
    • B. it's
    • C. its
    • D. their

  3. Question 3

    Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Neither the coach nor the players ___ satisfied with the draw.

    • A. were
    • B. was
    • C. has been
    • D. is

  4. Question 4

    Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Each of the city's bridges ___ its own distinctive design.

    • A. are having
    • B. having
    • C. has
    • D. have

  5. Question 5

    Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? When the results were published, the scientists ___ that their hypothesis had been correct.

    • A. have learned
    • B. will learn
    • C. learn
    • D. learned

  6. Question 6

    Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The archive, ___ holds more than a million letters, is open to the public.

    • A. who
    • B. it
    • C. which
    • D. where

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Answer key: SAT/ACT Standard English Conventions (mixed)

  1. 1. D. surveys

  2. 2. C. its

  3. 3. A. were

  4. 4. C. has

  5. 5. D. learned

  6. 6. C. which