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English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes

Apostrophes for possession

Punctuation

CCSS L.2.2.CCCSS L.4.1England: Y2 GPS (singular possession)England: Y4 GPS (plural possession)England: KS2 SATs GPS

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Apostrophes for possession.

  • 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: Apostrophes in contractions

Leads to: Proofreading for punctuation; Possessives, plurals and non-essential elements (SAT); Possessive apostrophes: singular, plural and irregular plurals

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

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Apostrophes in contractions). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Write the contraction (short form) of "are not". → aren'tPrompt: Which letter or letters are left out?
  2. Which is the correct short form of "are not"? (arent / are'nt / aren't / arent') → aren'tPrompt: Which letter is missing in the short form?
  3. Write the contraction (short form) of "I will". → I'llPrompt: Which letter or letters are left out?

Hook · 3 min

  • Read a short passage with no punctuation and let the class hear why it's confusing.
  • Share the objective: Apostrophes for possession. 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 shows possession correctly? the shoes of James
  • Step 1: One owner: add 's. Plural owner ending in s: add ' after the s. Plural not ending in s (children, men): add 's.
  • Step 2: A singular name ending in s usually takes 's (James's); James' is also seen.
  • Step 3: So the answer is: James's shoes
  • Answer: James's shoes
  • 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 shows possession correctly? the changing room of the players (the players's changing room / the players' changing room / the player's changing room / the players changing room) → the players' changing roomPrompt: Who is the owner? One owner or more than one?
  2. Choose the correct word. Read the clue in brackets. My ___ car is blue. (one uncle) (uncle's / uncles' / uncles) → uncle'sPrompt: Does the word show ownership, a contraction, or just a plural?

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. Choose the correct word. Read the clue in brackets. We have three ___ in our garden. (more than one tree, no owner) (trees' / trees / tree's) → treesPrompt: Does the word show ownership, a contraction, or just a plural?
  2. Which shows possession correctly? the coats of the girls (the girls' coats / the girl's coats / the girls's coats / the girls coats) → the girls' coatsPrompt: Who is the owner? One owner or more than one?

Watch out for

  • Using commas where a full stop (period) is needed.
  • Putting apostrophes in plurals (apple's).

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Apostrophes in contractions.
  • Use concrete materials: punctuation 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: Proofreading for punctuation; Possessives, plurals and non-essential elements (SAT); Possessive apostrophes: singular, plural and irregular plurals.
  • 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-4.

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

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Apostrophes for possession

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Choose the correct word. Read the clue in brackets. The ___ coats hung on pegs. (lots of children)

    • A. childrens'
    • B. childrens
    • C. children's

  2. Question 2

    Which shows possession correctly? the bike that belongs to Sam

    • A. Sam's bike
    • B. Sams' bike
    • C. Sam bike's
    • D. Sams bike

  3. Question 3

    Choose the correct word. Read the clue in brackets. The library has lots of ___ for children. (more than one book, no owner)

    • A. book's
    • B. books
    • C. books'

  4. Question 4

    Which shows possession correctly? the tail of the dog

    • A. the dogs tail
    • B. the dog tail's
    • C. the dogs' tail
    • D. the dog's tail

  5. Question 5

    Choose the correct word. Read the clue in brackets. The ___ lunches were in the fridge. (the workers)

    • A. workers
    • B. worker's
    • C. workers'

  6. Question 6

    Choose the correct word. Read the clue in brackets. The ___ bowl was empty. (one cat)

    • A. cats
    • B. cat's
    • C. cats'

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Answer key: Apostrophes for possession

  1. 1. C. children's

  2. 2. A. Sam's bike

  3. 3. B. books

  4. 4. D. the dog's tail

  5. 5. C. workers'

  6. 6. B. cat's