• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Who or what does the pronoun point back to?). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. When Grandpa and Leo finished the jigsaw, they cheered. Who does "they" refer to? (only Grandpa / Grandpa and Leo / only Leo / the jigsaw) → Grandpa and LeoPrompt: Find the pronoun, then look back earlier in the sentence.
2. Choose the pronoun that matches the noun it refers to. The girls put on ___ helmets. (there / its / their / it's) → theirPrompt: Who or what owns the thing? Is it one or more than one?
3. Ms Lane thanked Omar because he had tidied the shelves. Who does "he" refer to? (Ms Lane / the shelves / Omar's dad / Omar) → OmarPrompt: Find the pronoun, then look back earlier in the sentence.

• Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
• Share the objective: Pronoun or noun? Make it clear who is meant. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Grandpa and Dad fixed the shed, and then he made tea. Why is this sentence unclear?
• Step 1: A pronoun is unclear when it could refer to more than one noun. Use the noun instead.
• Step 2: So the answer is: We can't tell who made the tea.
• Answer: We can't tell who made the tea.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. When the dog chased the cat, it ran up a tree. Why is this sentence unclear? (It is in the wrong tense. / Dogs cannot chase cats. / It needs a full stop in the middle. / 'It' could be the dog or the cat.) → 'It' could be the dog or the cat.Prompt: Find each pronoun (he, she, it, her, they).
2. Which version is clearest and reads best? (She found it. She washed it and put it on her shelf. / Mia found a shell. Mia washed the shell and Mia put the shell on Mia's shelf. / Mia found a shell. It washed her and put her on its shelf. / Mia found a shell. She washed it and put it on her shelf.) → Mia found a shell. She washed it and put it on her shelf.Prompt: Repeating the same noun again and again sounds clumsy.

• 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.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Which version is clearest and reads best? (It rolled into it. It switched on its lights and beeped. / The robot rolled into the room. They switched on their lights and beeped. / The robot rolled into the room. The robot switched on the robot's lights and the robot beeped. / The robot rolled into the room. It switched on its lights and beeped.) → The robot rolled into the room. It switched on its lights and beeped.Prompt: Repeating the same noun again and again sounds clumsy.
2. Rewrite the sentence so it matches the meaning in brackets. Which is best? Sam told Leo that he had won the prize. (Leo won.) (Sam told Leo that he had won the prize. / Sam told Leo that Sam had won the prize. / Sam told Leo that Leo had won the prize. / He told him that he had won the prize.) → Sam told Leo that Leo had won the prize.Prompt: Read the meaning in brackets carefully.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-4.