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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? What were the main causes of the flood? (correct / incorrect) → correctPrompt: The subject comes AFTER the verb here. Find it.
  2. Is this sentence correct in formal written English? The letters that were in the old box were written in 1920. (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. There ___ a lot of noise coming from next door. (is / are) → isPrompt: 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)? The ruins, together with the ancient road that once connected them to the coast, form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (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 effects of the new policy, which was introduced despite strong objections from several councils, ___ still being studied. (is / are) → arePrompt: 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. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The effects of the new policy, which was introduced despite strong objections from several councils, ___ still being studied. (are / is) → arePrompt: Strip away everything between the subject and the gap: phrases, clauses, appositives.
  2. Is this sentence correct in formal written English (SAT/ACT style)? The findings reported in the journal, along with the raw data that the researchers released online, suggest that the drug is safe. (correct / incorrect) → correctPrompt: 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? The ruins, together with the ancient road that once connected them to the coast, ___ a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    • A. form
    • B. forms

  2. Question 2

    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

  3. Question 3

    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

  4. Question 4

    Is this sentence correct in formal written English (SAT/ACT style)? The ruins, together with the ancient road that once connected them to the coast, forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    • A. correct
    • B. incorrect

  5. Question 5

    Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Each of the novels in the prize-winning trilogy ___ from a different character's point of view.

    • A. are told
    • B. is told

  6. Question 6

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

    • A. correct
    • B. incorrect

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

  1. 1. A. form

  2. 2. B. incorrect

  3. 3. A. supports

  4. 4. B. incorrect

  5. 5. B. is told

  6. 6. A. correct