English lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 30 minutes
Subject–verb agreement
Grammar
CCSS L.3.1.FEngland: Y4 GPS (Standard English)England: KS2 SATs GPS
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Subject–verb agreement.
- 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: Nouns and verbs; Pronouns
Leads to: Standard English verb forms; Modal verbs and adverbs of possibility; Pronoun–antecedent agreement
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 (Nouns and verbs; Pronouns). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which word is a noun (a person, place, animal or thing)? The bird sings in the tree. (sings / in / bird / the) → birdPrompt: Nouns name things. Can you put 'the' or 'a' in front of it?
- Which word is a verb (an action word)? The horse gallops across the field. (across / gallops / field / horse) → gallopsPrompt: A verb tells you what someone or something does.
- Choose the pronoun that fits. The tree is very old. ___ is two hundred years old. (It / He / She / They) → ItPrompt: Who or what is the gap talking about?
Hook · 3 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Subject–verb agreement. 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: Choose the verb that agrees with the subject. Our teacher ___ funny stories.
- Step 1: The verb must agree with its subject: singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb.
- Step 2: The subject is singular (he, she, it or one thing), so the verb takes -s.
- Step 3: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "Our teacher tells funny stories."
- Step 4: So the answer is: tells
- Answer: tells
- 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.
- Choose the verb that agrees with the subject. Dogs ___ to chase balls. (like / likes) → likePrompt: Who or what is doing the action? That is the subject.
- Choose the verb that agrees with the subject. The teacher with the students ___ on the bus. (are / is) → isPrompt: Find the main subject. Ignore words like 'of the…' or 'with the…' that come after it.
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.
- Choose the verb that agrees with the subject. My cat ___ on the windowsill. (sleeps / sleep) → sleepsPrompt: Who or what is doing the action? That is the subject.
- Choose the verb that agrees with the subject. The leaves on the old tree ___ turning red. (are / is) → arePrompt: Find the main subject. Ignore words like 'of the…' or 'with the…' that come after it.
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: Nouns and verbs.
- 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: Standard English verb forms; Modal verbs and adverbs of possibility; Pronoun–antecedent agreement.
- 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