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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. The collection of old coins ___ worth thousands. (are / is) → isPrompt: 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). Both Leila and Omar forgot ___ passwords. (its / her / their / his) → theirPrompt: Find the noun the pronoun refers back to.
  3. Choose the verb form that fits the context. Every year, the river ___ its banks in spring. (flooded / floods / had flooded / has flooded) → floodsPrompt: 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? The marine biologist, along with her two assistants, ___ the coral reef every spring. (surveys / are surveying / have surveyed / survey) → surveysPrompt: Identify the subject and the verb, or what the pronoun refers to.
  2. Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The architect designed the library so that ___ reading rooms would fill with natural light. (their / there / its / it's) → itsPrompt: 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 festival attracts musicians from over forty countries, ___ perform for free. (many of them / they / many of whom / which) → many of whomPrompt: Identify the subject and the verb, or what the pronoun refers to.
  2. Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The marine biologist, along with her two assistants, ___ the coral reef every spring. (survey / have surveyed / are surveying / surveys) → surveysPrompt: 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 orchestra performed the symphony, ___ composed in 1824.

    • A. which had been
    • B. it had been
    • C. they had been
    • D. having had been

  2. Question 2

    Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Before the invention of the printing press, books ___ copied by hand.

    • A. was
    • B. had
    • C. were
    • D. have

  3. Question 3

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

    • A. has been
    • B. were
    • C. was
    • 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. has
    • B. have
    • C. are having
    • D. having

  5. Question 5

    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. their
    • D. its

  6. Question 6

    Which choice conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The novel's themes of memory and loss ___ readers long after the final page.

    • A. stay with
    • B. stays with
    • C. staying with
    • D. has stayed with

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

  1. 1. A. which had been

  2. 2. C. were

  3. 3. B. were

  4. 4. A. has

  5. 5. D. its

  6. 6. A. stay with