Back to the lesson plan builder
Lesson length30 min45 min60 min
Questions🔀 New questions

Print the plan for yourself; the student sheet prints on its own page after it.

English lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 45 minutes

Active and passive voice

Grammar

CCSS L.8.1.BCCSS L.8.3.AEngland: Y6 GPS (passive voice)England: KS2 SATs GPS

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Active and passive voice.

  • 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: Perfect tenses (past, present, future)

Leads to: Verb moods and shifts in voice or mood; Academic style: hedging, nominalisation and objectivity; Rewriting passive sentences in the active voice

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

Warm-up · 5 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Perfect tenses (past, present, future)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Choose the correct perfect tense. By the time we arrived, the film ___ (start). (had started / will have started / starts / has started) → had startedPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?
  2. Choose the correct perfect tense. I ___ (live) here for six years. (had lived / have lived / will have lived / am living) → have livedPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?
  3. Choose the correct perfect tense. When I got to the station, the train ___ (leave). (will have left / had left / leaves / has left) → had leftPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?

Hook · 5 min

  • Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
  • Share the objective: Active and passive voice. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? The children have planted the trees. • The trees has been planted by the children. • The trees have planted the children. • The trees have been planted by the children. • The children have been planted by the trees.
  • Step 1: Move the object to the front, use be + past participle in the same tense, and put the doer after 'by' (or leave it out).
  • Step 2: So the answer is: The trees have been planted by the children.
  • Answer: The trees have been planted by the children.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 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 sentence is the passive version of this sentence? The dog chased the cat. • The cat was chased by the dog. • The dog was chased by the cat. • The cat is chasing by the dog. • The cat chased the dog. (The cat was chased by the dog. / The dog was chased by the cat. / The cat is chasing by the dog. / The cat chased the dog.) → The cat was chased by the dog.Prompt: In a passive sentence, the thing the action is done TO becomes the subject.
  2. Is this sentence active or passive? The orchestra played three pieces. (active / passive) → activePrompt: Who or what is the subject? Is the subject DOING the action or RECEIVING it?

You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Is this sentence active or passive? The letters are delivered every morning. (active / passive) → passivePrompt: Who or what is the subject? Is the subject DOING the action or RECEIVING it?
  2. Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? Thousands of fans watched the final. • Thousands of fans were watched by the final. • The final watched thousands of fans. • The final was watched by thousands of fans. • The final is watching by thousands of fans. (Thousands of fans were watched by the final. / The final watched thousands of fans. / The final was watched by thousands of fans. / The final is watching by thousands of fans.) → The final was watched by thousands of fans.Prompt: In a passive sentence, the thing the action is done TO becomes the subject.

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: Perfect tenses (past, present, future).
  • 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: Verb moods and shifts in voice or mood; Academic style: hedging, nominalisation and objectivity; Rewriting passive sentences in the active voice.
  • 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-6.

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

eurekami

Active and passive voice

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? The council will build a new library. • A new library will build the council. • A new library will be built by the council. • The council will be built by a new library. • A new library is built by the council.

    • A. A new library will build the council.
    • B. A new library will be built by the council.
    • C. The council will be built by a new library.
    • D. A new library is built by the council.

  2. Question 2

    Choose the best answer. A newspaper does not know who damaged a statue. Which sentence fits?

    • A. The statue was damaged overnight.
    • B. The statue damaged overnight.
    • C. Somebody damaged it, who knows.
    • D. They damaged the statue overnight, probably.

  3. Question 3

    Is this sentence active or passive? Heavy rain flooded the main road.

    • A. active
    • B. passive

  4. Question 4

    Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? The children have planted the trees. • The children have been planted by the trees. • The trees have been planted by the children. • The trees have planted the children. • The trees has been planted by the children.

    • A. The children have been planted by the trees.
    • B. The trees have been planted by the children.
    • C. The trees have planted the children.
    • D. The trees has been planted by the children.

  5. Question 5

    Choose the best answer. Which sentence hides who made the mistake?

    • A. The accounts were wrong because of Leo.
    • B. Leo made a mistake in the accounts.
    • C. Leo's accounts had his mistake.
    • D. A mistake was made in the accounts.

  6. Question 6

    Is this sentence active or passive? Our class planted a vegetable garden.

    • A. active
    • B. passive

  7. Question 7

    Which sentence is the passive version of this sentence? Maya wrote the poem. • The poem wrote Maya. • Maya was written by the poem. • The poem was wrote by Maya. • The poem was written by Maya.

    • A. The poem wrote Maya.
    • B. Maya was written by the poem.
    • C. The poem was wrote by Maya.
    • D. The poem was written by Maya.

  8. Question 8

    Is this sentence active or passive? Volunteers cleaned the beach on Saturday.

    • A. active
    • B. passive

Free from eurekami.com

for the adult only

Answer key: Active and passive voice

  1. 1. B. A new library will be built by the council.

  2. 2. A. The statue was damaged overnight.

  3. 3. A. active

  4. 4. B. The trees have been planted by the children.

  5. 5. D. A mistake was made in the accounts.

  6. 6. A. active

  7. 7. D. The poem was written by Maya.

  8. 8. A. active