English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 45 minutes
Relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, where)
Grammar
CCSS L.4.1.AEngland: Y5 GPS (relative pronouns)England: KS2 SATs GPS
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, where).
- 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: Pronouns
Leads to: Relative clauses
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 (Pronouns). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- 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?
- Choose the pronoun that fits. Please give the book to Ana. Give it to ___. (him / she / her / they) → herPrompt: Who or what is the gap talking about?
- Choose the pronoun that fits. The ball rolled away. ___ went under a car. (She / He / They / It) → ItPrompt: Who or what is the gap talking about?
Hook · 5 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, where). 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: Choose the relative pronoun. The girl ___ won the race is my friend.
- Step 1: Relative pronouns start a clause that tells us more about a noun.
- Step 2: It refers to a person, so we use 'who'.
- Step 3: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "The girl who won the race is my friend."
- Step 4: So the answer is: who
- Answer: who
- 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.
- Choose the relative pronoun. The girl ___ won the race is my friend. (which / whose / who / where) → whoPrompt: What does the pronoun refer back to: a person, a thing, a place, or something belonging to someone?
- Choose the relative pronoun. I like books ___ make me laugh. (that / where / who / whose) → thatPrompt: What does the pronoun refer back to: a person, a thing, a place, or something belonging to someone?
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.
- Choose the relative pronoun. The film, ___ lasted three hours, was boring. (where / whose / who / which) → whichPrompt: What does the pronoun refer back to: a person, a thing, a place, or something belonging to someone?
- Choose the relative pronoun. The doctor ___ helped us was kind. (where / whose / which / who) → whoPrompt: What does the pronoun refer back to: a person, a thing, a place, or something belonging to someone?
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: Pronouns.
- 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: Relative clauses.
- 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-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder