English lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 45 minutes
He hops, they hop: matching verbs to one or many
Grammar
CCSS L.1.1.CEngland: Y1 GPSEngland: Y2 GPS (subject–verb agreement)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: He hops, they hop: matching verbs to one or many.
- 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; Swap the noun for he, she, it, we or they
Leads to: is, are, was or were?
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 (Nouns and verbs; Swap the noun for he, she, it, we or they). 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)? My brother kicked the ball hard. (kicked / ball / hard / my) → ballPrompt: Nouns name things. Can you put 'the' or 'a' in front of it?
- Which word is a verb (an action word)? The puppy chews my slippers. (slippers / my / chews / puppy) → chewsPrompt: A verb tells you what someone or something does.
- Which pronoun can take the place of the noun? Dad and I made pancakes. ___ ate them all! (They / It / He / We) → WePrompt: Who or what is the second sentence about?
Hook · 5 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: He hops, they hop: matching verbs to one or many. 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 verb fits? The bird ___ in the morning.
- Step 1: The verb must match the subject. He, she, it and one noun take -s.
- Step 2: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "The bird sings in the morning."
- Step 3: So the answer is: sings
- Answer: sings
- 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.
- Which verb fits? They ___ to school. (walks / walk) → walkPrompt: Who is doing the action: one, or more than one?
- Write the verb in brackets so it matches the subject. I ___ behind the door. (hide) → hidePrompt: Is "I" one person or thing, or more than one?
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.
- Write the verb in brackets so it matches the subject. I ___ loudly. (clap) → clapPrompt: Is "I" one person or thing, or more than one?
- Which verb fits? She ___ to school. (walk / walks) → walksPrompt: Who is doing the action: one, or more than one?
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: is, are, was or were?.
- 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-1.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder