English lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 45 minutes
Apostrophes for one owner (the dog's bone)
Punctuation
CCSS L.2.2.CEngland: Y2 GPS (possessive apostrophe, singular nouns)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Apostrophes for one owner (the dog's bone).
- 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: Apostrophes in contractions
Leads to: Plural or possessive? (cats, the cat's, the cats')
Materials: Punctuation cards, A short unpunctuated text, Highlighters, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Apostrophes in contractions). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Write the contraction (short form) of "has not". → hasn'tPrompt: Which letter or letters are left out?
- Which is the correct short form of "do not"? (do'nt / dont / don't / dont') → don'tPrompt: Which letter is missing in the short form?
- Write the contraction (short form) of "we have". → we'vePrompt: Which letter or letters are left out?
Hook · 5 min
- Read a short passage with no punctuation and let the class hear why it's confusing.
- Share the objective: Apostrophes for one owner (the dog's bone). 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: How do we write "the bone that belongs to the dog" the short way?
- Step 1: For one owner, add 's to show that something belongs to them.
- Step 2: So the answer is: the dog's bone
- Answer: the dog's bone
- 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.
- How do we write "the nest of the bird" the short way? (the bird's nest / the birds' nest / the birds nest / the bird nest's) → the bird's nestPrompt: Who is the owner?
- Type the owner word with its apostrophe. the shell of the snail → the ___ shell → snail'sPrompt: Who owns it? Write that word.
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.
- How do we write "the tail of the cat" the short way? (the cats' tail / the cat tail's / the cats tail / the cat's tail) → the cat's tailPrompt: Who is the owner?
- Type the owner word with its apostrophe. the whistle of the teacher → the ___ whistle → teacher'sPrompt: Who owns it? Write that word.
Watch out for
- Using commas where a full stop (period) is needed.
- Putting apostrophes in plurals (apple's).
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Apostrophes in contractions.
- Use concrete materials: punctuation cards.
- 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: Plural or possessive? (cats, the cat's, the cats').
- 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-2.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder