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English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 45 minutes

Fronted adverbials

Grammar

CCSS L.4.1England: Y4 GPS (fronted adverbials)England: KS2 SATs GPS

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Fronted adverbials.

  • 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: Adverbs

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

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 (Adverbs). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which word is an adverb? The children played outside. (children / the / outside / played) → outsidePrompt: Adverbs add information to a verb: how, when, where or how often.
  2. Turn the adjective "quick" into an adverb. → quicklyPrompt: Most adverbs add -ly.
  3. Adjective or adverb? Choose the word that fits. The traffic moved ___ through town. (slowed / slow / slowness / slowly) → slowlyPrompt: Is the gap describing a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?

Hook · 5 min

  • Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
  • Share the objective: Fronted adverbials. 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 begins with a fronted adverbial? • The cat crept upstairs. • The cat crept upstairs without a sound. • The cat crept without a sound upstairs. • Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.
  • Step 1: A fronted adverbial is a word or phrase at the front of a sentence that tells how, when or where. It is followed by a comma.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.
  • Answer: Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.
  • 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 begins with a fronted adverbial? • The cat crept without a sound upstairs. • The cat crept upstairs. • Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs. • The cat crept upstairs without a sound. (The cat crept without a sound upstairs. / The cat crept upstairs. / Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs. / The cat crept upstairs without a sound.) → Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.Prompt: A fronted adverbial comes at the START of the sentence, before the subject.
  2. Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, the owl swooped down. (Owl was hungry / Without warning / The owl swooped / Swooped the) → Without warningPrompt: The words must make sense before the comma and tell when, where or how.

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. Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • The cat crept upstairs without a sound. • The cat crept upstairs. • The cat crept without a sound upstairs. • Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs. (The cat crept upstairs without a sound. / The cat crept upstairs. / The cat crept without a sound upstairs. / Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.) → Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.Prompt: A fronted adverbial comes at the START of the sentence, before the subject.
  2. Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, the explorer opened the ancient box. (Opened box / Explorer was brave / The ancient / With trembling hands) → With trembling handsPrompt: The words must make sense before the comma and tell when, where or how.

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: Adverbs.
  • 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

  • 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

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Fronted adverbials

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs. • The cat crept upstairs without a sound. • The cat crept upstairs. • The cat crept without a sound upstairs.

    • A. Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.
    • B. The cat crept upstairs without a sound.
    • C. The cat crept upstairs.
    • D. The cat crept without a sound upstairs.

  2. Question 2

    Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, the children lined up for lunch.

    • A. The hungry
    • B. At twelve o'clock
    • C. Lunch was ready
    • D. Quickly running

  3. Question 3

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • We went for a swim later that day. • We went, later that day, for a swim. • We went for a swim. • Later that day, we went for a swim.

    • A. We went for a swim later that day.
    • B. We went, later that day, for a swim.
    • C. We went for a swim.
    • D. Later that day, we went for a swim.

  4. Question 4

    Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, we built a sandcastle.

    • A. The sandcastle
    • B. Sandy and wet the
    • C. Built quickly by
    • D. On the beach

  5. Question 5

    Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, the owl swooped down.

    • A. Owl was hungry
    • B. Swooped the
    • C. The owl swooped
    • D. Without warning

  6. Question 6

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • We went for a swim. • We went for a swim later that day. • Later that day, we went for a swim. • We went, later that day, for a swim.

    • A. We went for a swim.
    • B. We went for a swim later that day.
    • C. Later that day, we went for a swim.
    • D. We went, later that day, for a swim.

  7. Question 7

    Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, Ravi crossed the busy road.

    • A. Looking both ways
    • B. Ravi was
    • C. The busy road
    • D. Crossed safely by

  8. Question 8

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • The alarm went off in the middle of the night. • In the middle of the night, the alarm went off. • The alarm went off. • The alarm, in the middle of the night, went off.

    • A. The alarm went off in the middle of the night.
    • B. In the middle of the night, the alarm went off.
    • C. The alarm went off.
    • D. The alarm, in the middle of the night, went off.

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Answer key: Fronted adverbials

  1. 1. A. Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.

  2. 2. B. At twelve o'clock

  3. 3. D. Later that day, we went for a swim.

  4. 4. D. On the beach

  5. 5. D. Without warning

  6. 6. C. Later that day, we went for a swim.

  7. 7. A. Looking both ways

  8. 8. B. In the middle of the night, the alarm went off.