English lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 45 minutes
Relative clauses
Grammar
CCSS L.4.1.AEngland: Y5 GPS (relative clauses)England: KS2 SATs GPS
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Relative clauses.
- 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: Relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, where)
Leads to: Simple, compound and complex sentences; Commas: restrictive vs non-restrictive, coordinate adjectives; Independent clause, dependent clause or phrase?
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 (Relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, where)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Choose the relative pronoun. This is the park ___ we play football. (whose / who / where / which) → wherePrompt: What does the pronoun refer back to: a person, a thing, a place, or something belonging to someone?
- Choose the relative pronoun. The girl ___ won the race is my friend. (whose / which / 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. The doctor ___ helped us was kind. (whose / which / where / who) → whoPrompt: What does the pronoun refer back to: a person, a thing, a place, or something belonging to someone?
Hook · 5 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Relative clauses. 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 part of the sentence is the relative clause? The book that I borrowed was really funny.
- Step 1: A relative clause is a subordinate clause that begins with a relative pronoun and describes a noun.
- Step 2: So the answer is: that I borrowed
- Answer: that I borrowed
- 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 part of the sentence is the relative clause? The cake which Leila baked won first prize. (Leila baked won / won first prize / The cake / which Leila baked) → which Leila bakedPrompt: Look for who, which, that, where, when or whose.
- Which sentence correctly joins these two sentences with a relative clause? The museum was closed. We wanted to visit it. (The museum, which we wanted to visit, was closed. / The museum which, we wanted to visit was closed. / The museum, where we wanted to visit, was closed. / The museum, who we wanted to visit, was closed.) → The museum, which we wanted to visit, was closed.Prompt: Which relative pronoun matches the noun (person, thing, place, belonging)?
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.
- Which sentence correctly joins these two sentences with a relative clause? My uncle is a pilot. He lives in Spain. (My uncle, whose lives in Spain, is a pilot. / My uncle who, lives in Spain is a pilot. / My uncle, which lives in Spain, is a pilot. / My uncle, who lives in Spain, is a pilot.) → My uncle, who lives in Spain, is a pilot.Prompt: Which relative pronoun matches the noun (person, thing, place, belonging)?
- Which part of the sentence is the relative clause? The teacher whose class won the prize was delighted. (won the prize was / was delighted / The teacher / whose class won the prize) → whose class won the prizePrompt: Look for who, which, that, where, when or whose.
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: Relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, where).
- 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: Simple, compound and complex sentences; Commas: restrictive vs non-restrictive, coordinate adjectives; Independent clause, dependent clause or phrase?.
- 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-5.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder