English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 45 minutes
Apostrophes for possession
Punctuation
CCSS L.2.2.CCCSS L.4.1England: Y2 GPS (singular possession)England: Y4 GPS (plural possession)England: KS2 SATs GPS
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Apostrophes for possession.
- 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: Proofreading for punctuation; Possessives, plurals and non-essential elements (SAT); Possessive apostrophes: singular, plural and irregular plurals
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 "they have". → they'vePrompt: Which letter or letters are left out?
- Which is the correct short form of "are not"? (aren't / are'nt / arent' / arent) → aren'tPrompt: Which letter is missing in the short form?
- Write the contraction (short form) of "she will". → she'llPrompt: 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 possession. 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 shows possession correctly? the shoes of James
- Step 1: One owner: add 's. Plural owner ending in s: add ' after the s. Plural not ending in s (children, men): add 's.
- Step 2: A singular name ending in s usually takes 's (James's); James' is also seen.
- Step 3: So the answer is: James's shoes
- Answer: James's shoes
- 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 shows possession correctly? the bike that belongs to Sam (Sams bike / Sam bike's / Sam's bike / Sams' bike) → Sam's bikePrompt: Who is the owner? One owner or more than one?
- Choose the correct word. Read the clue in brackets. The ___ bowl was empty. (one cat) (cats' / cats / cat's) → cat'sPrompt: Does the word show ownership, a contraction, or just a plural?
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 correct word. Read the clue in brackets. The ___ lunches were in the fridge. (the workers) (worker's / workers / workers') → workers'Prompt: Does the word show ownership, a contraction, or just a plural?
- Which shows possession correctly? the food of the mice (the mices food / the mices' food / the mice's food / the mouse's food's) → the mice's foodPrompt: Who is the owner? One owner or more than one?
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: Proofreading for punctuation; Possessives, plurals and non-essential elements (SAT); Possessive apostrophes: singular, plural and irregular plurals.
- 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