Pronoun or noun? Make it clear who is meant

Grammar

CCSS L.4.3.ACCSS L.6.1.DEngland: Y4 GPS (choosing nouns or pronouns for clarity and cohesion)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Pronoun or noun? Make it clear who is meant.

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: Who or what does the pronoun point back to?

Leads to: I or me? Sam and I, Sam and me

Materials: Sentence strips, Highlighters, Mini whiteboards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 6 min

Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Who or what does the pronoun point back to?). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

Nadia gave the puppy a biscuit because it looked hungry. Who or what does "it" refer to? (the puppy / Nadia / the biscuit / the sentence) → the puppyPrompt: Find the pronoun, then look back earlier in the sentence.
Choose the pronoun that matches the noun it refers to. The trees lost ___ leaves in the autumn. (its / there / it's / their) → theirPrompt: Who or what owns the thing? Is it one or more than one?
The bees flew back to their hive when they saw the dark clouds. Who or what does "they" refer to? (the bees / the flowers / the clouds / the hive) → the beesPrompt: Find the pronoun, then look back earlier in the sentence.

Hook · 6 min

Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
Share the objective: Pronoun or noun? Make it clear who is meant. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
Example: Grandpa and Dad fixed the shed, and then he made tea. Why is this sentence unclear?
Step 1: A pronoun is unclear when it could refer to more than one noun. Use the noun instead.
Step 2: So the answer is: We can't tell who made the tea.
Answer: We can't tell who made the tea.
Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 min

Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

Mia gave Ella her book back. Why is this sentence unclear? (It has no subject. / We can't tell whose book it is. / 'gave' is the wrong verb. / It is too short.) → We can't tell whose book it is.Prompt: Find each pronoun (he, she, it, her, they).
Which version is clearest and reads best? (She found it. She washed it and put it on her shelf. / Mia found a shell. It washed her and put her on its shelf. / Mia found a shell. Mia washed the shell and Mia put the shell on Mia's shelf. / Mia found a shell. She washed it and put it on her shelf.) → Mia found a shell. She washed it and put it on her shelf.Prompt: Repeating the same noun again and again sounds clumsy.

You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min

Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

Rewrite the sentence so it matches the meaning in brackets. Which is best? When the dog chased the cat, it ran up a tree. (The cat ran up the tree.) (When it chased it, it ran up a tree. / When the dog chased the cat, the dog ran up a tree. / When the dog chased the cat, the cat ran up a tree. / When the dog chased the cat, it ran up a tree.) → When the dog chased the cat, the cat ran up a tree.Prompt: Read the meaning in brackets carefully.
Which version is clearest and reads best? (The robot rolled into the room. It switched on its lights and beeped. / The robot rolled into the room. The robot switched on the robot's lights and the robot beeped. / It rolled into it. It switched on its lights and beeped. / The robot rolled into the room. They switched on their lights and beeped.) → The robot rolled into the room. It switched on its lights and beeped.Prompt: Repeating the same noun again and again sounds clumsy.

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: Who or what does the pronoun point back to?.
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: I or me? Sam and I, Sam and me.
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

eurekami

Pronoun or noun? Make it clear who is meant

Name

Date

Score/ 8

1
Question 1
Which version is clearest and reads best?
- A. Mia found a shell. Mia washed the shell and Mia put the shell on Mia's shelf.
- B. Mia found a shell. It washed her and put her on its shelf.
- C. She found it. She washed it and put it on her shelf.
- D. Mia found a shell. She washed it and put it on her shelf.
2
Question 2
Mia gave Ella her book back. Why is this sentence unclear?
- A. 'gave' is the wrong verb.
- B. It is too short.
- C. We can't tell whose book it is.
- D. It has no subject.
3
Question 3
Rewrite the sentence so it matches the meaning in brackets. Which is best? Sam told Leo that he had won the prize. (Leo won.)
- A. Sam told Leo that he had won the prize.
- B. Sam told Leo that Leo had won the prize.
- C. He told him that he had won the prize.
- D. Sam told Leo that Sam had won the prize.
4
Question 4
When the dog chased the cat, it ran up a tree. Why is this sentence unclear?
- A. Dogs cannot chase cats.
- B. 'It' could be the dog or the cat.
- C. It needs a full stop in the middle.
- D. It is in the wrong tense.
5
Question 5
Rewrite the sentence so it matches the meaning in brackets. Which is best? Priya showed Zara a photo of her cat. (The cat is Priya's.)
- A. Priya showed Zara a photo of Zara's cat.
- B. She showed her a photo of her cat.
- C. Priya showed Zara a photo of Priya's cat.
- D. Priya showed Zara a photo of her cat.
6
Question 6
Sam told Leo that he had won the prize. Why is this sentence unclear?
- A. It has no verb.
- B. We can't tell whether 'he' means Sam or Leo.
- C. It uses too many nouns.
- D. It should be a question.
7
Question 7
Rewrite the sentence so it matches the meaning in brackets. Which is best? When the dog chased the cat, it ran up a tree. (The cat ran up the tree.)
- A. When the dog chased the cat, it ran up a tree.
- B. When it chased it, it ran up a tree.
- C. When the dog chased the cat, the cat ran up a tree.
- D. When the dog chased the cat, the dog ran up a tree.
8
Question 8
Grandpa and Dad fixed the shed, and then he made tea. Why is this sentence unclear?
- A. We can't tell who made the tea.
- B. It should say 'shed's'.
- C. It needs more adjectives.
- D. It has two verbs.

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Answer key: Pronoun or noun? Make it clear who is meant

1. D. Mia found a shell. She washed it and put it on her shelf.
2. C. We can't tell whose book it is.
3. B. Sam told Leo that Leo had won the prize.
4. B. 'It' could be the dog or the cat.
5. C. Priya showed Zara a photo of Priya's cat.
6. B. We can't tell whether 'he' means Sam or Leo.
7. C. When the dog chased the cat, the cat ran up a tree.
8. A. We can't tell who made the tea.