English lesson plan · 12th grade (Year 13 in England) · 60 minutes
Cleft sentences for focus: It was… who…, What… is…
Grammar
CCSS L.11-12.3.AEngland: A-level English LanguageEngland: AP LanguageEngland: GCSE English Language (AO5 crafting)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Cleft sentences for focus: It was… who…, What… is….
- 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: Inversion for emphasis: Never have I…, Not only did she…; Syntax for effect (GCSE/AP)
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 · 6 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Inversion for emphasis: Never have I…, Not only did she…; Syntax for effect (GCSE/AP)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Choose the correct form to complete the emphatic sentence. Only then ___ how serious the problem was. (did we realise / we realised / realised we / we did realise) → did we realisePrompt: Does the sentence start with a negative or limiting word (never, rarely, not only, only then, little, hardly)?
- Is this sentence correct in formal written English? Little knew they that the house was haunted. (correct / incorrect) → incorrectPrompt: Does the sentence start with a negative or limiting word (never, rarely, not only, only then, little, hardly)?
- The door creaked. Silence. Then footsteps — slow, deliberate, closer. What is the main effect of the short sentences and fragments? (They show the writer did not know grammar rules. / They give lots of background information about the house. / They make the passage sound calm and relaxed. / They build tension by slowing the pace and focusing on each sound.) → They build tension by slowing the pace and focusing on each sound.Prompt: Think about how the sentence makes you read: faster, slower, with more emphasis?
Hook · 6 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Cleft sentences for focus: It was… who…, What… is…. 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: Which part of this sentence is being emphasised by its structure? It was not the price but the quality that worried us.
- Step 1: Cleft sentences split a simple sentence into two parts to spotlight one element: It was Maya who… / What we need is…
- Step 2: The cleft contrasts and focuses on 'the quality'.
- Step 3: So the answer is: the quality
- Answer: the quality
- 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.
- Which part of this sentence is being emphasised by its structure? The person who deserves the credit is Leo. (the person / Leo / the credit / deserves) → LeoPrompt: In 'It was X who/that…', X is the focus.
- Read the question and choose. Emphasise WHY the match was cancelled: "The match was cancelled because of the snow." • It was the match that was cancelled because of snow. • What was cancelled was the match. • It was because of the snow that the match was cancelled. • The snow, it cancelled the match. (It was the match that was cancelled because of snow. / What was cancelled was the match. / It was because of the snow that the match was cancelled. / The snow, it cancelled the match.) → It was because of the snow that the match was cancelled.Prompt: Put the element you want to emphasise straight after 'It is/was…', or at the end after 'What… is/was'.
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.
- Read the question and choose. Emphasise WHEN the shop opens: "The shop opens at nine." • What opens at nine is the shop. • The shop, it opens at nine. • It is the shop that opens at nine. • It is at nine that the shop opens. (What opens at nine is the shop. / The shop, it opens at nine. / It is the shop that opens at nine. / It is at nine that the shop opens.) → It is at nine that the shop opens.Prompt: Put the element you want to emphasise straight after 'It is/was…', or at the end after 'What… is/was'.
- Which part of this sentence is being emphasised by its structure? It was not the price but the quality that worried us. (worried / us / the quality / the price) → the qualityPrompt: In 'It was X who/that…', X is the focus.
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: Inversion for emphasis: Never have I…, Not only did she….
- 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-12.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder