• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (He hops, they hop: matching verbs to one or many). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Which verb fits? Our teacher ___ us a story. (read / reads) → readsPrompt: Who is doing the action: one, or more than one?
2. Write the verb in brackets so it matches the subject. The cat ___ to the music. (dance) → dancesPrompt: Is "The cat" one person or thing, or more than one?
3. Which verb fits? The dogs ___ at the cat. (barks / bark) → barkPrompt: Who is doing the action: one, or more than one?

• Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
• Share the objective: is, are, was or were?. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Choose the right word. We ___ at the zoo last Saturday.
• Step 1: Now: is (one) / are (more). Past: was (one) / were (more).
• Step 2: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "We were at the zoo last Saturday."
• Step 3: So the answer is: were
• Answer: were
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

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

1. Choose the right word. The children ___ excited this morning. (is / were / are / was) → werePrompt: Is it about now or about the past? Look for time words like yesterday or now.
2. Read each sentence carefully. Which sentence is correct? (Last week the river are very high. / Last week the river was very high. / Last week the river were very high. / Last week the river is very high.) → Last week the river was very high.Prompt: Find who or what the sentence is about. One or more than one?

• 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.

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

1. Choose the right word. The cake ___ in the oven right now. (are / were / was / is) → isPrompt: Is it about now or about the past? Look for time words like yesterday or now.
2. Read each sentence carefully. Which sentence is correct? (We were late for school. / We is late for school. / We was late for school. / We am late for school.) → We were late for school.Prompt: Find who or what the sentence is about. One or more than one?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-1.