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English lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 60 minutes

Active or passive? Who did the action?

Grammar

CCSS L.8.1.BCCSS L.5.3England: Y6 GPS (passive voice)England: KS2 SATs GPS

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Active or passive? Who did the action?.

  • 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: Helping verbs and main verbs (is, has, can, will, must)

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 (Helping verbs and main verbs (is, has, can, will, must)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which word is the HELPING verb? Leo might join the chess club. (join / might / chess / club) → mightPrompt: Find the main action word first.
  2. Which word is the MAIN verb? They were dancing in the rain. (rain / were / dancing / they) → dancingPrompt: Which word names the action or state?
  3. Choose the helping verb that fits the meaning. You ___ wear a helmet when you cycle. It's the rule. (would / could / must / might) → mustPrompt: Read the sentence after the gap for clues.

Hook · 6 min

  • Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
  • Share the objective: Active or passive? Who did the action?. 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: Is this sentence active or passive? A new species of frog was discovered.
  • Step 1: Active: the doer comes first (The dog chased the ball). Passive: the thing the action happens to comes first (The ball was chased by the dog).
  • Step 2: So the answer is: passive
  • Answer: passive
  • 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.
  1. Is this sentence active or passive? The leaves were blown away by the wind. (active / passive) → passivePrompt: Who or what does the action? Is it at the start of the sentence?
  2. This sentence is passive. Who or what did the action? The match was won by the visiting team. (the referee / the match / the home team / the visiting team) → the visiting teamPrompt: The doer is not at the start of a passive sentence.

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.
  1. This sentence is passive. Who or what did the action? The song was written by two friends. (two friends / the radio / the song / the singer) → two friendsPrompt: The doer is not at the start of a passive sentence.
  2. Which sentence is the passive version, with the same meaning? Ravi wrote the story. (The story is writing Ravi. / The story was written by Ravi. / The story wrote Ravi. / Ravi was written by the story.) → The story was written by Ravi.Prompt: Move the thing the action happens to to the front.

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: Helping verbs and main verbs (is, has, can, will, must).
  • 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-5.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Active or passive? Who did the action?

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    This sentence is passive. Who or what did the action? The new bridge was opened by the mayor.

    • A. the river
    • B. the new bridge
    • C. the mayor
    • D. the cars

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence is the passive version, with the same meaning? The cat knocked over the vase.

    • A. The vase is knocking over the cat.
    • B. The vase was knocked over by the cat.
    • C. The cat was knocked over by the vase.
    • D. The vase knocked over the cat.

  3. Question 3

    Is this sentence active or passive? The parcels were sorted by the robot.

    • A. active
    • B. passive

  4. Question 4

    This sentence is passive. Who or what did the action? The lost kitten was found by a firefighter.

    • A. the owner
    • B. the lost kitten
    • C. the tree
    • D. a firefighter

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence is the passive version, with the same meaning? Our class planted a tree.

    • A. A tree is planting our class.
    • B. A tree was planted by our class.
    • C. A tree planted our class.
    • D. Our class was planted by a tree.

  6. Question 6

    Is this sentence active or passive? The wind blew the leaves away.

    • A. active
    • B. passive

  7. Question 7

    Which sentence is the passive version, with the same meaning? Ravi wrote the story.

    • A. The story wrote Ravi.
    • B. The story is writing Ravi.
    • C. Ravi was written by the story.
    • D. The story was written by Ravi.

  8. Question 8

    Is this sentence active or passive? A new species of frog was discovered.

    • A. active
    • B. passive

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Answer key: Active or passive? Who did the action?

  1. 1. C. the mayor

  2. 2. B. The vase was knocked over by the cat.

  3. 3. B. passive

  4. 4. D. a firefighter

  5. 5. B. A tree was planted by our class.

  6. 6. A. active

  7. 7. D. The story was written by Ravi.

  8. 8. B. passive