• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Tricky word pairs (affect/effect, advice/advise…)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Choose the correct word. A ___ of cows stood in the field. (heard / herd) → herdPrompt: Is the gap a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?
2. Choose the correct word. For ___, we had chocolate pudding. (dessert / desert) → dessertPrompt: Is the gap a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?
3. Choose the correct word. Camels can survive in the hot ___. (desert / dessert) → desertPrompt: Is the gap a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?

• Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
• Share the objective: their/there/they're, its/it's, your/you're, whose/who's. 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 correct word or words for the gap. ___ sure that ___ dog is over ___.
• Step 1: The apostrophe forms (they're, it's, you're, who's) are contractions; the possessive forms (their, its, your, whose) never take an apostrophe.
• Step 2: 'they're' = they are.
• Step 3: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "They're sure that their dog is over there."
• Step 4: So the answer is: They're, their, there
• Answer: They're, their, there
• 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 correct word or words for the gap. I like this phone, but ___ battery is weak. (it's / its) → itsPrompt: Try expanding the contraction: does 'they are', 'it is', 'you are' or 'who is' make sense?
2. Which sentence is correct? • Their bringing they're dog over there. • They're bringing there dog over their. • They're bringing their dog over there. • There bringing their dog over their. (Their bringing they're dog over there. / They're bringing there dog over their. / They're bringing their dog over there. / There bringing their dog over their.) → They're bringing their dog over there.Prompt: Check each tricky word one at a time.

• 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 correct word or words for the gap. ___ turn is it to wash up? (Who's / Whose) → WhosePrompt: Try expanding the contraction: does 'they are', 'it is', 'you are' or 'who is' make sense?
2. Which sentence is correct? • There are two reasons their upset with their coach. • There are two reasons they're upset with their coach. • Their are two reasons there upset with they're coach. • They're are two reasons they're upset with there coach. (There are two reasons their upset with their coach. / There are two reasons they're upset with their coach. / Their are two reasons there upset with they're coach. / They're are two reasons they're upset with there coach.) → There are two reasons they're upset with their coach.Prompt: Check each tricky word one at a time.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-6.