• 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.

1. Max asked his sisters if they wanted to play tag. Who does "they" refer to? (Max and his parents / the other team / his sisters / Max) → his sistersPrompt: Find the pronoun, then look back earlier in the sentence.
2. Choose the pronoun that matches the noun it refers to. The trees lost ___ leaves in the autumn. (its / there / their / it's) → theirPrompt: Who or what owns the thing? Is it one or more than one?
3. Lily and I baked bread, and we shared it with our friends. Who does "we" refer to? (the bakers / Lily and I / only Lily / our friends) → Lily and IPrompt: Find the pronoun, then look back earlier in the sentence.

• 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.

• 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.

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

1. Sam told Leo that he had won the prize. Why is this sentence unclear? (It has no verb. / It uses too many nouns. / It should be a question. / We can't tell whether 'he' means Sam or Leo.) → We can't tell whether 'he' means Sam or Leo.Prompt: Find each pronoun (he, she, it, her, they).
2. Which version is clearest and reads best? (Mia found a shell. It washed her and put her on its shelf. / She found it. She washed it and put it on her 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.

• 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. Which version is clearest and reads best? (Leo and Omar built a raft. He tested them on the pond, and they floated! / Leo and Omar built a raft. Leo and Omar tested the raft on the pond, and the raft floated! / They built it. They tested it on it, and it floated! / Leo and Omar built a raft. They tested it on the pond, and it floated!) → Leo and Omar built a raft. They tested it on the pond, and it floated!Prompt: Repeating the same noun again and again sounds clumsy.
2. 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.) (Priya showed Zara a photo of her cat. / Priya showed Zara a photo of Priya's cat. / Priya showed Zara a photo of Zara's cat. / She showed her a photo of her cat.) → Priya showed Zara a photo of Priya's cat.Prompt: Read the meaning in brackets carefully.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-4.