English lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 60 minutes
Reflexive pronouns: myself, himself, themselves…
Grammar
CCSS L.2.1.CEngland: Y2 GPSEngland: Y3 GPS
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Reflexive pronouns: myself, himself, themselves….
- 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: Swap the noun for he, she, it, we or they; Pronouns
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 (Swap the noun for he, she, it, we or they; Pronouns). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which pronoun can take the place of the noun? The kite is stuck. ___ is in the tree. (She / He / They / It) → ItPrompt: Who or what is the second sentence about?
- Choose the pronoun that fits. The cookies smell great. Can I eat one of ___? (us / them / they / it) → themPrompt: Who or what is the gap talking about?
- Choose the pronoun that fits after the verb or word like 'to'. Grandma hugged ___. (hugged my sister and me) (our / us / we) → usPrompt: Read the words in brackets to see who it is.
Hook · 6 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Reflexive pronouns: myself, himself, themselves…. 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 reflexive pronoun fits? I made this card all by ___.
- Step 1: A reflexive pronoun is used when someone does something to or for themselves.
- Step 2: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "I made this card all by myself."
- Step 3: So the answer is: myself
- Answer: myself
- 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 reflexive pronoun fits? The cat licked ___ clean. (himself / themselves / myself / itself) → itselfPrompt: Who is the sentence about? The pronoun must point back to them.
- Read the sentences. Which sentence is correct? (They tidied the room himself. / They tidied the room theirselves. / They tidied the room themself. / They tidied the room themselves.) → They tidied the room themselves.Prompt: Watch out for words that are not real: hisself, theirselves, ourself.
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.
- Which reflexive pronoun fits? The twins dressed ___ for school. (itself / himself / ourselves / themselves) → themselvesPrompt: Who is the sentence about? The pronoun must point back to them.
- Read the sentences. Which sentence is correct? (They tidied the room himself. / They tidied the room themselves. / They tidied the room themself. / They tidied the room theirselves.) → They tidied the room themselves.Prompt: Watch out for words that are not real: hisself, theirselves, ourself.
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: Swap the noun for he, she, it, we or they.
- 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-2.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder