English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 60 minutes
Adverbs
Grammar
CCSS L.4.1CCSS L.3.1.AEngland: Y3 GPS (adverbs)England: Y4 GPSEngland: KS2 SATs GPS
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Adverbs.
- 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: Adjectives
Leads to: Fronted adverbials; Adjective or adverb? good/well, bad/badly, real/really
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 (Adjectives). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which word is an adjective (it describes a noun)? The old man walked his dog. (man / old / dog / walked) → oldPrompt: Find the noun first.
- Choose the adjective that fits the gap. The ___ elephant splashed in the river. (enormous / splashed / elephant / quickly) → enormousPrompt: The gap comes before a noun. What word could describe it?
- Which word is an adjective (it describes a noun)? We saw a shiny star. (saw / star / shiny / we) → shinyPrompt: Find the noun first.
Hook · 6 min
- Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
- Share the objective: Adverbs. 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 word is an adverb? Please put the vase down carefully.
- Step 1: An adverb modifies a verb (or an adjective or another adverb).
- Step 2: So the answer is: carefully
- Answer: carefully
- 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 word is an adverb? We will go to the beach tomorrow. (beach / will / go / tomorrow) → tomorrowPrompt: Adverbs add information to a verb: how, when, where or how often.
- Turn the adjective "terrible" into an adverb. → terriblyPrompt: Most adverbs add -ly.
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.
- Adjective or adverb? Choose the word that fits. The cat moved ___ towards the bird. (silently / silent / silence / more silent) → silentlyPrompt: Is the gap describing a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?
- Which word is an adverb? They waited patiently for the bus. (for / patiently / bus / waited) → patientlyPrompt: Adverbs add information to a verb: how, when, where or how often.
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: Adjectives.
- 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
- Move on to: Fronted adverbials; Adjective or adverb? good/well, bad/badly, real/really.
- 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-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder