Back to the lesson plan builder
Lesson length30 min45 min60 min
Questions🔀 New questions

Print the plan for yourself; the student sheet prints on its own page after it.

English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 60 minutes

Fronted adverbials

Grammar

CCSS L.4.1England: Y4 GPS (fronted adverbials)England: KS2 SATs GPS

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Fronted adverbials.

  • 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: Adverbs

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 (Adverbs). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. 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.
  2. Turn the adjective "sad" into an adverb. → sadlyPrompt: Most adverbs add -ly.
  3. Adjective or adverb? Choose the word that fits. The traffic moved ___ through town. (slowness / slow / slowed / slowly) → slowlyPrompt: Is the gap describing a noun (a thing) or a verb (an action)?

Hook · 6 min

  • Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
  • Share the objective: Fronted adverbials. 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 sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • The cat crept upstairs. • The cat crept upstairs without a sound. • The cat crept without a sound upstairs. • Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.
  • Step 1: A fronted adverbial is a word or phrase at the front of a sentence that tells how, when or where. It is followed by a comma.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.
  • Answer: Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.
  • 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. Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • A troll, under the bridge, was snoring. • A troll was snoring. • A troll was snoring under the bridge. • Under the bridge, a troll was snoring. (A troll, under the bridge, was snoring. / A troll was snoring. / A troll was snoring under the bridge. / Under the bridge, a troll was snoring.) → Under the bridge, a troll was snoring.Prompt: A fronted adverbial comes at the START of the sentence, before the subject.
  2. Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, Ravi crossed the busy road. (Looking both ways / The busy road / Ravi was / Crossed safely by) → Looking both waysPrompt: The words must make sense before the comma and tell when, where or how.

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. Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm. • Dev, every Saturday, helps at the farm. • Dev helps at the farm every Saturday. • Dev helps at the farm. (Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm. / Dev, every Saturday, helps at the farm. / Dev helps at the farm every Saturday. / Dev helps at the farm.) → Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm.Prompt: A fronted adverbial comes at the START of the sentence, before the subject.
  2. Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, Ravi crossed the busy road. (The busy road / Crossed safely by / Ravi was / Looking both ways) → Looking both waysPrompt: The words must make sense before the comma and tell when, where or how.

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: Adverbs.
  • 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-4.

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

eurekami

Fronted adverbials

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, the owl swooped down.

    • A. Swooped the
    • B. Owl was hungry
    • C. Without warning
    • D. The owl swooped

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • A troll, under the bridge, was snoring. • A troll was snoring under the bridge. • A troll was snoring. • Under the bridge, a troll was snoring.

    • A. A troll, under the bridge, was snoring.
    • B. A troll was snoring under the bridge.
    • C. A troll was snoring.
    • D. Under the bridge, a troll was snoring.

  3. Question 3

    Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, the explorer opened the ancient box.

    • A. With trembling hands
    • B. Explorer was brave
    • C. Opened box
    • D. The ancient

  4. Question 4

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • Under the bridge, a troll was snoring. • A troll, under the bridge, was snoring. • A troll was snoring. • A troll was snoring under the bridge.

    • A. Under the bridge, a troll was snoring.
    • B. A troll, under the bridge, was snoring.
    • C. A troll was snoring.
    • D. A troll was snoring under the bridge.

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • Dev helps at the farm. • Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm. • Dev, every Saturday, helps at the farm. • Dev helps at the farm every Saturday.

    • A. Dev helps at the farm.
    • B. Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm.
    • C. Dev, every Saturday, helps at the farm.
    • D. Dev helps at the farm every Saturday.

  6. Question 6

    Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, the children lined up for lunch.

    • A. At twelve o'clock
    • B. Lunch was ready
    • C. The hungry
    • D. Quickly running

  7. Question 7

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs. • The cat crept upstairs. • The cat crept upstairs without a sound. • The cat crept without a sound upstairs.

    • A. Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.
    • B. The cat crept upstairs.
    • C. The cat crept upstairs without a sound.
    • D. The cat crept without a sound upstairs.

  8. Question 8

    Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, we built a sandcastle.

    • A. Sandy and wet the
    • B. Built quickly by
    • C. The sandcastle
    • D. On the beach

Free from eurekami.com

for the adult only

Answer key: Fronted adverbials

  1. 1. C. Without warning

  2. 2. D. Under the bridge, a troll was snoring.

  3. 3. A. With trembling hands

  4. 4. A. Under the bridge, a troll was snoring.

  5. 5. B. Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm.

  6. 6. A. At twelve o'clock

  7. 7. A. Without a sound, the cat crept upstairs.

  8. 8. D. On the beach