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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? Please put the vase down carefully. (vase / put / carefully / down) → carefullyPrompt: 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. (slowly / slowness / slow / slowed) → 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? • Dev helps at the farm. • Dev, every Saturday, helps at the farm. • Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm. • Dev helps at the farm every Saturday. (Dev helps at the farm. / Dev, every Saturday, helps at the farm. / Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm. / Dev helps at the farm every Saturday.) → 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. ___, the explorer opened the ancient box. (With trembling hands / The ancient / Opened box / Explorer was brave) → With trembling handsPrompt: 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. Choose the fronted adverbial that completes the sentence. ___, Ravi crossed the busy road. (Crossed safely by / Ravi was / The busy road / Looking both ways) → Looking both waysPrompt: The words must make sense before the comma and tell when, where or how.
  2. Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • We went, later that day, for a swim. • We went for a swim later that day. • Later that day, we went for a swim. • We went for a swim. (We went, later that day, for a swim. / We went for a swim later that day. / Later that day, we went for a swim. / We went for a swim.) → Later that day, we went for a swim.Prompt: A fronted adverbial comes at the START of the sentence, before the subject.

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

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Fronted adverbials

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • We went for a swim later that day. • We went for a swim. • We went, later that day, for a swim. • Later that day, we went for a swim.

    • A. We went for a swim later that day.
    • B. We went for a swim.
    • C. We went, later that day, for a swim.
    • D. Later that day, we went for a swim.

  2. Question 2

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

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

  3. Question 3

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

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

  4. Question 4

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

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

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • The fox, as quick as a flash, vanished. • The fox vanished as quick as a flash. • The fox vanished. • As quick as a flash, the fox vanished.

    • A. The fox, as quick as a flash, vanished.
    • B. The fox vanished as quick as a flash.
    • C. The fox vanished.
    • D. As quick as a flash, the fox vanished.

  6. Question 6

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

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

  7. Question 7

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • In the middle of the night, the alarm went off. • The alarm went off. • The alarm, in the middle of the night, went off. • The alarm went off in the middle of the night.

    • A. In the middle of the night, the alarm went off.
    • B. The alarm went off.
    • C. The alarm, in the middle of the night, went off.
    • D. The alarm went off in the middle of the night.

  8. Question 8

    Which sentence begins with a fronted adverbial? • The fox vanished. • As quick as a flash, the fox vanished. • The fox vanished as quick as a flash. • The fox, as quick as a flash, vanished.

    • A. The fox vanished.
    • B. As quick as a flash, the fox vanished.
    • C. The fox vanished as quick as a flash.
    • D. The fox, as quick as a flash, vanished.

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Answer key: Fronted adverbials

  1. 1. D. Later that day, we went for a swim.

  2. 2. B. At twelve o'clock

  3. 3. D. Every Saturday, Dev helps at the farm.

  4. 4. C. With trembling hands

  5. 5. D. As quick as a flash, the fox vanished.

  6. 6. D. Without warning

  7. 7. A. In the middle of the night, the alarm went off.

  8. 8. B. As quick as a flash, the fox vanished.