English lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 60 minutes
Complete sentence or fragment?
Writing & Editing
CCSS L.3.1.ICCSS L.4.1.FEngland: Y3 GPS (sentences)England: Y3/4 Writing (proofreading)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Complete sentence or fragment?.
- 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: What makes a sentence?; Who or what? Did what? (subject and predicate)
Leads to: Spot and fix run-on sentences and comma splices
Materials: A model text, Planning frame, Checklists for editing, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 6 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (What makes a sentence?; Who or what? Did what? (subject and predicate)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which one is a complete sentence? • Omar fed the ducks. • fed the ducks • omar fed • Omar the ducks. (Omar fed the ducks. / fed the ducks / omar fed / Omar the ducks.) → Omar fed the ducks.Prompt: A sentence needs someone or something AND what they do.
- Which part is the SUBJECT (who or what the sentence is about)? A huge wave crashed onto the rocks. (crashed onto / A huge wave / the rocks / A huge) → A huge wavePrompt: Ask: who or what did something?
- Which part is the PREDICATE (what the subject does)? Grandma and Grandpa grow tomatoes. (Grandma and Grandpa / grow tomatoes. / Grandma and / and Grandpa) → grow tomatoes.Prompt: Find the subject first: who or what?
Hook · 6 min
- Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
- Share the objective: Complete sentence or fragment?. 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: Is this a complete sentence or a fragment? After lunch on Friday.
- Step 1: A complete sentence has a subject and a verb and makes sense on its own. A fragment is missing something.
- Step 2: So the answer is: fragment
- Answer: fragment
- 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.
- Is this a complete sentence or a fragment? The big brown dog in the garden. (complete sentence / fragment) → fragmentPrompt: Does it say WHO or WHAT, and what they DO or ARE?
- Which is the best way to fix this fragment? Splashed in the puddles. (Splashed, in the puddles. / Splashed in the big puddles. / In the puddles splashed. / The twins splashed in the puddles.) → The twins splashed in the puddles.Prompt: Adding more describing words does not fix a fragment.
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 one is a fragment? (Because I was hungry. / Eat something if you are hungry. / I was hungry. / I ate because I was hungry.) → Because I was hungry.Prompt: Read each one aloud. Which leaves you waiting for more?
- Which is the best way to fix this fragment? Because it was raining. (Raining because it was. / Because, it was raining. / We stayed in because it was raining. / Because it was raining a lot.) → We stayed in because it was raining.Prompt: Adding more describing words does not fix a fragment.
Watch out for
- Writing everything at once without planning.
- Editing only spelling and not whether the writing makes sense.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: What makes a sentence?.
- Use concrete materials: a model text.
- 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: Spot and fix run-on sentences and comma splices.
- 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-3.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder