Grammar in Action

Overview

Lesson 11 of 16 in Empowered English: Tuarere Tahi. Students explore how verbs show action or being and how noun phrases name and describe people, places and things. They practise building clear sentences in English and te reo Māori, valuing both languages and noticing that sentence patterns may differ.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify verbs in spoken and written sentences.
• WALT build noun phrases using a naming word and describing words.
• WALT create clear sentences in English and te reo Māori.
• WALT listen respectfully and explain how words work together.

Success criteria

• I can find the action or being word in a sentence.
• I can use a noun phrase to name and describe something.
• I can say or write a sentence that makes sense.
• I can share an idea using English, te reo Māori, or both.

Curriculum links

• English: oral language—listen, speak, interact and respond for a purpose.
• English: writing—create simple texts with clear ideas and appropriate sentence structure.
• English: language knowledge—notice and use words, phrases, punctuation and sentence patterns.
• Te ao Māori and local curriculum: value te reo Māori as a taonga and use language respectfully in shared learning.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 minutes – Welcome and language warm-up Welcome students with a familiar greeting in English and te reo Māori, such as “Kia ora” and “Hello”. Open with the hook and language warm-up slides: show a picture of a child, a dog or a bird doing something. Ask, “What is happening?” Accept oral responses and record key words, including verbs in both languages where known.

2. 7–17 minutes – Discover verbs Explain that a verb can tell us about an action or a state of being: run, jump, look, is, are. Model: “The bird flies” and “Te manu e rere ana.” Use actions for several verbs and have the class copy and say them. Invite students to identify the verb in sentences on the verb teaching slides. For Year 0–1, focus on matching actions and words; Year 2–3 can discuss how the verb changes the meaning.

3. 17–27 minutes – Build noun phrases Introduce a noun phrase as a naming word with helpful describing words, for example “the small dog” or “te kurī iti”. Use picture prompts from the noun phrase modelling slides. Build examples together: “the bright red kite” and “te manu nui”. Emphasise that students may use familiar words from home, class learning or te reo Māori. Discuss which word names the thing and which words add detail.

4. 27–42 minutes – Partner sentence workshop Place students in 15 mixed-ability pairs. Distribute the grammar in action worksheet. Partners choose or draw a subject, add a describing word or phrase, and select a verb to make a sentence. They may write, draw and dictate their ideas. Model one example before students begin: “The cheeky cat stretches.” Encourage pairs to rehearse each sentence aloud, then make an English sentence and, where possible, a te reo Māori sentence or phrase. Circulate, prompting: “Who or what is the sentence about?” and “What is it doing or being?”

5. 42–52 minutes – Share and improve Invite six pairs to read or orally share one sentence. Display the sentence using the sharing and improving slides. The class identifies the noun phrase and verb using a simple agreed gesture or colour: underline the naming words in blue and the verb in red. Together, improve one sentence by adding a precise describing word or changing a general verb such as went to skipped or rere where appropriate.

6. 52–60 minutes – Plenary and formative check Return to the learning intentions on the plenary slides. Ask students to complete the oral stem: “A noun phrase is…”, “A verb tells us…”, or “My sentence is…”. Collect worksheets, noting whether each student can identify a verb and construct a meaningful sentence. Finish with a positive bilingual farewell and acknowledge students’ language knowledge.

Resources

• the complete Grammar in Action slide deck
• the grammar in action worksheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Picture cards or familiar classroom objects
• Pencils, crayons and erasers
• Optional bilingual word wall
• Sentence strips for teacher modelling
• Space for students to act out verbs

Assessment

• Listen during the warm-up and partner talk for accurate identification and use of verbs.
• Confer with pairs during the worksheet task, checking that a noun phrase and verb combine to make sense.
• Review each student’s oral or written sentence for a clear subject, an appropriate verb and understandable meaning. Record students needing further support in the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Support: use picture choices, actions, sentence frames such as “The ___ ___s” and a small bank of familiar verbs. Allow drawing, oral rehearsal, shared writing or dictation.
• Support for te reo Māori learners and EAL students: pair spoken words with pictures and gestures; invite students to use home-language knowledge and provide a bilingual word wall where available.
• SEN support: reduce the number of choices, provide enlarged print, allow additional processing time and scribe students’ ideas without reducing the language goal.
• Extension: ask Year 2–3 students to add a prepositional phrase, use a more precise verb, or explain how the sentence pattern differs between English and te reo Māori.