Parts of Speech Quest

Overview

Today you begin “Writing Adventures in English” with a fun, hands-on introduction to the eight parts of speech. Students will practise identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections in short, adventure-style sentences—building the sentence control needed for stronger writing later in the unit.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify the eight parts of speech in sentences, using simple labels and reasons.
• WALT explain how parts of speech help meaning in a sentence (who/what, action, describing, linking).
• WALT plan and write short “adventure sentences” using a variety of word types.

Success criteria

• I can correctly point to and name at least 4 parts of speech in a sentence.
• I can say what a noun, verb, and adjective do in my own words.
• I can improve a sentence by swapping in a better adjective or verb.

Curriculum links

• Te Mātaiaho English: Writing / Composition - Sentence structures, grammar, and punctuation (using a range of sentence structures and types to suit purpose; avoiding repetition).
• Te Mātaiaho English: Writing / Writing Processes - Planning (making notes and reducing information into key words and phrases).
• Te Mātaiaho English: Writing / Composition - Audience, purpose, and language choice (choosing words and phrases appropriate to purpose).
• Te Mātaiaho English: Writing / Composition - Sentence structures, grammar, and punctuation (avoiding repeated sentence structures and expanding sentence control).

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook (movement + prediction). Teacher shows 8 picture cards around the room (e.g., “Noun: dragon”, “Verb: roars”, “Adjective: glittery”, “Preposition: under”), then reads a 10-word adventure sentence aloud; students hold up fingers for “What word type do you think this is?” and share one quick guess.

2. 4–10 min · Direct teach (mini-lesson with “role cards”). Teacher introduces 4 core types first—noun, verb, adjective, adverb—then adds the remaining four with shorter explanations: pronoun (it/he/she/they), preposition (in/on/under/between), conjunction (and/but/so), interjection (wow/oh/ah). Students repeat the “job” for each and add the correct colour sticky note label to a class anchor chart template.

3. 10–18 min · Guided practice (sentence hunt). Teacher distributes “Parts of Speech Quest” sentence strips (3 short sentences each, themed for year 4: animals, space, school adventure). Students work in pairs to underline word types with coloured pencils:

• Nouns = blue, Verbs = red, Adjectives = green, Adverbs = yellow, Pronouns = purple, Prepositions = orange, Conjunctions = grey, Interjections = pink. Teacher circulates, checking for common confusions (especially nouns vs pronouns; adjectives vs adverbs).

4. 18–24 min · Quick check + reteach (whole class, targeted). Teacher selects one student pair’s sentence and asks: “Which word is the noun and why?” then “Which word is the verb and what is happening?” If answers miss, teacher models a single “swap”: replace a weak adjective with a stronger one (e.g., “small” → “tiny” or “scary” → “spooky”) and re-identify the adjective.

5. 24–30 min · Independent writing (planning to write). Students complete a “Mini Adventure Plan” on a template: choose 1 noun, 1 verb, 1 adjective, and 1 adverb to create their own 8–12 word sentence. They then write the sentence below and circle at least 4 part-of-speech types they used. Teacher collects 5 exemplar plans for next lesson grouping.

Resources

• 8 part-of-speech picture/role cards (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction, interjection)
• Anchor chart template and sticky notes/markers
• Coloured pencils or markers (blue/red/green/yellow/purple/orange/grey/pink)
• “Parts of Speech Quest” sentence strips (3 per pair)
• Student “Mini Adventure Plan” template (word-choice boxes + lines)
• Sentence exemplars on the board (short, clear, age-appropriate adventure sentences)

Assessment

• Teacher observation during sentence hunt: correct identification of noun/verb/adjective in particular.
• Pair talk check: students must give a reason (“This is a verb because it shows an action.”).
• Quick end-of-lesson check: circle at least 4 correct parts of speech in their own mini sentence (collected exit evidence).

Differentiation

• Support for students at year 2/3 level:
• Provide sentence strips with fewer words (or pre-underlined examples) and sentence starters: “The ___ (noun) ___ (verb) ___ (adjective) ___ (adverb).”
• Offer a part-of-speech word bank with pictures (dragon, run, brave, loudly, under, and, wow).
• Support for ADHD / attention needs:
• Give a specific job: “Underliner” (chooses the next underline colour) and “Checker” (explains one choice).
• Use short, timed turns (2–3 minutes) during the hunt; stand-and-move hook.
• Support for anxiety-based symptoms:
• Allow “quiet talk” first with a partner, then optional share only if comfortable.
• Provide sentence strips that are familiar and positive (class-friendly adventures).
• Extension for faster finishers (no extra lesson time needed):
• Challenge: add one extra word type (e.g., conjunction “and” to join two ideas) and circle it.

Exit ticket (embedded in the last minute)

Students turn in their mini adventure plan + sentence with at least 4 circled parts of speech. Teacher scans for accuracy in nouns, verbs, and adjectives to decide next lesson grouping and reteach targets.