Expanding Simple Sentences

Overview

This 20-minute lesson is designed for Year 4 students (age 8-9) to develop skills in expanding simple sentences using relative clauses introduced by who and what. It aligns with the National Curriculum for England's English programmes of study by focusing on sentence construction and grammar.

---

National Curriculum Links

English: Writing - Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation

• Punctuation and grammar: Sentence structure

  • Pupils should be taught to:
    • Use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that or an omitted relative pronoun to add detail to sentences. (Year 4 Programme of Study)

• English: Spoken Language

  • Pupils should be taught to articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions (Year 4 Programme of Study), which will be supported through interactive discussion.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Identify simple sentences with a subject (who) and an object or action (what).
• Expand simple sentences by adding relative clauses beginning with who and what.
• Use expanded sentences orally and in writing to add detail and interest.

---

Success Criteria

• I can spot who and what in a simple sentence.
• I can add details by using who and what to make sentences longer and more interesting.
• I can share aloud an expanded sentence with my classmates.

---

Resources

• Mini whiteboards and pens (one per student)
• Sentence cards with simple sentences (e.g., "The cat slept.")
• Colour-coded relative clause cards starting with who and what
• Interactive digital timer or sand timer (optional)
• Sticky notes or small cards for student responses

---

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (3 minutes)

• Engage: Start with a quick interactive question to the class:
  "If I say ‘The cat slept,’ how can we find out more about the cat or what it’s doing?"
• Recap what a simple sentence is, focusing on who (subject) and what (action/object).
• Share learning objectives and success criteria clearly.

2. Modelling (5 minutes)

• Write a simple sentence on the board:
  “The cat slept.”
• Demonstrate expanding using who:
  “The cat, who was very sleepy, slept.”
• Then expand using what:
  “The cat slept on the warm windowsill.”
• Explain how the relative clause who was very sleepy gives extra information about the subject and slept on the warm windowsill adds information about what happened.

3. Interactive Group Activity (8 minutes)

• Station Turn: Divide the class into 7 groups of 3.
• Each group receives:
  • A simple sentence card (e.g., “The boy ran.”)
  • Relative clause cards with who and what (e.g. “who loved football,” “what was very fast”)
• Task:
  • Choose one relative clause to add after the simple sentence and write the expanded sentence on mini whiteboards.
  • Discuss within the group why they chose that addition.
• Rotate cards after 4 minutes so groups try a new sentence and clause.
• Teacher circulates, prompting thinking by asking:
  “Why did you choose who or what? How does it help?”

4. Sharing and Plenary (4 minutes)

• Ask a few volunteers from different groups to read out their expanded sentences.
• Provide supportive, positive feedback emphasising the use of who and what to add detail.
• Recap how expanding a simple sentence makes writing more interesting and vivid.

---

Assessment and Feedback

• Formative assessment through observation during group activities to check understanding of relative clauses with who and what.
• Listen for correct use of grammar and sentence structure when students share expanded sentences.
• Use mini whiteboard responses as quick checks for sentence construction skills.

---

Differentiation

• Support: Provide vocabulary banks or sentence starters for pupils who need help with ideas.
• Challenge: Encourage confident students to add two relative clauses or expand on other parts of the sentence for greater complexity.

---

Reflection for Teachers

• Did students successfully identify and use who and what clauses to expand sentences?
• Were the interactive activities engaging and inclusive?
• Use insights to plan follow-up lessons focusing on other relative pronouns or more complex sentence structures.

---

This lesson plan combines clear National Curriculum targets with an interactive, hands-on approach to deepen sentence construction skills in a fun and collaborative way.