Mastering Relative Clauses

Overview

This 30-minute lesson for Year 6 pupils focuses on understanding and using relative clauses with relative pronouns who, which, that, and whose. It aligns with the National Curriculum for England, particularly the English Programme of Study for Year 5 and 6 under the Grammar: Pupils should be taught to: “use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that or an omitted relative pronoun” (DfE, 2013). The lesson supports SATs preparation by embedding knowledge through interactive, independent activities that promote confident use of relative clauses in writing.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will:

• Understand what a relative clause is and why it is used (NC Year 6 – Grammar).
• Identify and correctly use relative pronouns: who, which, that, whose.
• Write detailed sentences using relative clauses to add extra information.
• Apply this knowledge independently in example and creative writing tasks.

National Curriculum Links

• English Programme of Study, Years 5-6:
  • Pupils should consolidate their understanding of relative clauses (NC Grammar).
  • Develop varied and precise sentence structures for clarity and detail.
• Assessment focus for SATs: Punctuation and grammar, sentence structure development.

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Resources Needed

• Interactive slides with child-friendly definitions, colour-coded examples.
• Printed sentence strips and relative pronoun cards for group sorting activity.
• Whiteboards and pens for quick formative assessments.
• Independent workbooks or exercise sheets for individual sentence writing tasks.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Objective: Activate prior knowledge and introduce relative clauses.

• Begin with a warm-up question: "How do you add more interesting details about people or things in a sentence?"
• Show two simple sentences on slides with and without relative clauses:
  • "The girl is my friend."
  • "The girl who is wearing a red hat is my friend."
• Use an animated highlight to show the extra information added in the relative clause.
• Define a relative clause in simple terms:

  "A group of words that tells us more about a noun and usually starts with words like who, which, that, or whose."

• Use images and animated arrows to show how the clause gives more detail.

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2. Explanation and Modelling (8 minutes)

Objective: Explain when and how to use relative clauses; demonstrate relative pronouns.

• Present slides with clear child-friendly colour-coding:
  • Relative pronouns in blue (who, which, that, whose)
  • Relative clauses in green
  • Main clause in black
• Examples:
  • “The dog that barks loudly lives next door.”
  • “The teacher who helps me is kind.”
  • “The book which won the prize is on the shelf.”
  • “The boy whose bike was stolen is upset.”
• Interactive chunk: Ask pupils to suggest which relative pronoun fits blank spaces in sample sentences displayed on slides.
• Discuss when to use each relative pronoun (tip: who for people, which for things, that can be used for people or things, whose shows possession).

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3. Guided Group Activity (7 minutes)

Objective: Reinforce understanding through sorting and sentence-building.

• Split the class into groups of 5.
• Give each group a set of sentence strips and relative pronoun cards.
• Task: Match main clauses with correct relative clauses and pronouns to make expanded, detailed sentences.
• Groups then write at least two correct sentences on mini whiteboards or large paper, highlighting the relative clause.
• Quick feedback from teacher on sentence structure and relative pronoun use.

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4. Independent Work (8 minutes)

Objective: Embed knowledge by creating own sentences.

• Pupils receive individual worksheets with:
  • A list of nouns and relative pronouns.
  • Starter sentences, e.g., “The cat ___.", “The man ___.”
• Task: Write full sentences by adding relative clauses using appropriate relative pronouns.
• Challenge section for higher ability: combine two simple sentences into one complex sentence using a relative clause.
• Teacher circulates, providing prompt questions like:
  • “Which word tells you more about the noun?”
  • “Can you try using ‘whose’ to show possession?”

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5. Plenary & Quick Assessment (2 minutes)

Objective: Review learning and check understanding.

• Use a quick poll or thumbs up/down:
  • Can you identify a relative clause?
  • Can you use ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘that’, or ‘whose’ correctly in a sentence?
• Challenge pupils to say out loud one sentence with a relative clause using ‘who’ or ‘whose’.
• Summarise key points on slides and remind pupils that relative clauses add exciting detail and help their writing for SATs.

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Differentiation and Support

• Support: Sentence starters and word banks for pupils needing extra help.
• Challenge: Encourage more complex relative clauses, omitting the relative pronoun where appropriate.
• Additional scaffolding during group tasks for SEND or EAL learners using visuals and simplified language.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Formative assessment through group activity output and independent writing.
• Teacher notes common errors for quick verbal feedback or next lesson focus.
• Quick plenary questions to self-assess confidence.

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Teacher Notes and Tips

• Make slides visually engaging: use animations to reveal relative clauses.
• Use real-life examples connected to pupils’ interests (e.g., animals, school, sports).
• Encourage pupils to peer-assess during group activity by spotting relative clauses.
• Link back to SATs question styles: practise spotting the relative clause in sample SATs questions after the lesson for consolidation.

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This lesson plan offers a focused, active, and interactive approach to mastering relative clauses with clear alignment to the national curriculum and SATs preparation requirements, helping Year 6 students add detail and variety to their writing.