Statements & Exclamations

Overview

This engaging 60-minute lesson introduces Year 3 students to identifying and using statements and exclamations through the culturally rich context of Guy Fawkes Night. The lesson incorporates speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills aligned with the National Curriculum for England (English Programmes of Study: Year 3), focusing on grammar and punctuation.

---

National Curriculum Links

English (Year 3) – Spoken Language & Writing Composition

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction.
  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates.
  • Use the grammatical terminology accurately when discussing their writing and reading.

English (Year 3) – Grammar

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Understand how to use statements, commands, questions and exclamations correctly.
  • Use punctuation correctly, including recognising exclamation marks to indicate exclamations.

---

Learning Objectives

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

• Identify statements and exclamations in spoken and written forms.
• Understand the purpose and effect of using exclamations versus statements.
• Create their own statements and exclamations related to Guy Fawkes Night.
• Use correct punctuation (full stops and exclamation marks) for statements and exclamations.

---

Resources

• Images and short video clip of Guy Fawkes Night fireworks and celebrations (visual stimulus)
• Sentence cards (pre-prepared with statements and exclamations about fireworks and Guy Fawkes Night)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Worksheets with sentence sorting and sentence writing sections
• “Firework noises” audio clips (optional for sensory engagement)
• Mini whiteboards and pens for paired work

---

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Greet the class and briefly introduce Guy Fawkes Night — what it is, why it’s celebrated; show images/video clip to provide cultural context.
• Ask pupils what kind of sentences they might use when talking about celebrations or fireworks (eliciting examples).
• Introduce the terms statement and exclamation, with simple child-friendly definitions:
  • Statements tell us something.
  • Exclamations show strong feeling or surprise!
• Write examples on the board:
  • “The fireworks are bright.” (Statement)
  • “Wow, look at those fireworks!” (Exclamation)

2. Whole-Class Activity: Sorting Sentences (15 minutes)

• Hand out sentence cards to pairs or small groups (15 cards total, mix of statements/exclamations).
• Each group reads their cards aloud and sorts them into ‘Statement’ or ‘Exclamation’ piles.
• Regroup and discuss as a class: What helped you decide?
• Teacher models marking correct punctuation for each kind of sentence.

3. Guided Practice: Sentence Creation (15 minutes)

• Using a whiteboard, brainstorm as a class phrases about fireworks and celebrations.
• Ask pupils to convert some phrases to statements and some into exclamations, modelling language and punctuation.
• Pupils practise writing 3 statements and 3 exclamations about Guy Fawkes Night on mini whiteboards or jotters.
• Teacher circulates providing on-the-spot feedback.

4. Independent Work and Application (15 minutes)

• Pupils complete a worksheet where they:
  • Identify statements and exclamations in short festival-themed sentences.
  • Write their own new statements and exclamations about fireworks.
• Encourage use of descriptive language to enhance exclamations (e.g., “The fireworks are dazzling!”).

5. Plenary & Assessment (5 minutes)

• Select volunteers to read out one statement and one exclamation they wrote.
• Recap key points on how statements differ from exclamations and how punctuation helps readers understand tone.
• Quick oral quiz: Teacher reads sentences; pupils call out ‘Statement’ or ‘Exclamation’.
• Collect worksheets for informal assessment of understanding and accurate punctuation.

---

Differentiation

• Support: Sentence cards with pictures to help pupils decode meaning; scaffolded sentence starters (e.g., “I see...”, “Wow, I can’t believe...!”).
• Challenge: Pupils create exclamations with more complex adjectives/adverbs; explain why exclamations add excitement to descriptions.

---

Assessment Opportunities

• Formative assessment through observing sentence sorting discussions and whiteboard writing.
• Worksheet results analysed for correct identification and punctuation.
• Oral responses during plenary to assess conceptual understanding of sentence types.

---

Extension Ideas

• Create a class poem about Guy Fawkes Night using statements and exclamations alternately.
• Role play: Pupils act out parts of the festival using statements and exclamations to express excitement.
• Write a short diary entry from the perspective of someone watching the fireworks, making deliberate use of statements and exclamations.

---

Teacher Reflection Notes

• Was the cultural context of Guy Fawkes Night engaging and accessible?
• Did pupils grasp the difference between statements and exclamations with appropriate punctuation?
• Which activities elicited the most enthusiastic participation?
• Note any pupils needing further support or challenge for subsequent lessons in the unit.

---

This lesson connects literacy skills to a widely recognised British festival, promoting cultural understanding alongside grammatical competence — a well-rounded, immersive approach that brings language learning vividly to life.