Understanding 3rd Person Singular

Grade Level: 6th Grade

Subject: English Language Arts

Curriculum Area: Conventions of Standard English (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.1)

Duration: 55 minutes

Class Size: 40 Students

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Objective:

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and correctly apply the 3rd person singular verb forms in the present tense while constructing grammatically accurate sentences.

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Materials Needed:

• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed worksheets with 3rd person singular exercises
• A set of “verb cards”: flashcards with base verbs written on them
• Small whiteboards and markers for each group of students
• A copy of a short-age-appropriate story featuring multiple 3rd person singular verbs (e.g., a passage about daily life habits)

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Lesson Breakdown (55 minutes):

1. Warm-up Activity (5 Minutes): "Daily Routines Chat"

1. Greet the class and write this sentence on the board:
   • "He (walk) to school every morning. What’s missing?"
2. Ask students what they notice is incomplete in the sentence. Elicit or guide them toward the realization that the verb "walk" needs an "s" to make the sentence grammatically correct in 3rd person singular.
3. Give students 2-3 more examples verbally (e.g., “Sarah love ice cream. What should be corrected?”), warming them up to identifying the rule. Provide quick feedback.

2. Direct Instruction (10 Minutes): Introduction to 3rd Person Singular Rules

1. Explain the 3rd person singular subject in the present tense. Write these pronouns or examples on the board:
   • He, She, It
   • Also, any singular noun (e.g., “The dog,” “Mr. Smith,” “My best friend”)
2. Teach the rules for adding the correct endings to verbs in the present tense:
   • For most verbs: Add "s" (e.g., run → runs)
   • For verbs ending in s, x, z, ch, or sh: Add "es" (e.g., watch → watches)
   • For verbs ending in a consonant + y: Change y to i and add "es" (e.g., study → studies)
3. Give examples as a class and write 3-4 sentences on the board that model these spelling changes.

3. Guided Practice Activity (15 Minutes): Verb Sorting Relay

1. Group students into 8 teams (5 students each). Each team receives a set of verb flashcards.
2. On the board, create and label three categories: Add "s", Add "es", and Change "y" to "i and add es".
3. Groups race to correctly sort their verb cards into the appropriate categories. One student at a time from each group runs their card to place it on the board under the correct rule.
4. After 7 minutes, review the cards as a whole class to confirm their accuracy and provide clarifications where needed. Reward the winning team with applause or small stickers for effort.

4. Application Activity (15 Minutes): Sentence Construction Challenge

1. Each group is given a small whiteboard and tasked with writing grammatically correct sentences using specific verbs and 3rd person singular subjects provided by the teacher. For example:
   • Verb: "to bake" ➡ Sentence: "She bakes a cake every Sunday."
   • Verb: "to play" ➡ Sentence: "The cat plays in the garden."
2. Give each group different verbs and rotate them after 2 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes, select a few whiteboards to showcase their work, highlight strong sentences, and provide constructive feedback if needed.

5. Independent Practice (10 Minutes): Short Reading Exercise

1. Distribute a printed reading passage (e.g., a story about a boy’s daily routine).
2. Instruct students to underline all the 3rd person singular verbs they find in the passage.
3. Discuss their answers as a class and confirm any unclear verbs. For example, “Why do we say ‘he brushes his teeth’ instead of ‘he brush his teeth’?”

6. Wrap-up and Homework (5 Minutes):

Wrap-up:

• Quickly review the key points from the lesson. Ask guiding questions:
  • “What pronouns are 3rd person singular?”
  • “What do we add to verbs that end in ‘-sh’?”

Homework:

• Assign a worksheet with fill-in-the-blank sentences and short writing prompts using 3rd person singular verbs. Example:
  • Fill in the blank: “Every morning, my brother _______ (to eat) oatmeal.”
  • Writing prompt: “Write 5 sentences about what your pet or a family member does during the day using the 3rd person singular.”

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Assessment:

1. During Guided Practice:
   • Observe group work to assess their understanding of verb rule sorting.
2. During Sentence Construction:
   • Check their ability to construct correct sentences on the whiteboards.
3. Independent Practice:
   • Review their underlined verbs from the reading passage for accuracy.

By combining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning techniques, this lesson aims to engage all learners and reinforce their mastery of 3rd person singular verb forms.