Verb Agreement Mastery

Grade

9th Grade

Duration

45 minutes

Standards Alignment

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.B: Use various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.A: Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.C: Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.D: Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.E: Maintain consistency in style and tone.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English I (English I)

• TEKS §110.31(b)(2)(C): Correctly use subject-verb agreement, including with compound subjects and indefinite pronouns.
• TEKS §110.31(b)(6)(C): Edit language conventions to improve clarity, including verb tense and agreement.

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Learning Objectives

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

• I can identify and apply correct subject-verb agreement with simple and compound subjects.
• I can correctly apply subject-verb agreement rules with indefinite pronouns.
• I can edit sentences for verb agreement errors.

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Success Criteria

• Accurately identify subject-verb agreement errors in sentences (4 out of 5 correctly identified).
• Correctly revise sentences to fix verb agreement errors with compound subjects and indefinite pronouns.
• Complete a short exit ticket demonstrating mastery of the skills covered.

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Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed worksheets (dyslexia-friendly font: OpenDyslexic, larger font size, high contrast)
• Sentence strips for hands-on activity
• Exit ticket forms (with dyslexia-friendly formatting)
• Projector for displaying examples and visual aids

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Lesson Procedure

1. Introduction / Hook (5 minutes)

• Teacher Activity: Write two sentences on the board—one with correct subject-verb agreement and one with errors. For example:
  • "The dog barks loudly."
  • "The dogs barks loudly."
• Ask students to identify which sentence sounds right and why.
• Briefly explain that today’s focus is on making verbs agree with their subjects, especially with compound subjects and indefinite pronouns.
• Share “I can” statements with the class and project success criteria.

Differentiation: For dyslexic learners, use color-coded verb and subject highlighting to visually separate parts of the sentence.

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2. Mini-Lesson: Subject-Verb Agreement Refresher (10 minutes)

• Use a clear visual - diagram sentences showing single, compound subjects (joined by and/or), and indefinite pronouns (each, everyone, none, somebody, etc.).
• Model the rules on the whiteboard:
  • Compound subjects joined by “and” usually take plural verbs.
  • Compound subjects joined by “or” or “nor” take a verb that agrees with the subject closer to the verb.
  • Indefinite pronouns usually take singular verbs except for some like “few,” “many,” and “several.”
• Provide 3-4 example sentences and analyze them together as a class.

Differentiation: Offer sentence strips with subjects and verbs for students to physically manipulate and match for agreement. This tactile support benefits tactile and dyslexic learners.

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3. Guided Practice: Interactive Sentence Revision (15 minutes)

• Split the class into small groups of 4–5 (4 groups total). Each group receives a worksheet or sets of cards with sentences containing errors related to compound subjects and indefinite pronouns.
• Groups identify and correct the verb agreement errors collaboratively, then explain their corrections to the class in a 1-minute presentation.
• Teacher circulates, offering scaffolding and clarifying misunderstandings, especially focusing on dyslexic students who may need extra support identifying sentence parts.

Differentiation: Provide sentence frames and verbal sentence reading support for students who struggle with decoding.

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4. Independent Practice: Sentence Editing (10 minutes)

• Students individually complete a worksheet focusing on editing paragraph excerpts for subject-verb agreement errors involving compound subjects and indefinite pronouns.
• Instructions emphasize reading aloud to help spot errors, a dyslexia-friendly strategy.

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5. Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

• Students complete a brief 3-question exit ticket:
  1. Correct the verb agreement in a sentence with a compound subject.
  2. Correct the verb agreement in a sentence with an indefinite pronoun.
  3. Write one sentence of their own demonstrating subject-verb agreement with a compound subject or an indefinite pronoun.

Differentiation: Exit ticket in dyslexia-friendly font and format; allow oral response if needed.

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Differentiation Summary

Learner Needs	Strategies	Materials
Dyslexic students	Color-coded texts, OpenDyslexic font, sentence strips, oral reading support	Dyslexia-friendly worksheets, sentence cards
English Language Learners	Visual aids, paired discussion, modeling, sentence frames	Visual aids, sentence frames
Struggling Writers	Step-by-step editing checklist, sentence starters	Editing checklist, guided worksheets
Advanced Learners	Challenge with complex sentence editing, crafted sentences	Extension task sheet with complex compound subjects

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Reflection and Follow-up

• Teacher collects exit tickets for immediate assessment.
• Plan follow-up small group sessions for students who demonstrated difficulty.
• Homework: Encourage students to write a paragraph using compound subjects and indefinite pronouns ensuring proper verb agreement, to be peer-reviewed in the next class.

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Note for Teachers: This lesson integrates writing revision skills naturally into grammar instruction, aligning with your focus on essay development and editing. Including tactile and oral strategies supports your diverse learners and dyslexic students while keeping the learning standards-driven.