Grammar Lesson for: Subject-Verb Agreement
Essential Question: How can having subjects and verbs agree help students exhibit the correct use of the conventions of written Standard American English?
Definition: Subjects and verbs need to agree. A singular subject requires a singular verb, such as is, has, was, or an action verb that ends with s. Plural subjects need plural verbs. The verbs you use might include: are, were, have, or action verbs that do not have an –s or –es added to them.
Prerequisites (background knowledge needed): Students must know what a noun, subject, and verb are. They should be familiar with the definition of and difference between singular and plural.
Teacher Resources:
Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson p.117-120
Mastering the Mechanics by Linda Hoyt and Teresa Therriault p.92-95
Razzle Dazzle Writing: Achieving Excellence Through 50 Target Skills by Melissa Forney
Power Points/Websites:
teacher.com/070049.shtml This is an excellent website for a wide range of areas for education. Making Subjects and Verbs Agree - It provides examples that are confusing to students. The website explains whether they are singular or plural.
scot.com/bigdog/agreement_sv.htm The website starts with the basic examples and goes to the examples that confuse students.
inpop.com/english/grammar/subjectverbagreement/preview.weml Brainpop must be purchased by your school; however, it is an excellent website and provides many language arts lessons.
mpchomp.com/presentations/svagree The website is also very good is entitled Grammar Bytes!
Essential Skill or Concept:
4-4.4 Use grammatical conventions of written Standard American English, including subject-verb agreement.
5-4.4 Use grammatical conventions of written Standard American English, including
subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement with collective nouns.
Pre-assessment: Write the following sentences on the board or SMARTboard. Ask students to write the correct verb on a wipe-off board. Notice if the students choose the correct verbs.
1. Manatees (swim, swims) in warm waters off the coast of Florida.
2. These animals (munches, munch) over 60 different species of plants.
3. One will often (glide, glides) too close to boats.
4. Manatees (is, are) endangered mammals.
Suggested Mentor Text: A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech
Introduce and Explain- READ ALOUD/Mini Lesson: Use the following morning message or make up one that pertains to your class.
A student in our class reads mysteries. She enjoys trying to figure out the mystery. Sometimes several people are considered the villains. The biggest problem is the many clues that the authors gives the reader. She and her friend like to read the same book at the same time. They discuss the book together and see who guesses the villain correctly.
Ask the students what they notice about the subjects and verbs. Review what subjects and verbs are, if necessary. Make a chart of two columns listing the subjects in the first column and the verbs in the other column that are paired with them. Explain what singular and plural subjects and verbs are. A singular subject is about one person, place, or thing. A plural subject is about two or more people, places, or things. Did they notice if it is a singular subject the verb usually ends in s? Did they notice if the subject was plural the verb was did not end in an s? Did they notice in the third sentence problem was the subject and not clues. It is a singular subject and not plural.
Model-Shared Reading /Writing: Read the book, A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech. Use the following sentences from the book to demonstrate subject-verb agreement:
1. Aren’t these fine children? (notice the subject is after the verb)
2. Isn’t this a fine, fine school? (subject is after the verb)
3. Beans and her brother did not like to see her go. (compound subject needs a plural verb)
4. The teachers and the students did not want to go to school on Saturdays… (compound subject is plural and needs a plural verb)
5. He was so proud of the children and the teachers…(Singular subject-singular verb)
6. “What amazing things everyone is learning!” (everyone is singular and needs a singular verb)
Confusions for Students:
· The topic of these four books is horses. (Topic is the subject, not books, and requires a singular verb)
· Each of the students needs to return their permission slip tomorrow. (Each is a singular subject)
· A herd of elephants is taking a bath in the lake. (Herd is a collective noun which names a group of things. Other collective nouns are: family, crowd, pair, audience, etc. Collectives are usually singular, unless the group is talked about as individuals within the group. Ex. A couple of people were late for the wedding.)
Guided Practice – Guided Reading /Writing:
· Write sentences with both singular subjects and plural subjects on sentence strips. Cut the sentences, separating the subjects from the verbs. Students can work in teams to put suitable sentences together. –Mastering the Mechanics 4-5 by Linda Hoyt, p.95
· Give students wipe-off boards. Say a verb. Students write the verb and identify whether it is a singular or plural verb. Then they write a suitable subject for the verb. Partners can quickly check each other’s work for accuracy. –Mastering the Mechanics 4-5 by Linda Hoyt, p.95
· Create index cards with singular nouns, corresponding plural nouns, and singular verbs, one word to each card. Students can work in small groups to match singular nouns with verbs that agree. –Mastering the Mechanics 4-5 by Linda Hoyt, p.93
· On page 23 of Razzle Dazzle Writing by Melissa Forney there is a list of strong verbs. They are listed in the past tense, but you can write the words either for singular or plural subjects and write them on a chart for students to refer to when writing.
Formative Assessment:
· Watch closely which students are not using subject-verb agreement in their writing, so you can provide them additional instruction.
· During writing conferences or small-group guided reading, ask students to point out singular subjects and verbs.
· During reading conferences ask students to identify singular and plural subjects and verbs in their text.
PASS Format:
What is the correct way to edit these sentences?
· The choir of children sing Christmas songs.
· Everyone love to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
· The skier and his friend glides down the slope of snow.
· He spend hours doing his homework every night.
· The teachers wants their students to each read a biography this month.
Independent Practice – Independent Reading/Writing
· Have students reread a section from their independent reading book, selecting two sentences with plural subjects and verbs. Have them record the sentences in their writers’ notebooks and then share the plural subjects and corresponding verbs with a partner. –Mastering the Mechanics 4-5 by Linda Hoyt, p.95
· Students identify powerful singular verbs in mentor texts or in their own writing. Have them add verbs to a word wall for inspiration. Encourage students to explain what makes these verbs so powerful and precise—what images do these verbs create. –Mastering the Mechanics 4-5 by Linda Hoyt, p. 93
Adapt or Differentiate – Guided Reading/Writing or Independent Reading /Writing:
· In a small-group setting provide students, who are experiencing difficulty, more practice in choosing a verb that will agree with the subject.
· Ask students to identify the subject and verb in a sentence and determine if it is singular or plural.
· Make a large chart with the students of singular subjects and verbs for student reference.
· Make a large chart with the students of plural subjects and verbs for student reference.
Reflection:
· Ask students to listen when a sentence is read, to see if the sentence sounds right. Do the subject and verb agree?
· Ask students to first identify the subject and determine if it is singular or plural before stating the verb.
· Have students read their writings to make sure the subjects and verbs agree.