A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.
This After Activity is designed to come at the end of a class period when all activities have been focused on the same topic: subject-verb agreement. Teachers may use this exit slip as a daily grade and/or a formative assessment to judge the level of students’ understanding of this topic. Students must read the sentence and determine which verb agrees with the subject of the sentence. The student must then create a variety of sentences with tricky subjects such as compound subjects and collective subjects and demonstrate that he or she can make the verb agree with the subject. This learning activity was created as a result of the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Resource Development Summit.
The student will identify the verb that agrees with the subject of the sentence. The student will create sentences in which the verb agrees with the subjects using a variety of subjects.
On the exit slip, the student will identify the correct verb to agree with the subject given in each sentence. The student will create sentences in which the verb agrees with the subject using a variety of tricky subjects.
This activity may be used as a formative assessment for the teacher to determine that students identified correct verbs in writing and composed sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
Approximate Duration: 15 minutes
Materials and Resources:
Teacher:
* Copies of Subject-Verb Agreement Exit Slip (either copied and given out on paper or assigned electronically on the school's online learning platform) https://docs.google.com/document/d/19cJCPx-wrypockYHUsUJqvGeOC3XZh5DMJQa2JxYwPQ/edit?usp=sharing
* Subject-Verb Agreement Answer Key
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ejunntWgi8ocSSKAb0yJA9G0qxUWS3D5gejxSUSRfAk/edit?usp=sharing
Student:
* Copy of Subject-Verb Agreement Exit Slip (provided by teacher)
* Pencil
* Highlighter
Background/Preparation:
Teacher: The teacher will use the following AVL Resource to guide this lesson:
Grammar Cop’s Winning Olympic Facts: Learn about the Olympic Games as you practice subject/verb agreement. (2020). Storyworks, 27(6), 27.
https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=fff4728b-55cb-3720-89ee-4a5568f2f174
If the link does not work, please visit the Alabama Virtual Library Website.
https://www.avl.lib.al.us/ Click on the top left Middle School tab. In the search bar at the top, type in "Grammar Cop's Winning Olympic Games."
Student: Students should be familiar with subject-verb agreement according to the previous grade's content standards and course of study.
This activity addresses substandard "d" of Content Standard 39:
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage in writing.
d. Use subject-verb agreement correctly when composing and revising writing.
Intervention:
In order to scaffold this activity for students who may need extra help, the teacher may choose to allow students to use notes, such as the Subject-Verb Agreement Guided Notes, on the formative assessment.
Subject-Verb Agreement Guided Notes:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LGee87-6Q9iGxKSYumt3oU8sJqopV6r1_pXy0Z522bE/edit?usp=sharing
Subject-Verb Agreement Guided Notes Answer Key:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I_x8OXUE2zZ6CwmgBg5_qrrrL7RzQQxMjOgVe7kKlPg/edit?usp=sharing
Acceleration:
If students need accelerated content related to subject-verb agreement, they should read the article linked below and complete the paragraph assignment at the bottom titled "Teacher Wanted-1881."
https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=2643cd33-40a7-386e-b505-25cd72b9a2e4
Jenkins, D. R. (2002). Subjects Verbs: Can’t They Be Agreeable? Writing, 25(1), 20.
https://www.avl.lib.al.us/ Click on the top left Elementary School tab. In the search bar at the top, type in "Subjects Verbs: Can't They Be Agreeable?."
This activity would work well as a formative assessment.
This lesson can be used in conjunction with the Subject-Verb Agreement Response Cards (before activity) and Subject-Verb Agreement Guided Notes (during activity).