Language and Content: Relative Pronouns / Used to

GRADES 3-5; 6-8; 9-12

VOCABULARY

LESSON PROCEDURE

Vocabulary

1. Watch the Vocabulary movie to introduce the new words, stopping to ask questions, give examples, and encourage students to make connections to the words.
2. Introduce the concepts of perspective and point of view by using pictures that show the same object from different perspectives or points of view. Continue to explore the concept of perspective by looking at images that can be seen in different ways. Optical illusions are excellent examples, such as the the famous image of the woman that looks very old or young. There is also the well-known image of the rabbit and duck and the image of the faces that also looks like a vase. Any image by M.C. Escher is also perfect for this activity. Discuss how the pictures show the same thing but in different ways. If using optical illusion images, encourage students to discuss the different things they see in the image, how it can be understood from multiple perspectives.
3. Do the Describe the Word activity with the following vocabulary words: focus, perspective, view, investigate, and evidence. You can write the sentences on index cards or on the board if conducting a whole class activity. Change the sentence or add more as needed. Students respond in writing or orally. This activity can be conducted as a whole class, small group, or partners. You can do this activity for the other vocabulary words as well.

Grammar

1. Write relative on the board and invite students to brainstorm what this word makes them think of. Jot down their responses. Then explain that a relative is someone who is related to us, or part of our family. Explain or elicit from students that another word for related is connected. Explain that they are going to learn about relative pronouns, which are pronouns that connect parts of sentences.
   Now write a few sentences on the board using relative pronouns. Underline the relative pronouns. Here are some examples:
   Jack is the boy who always wears blue.
   This is the book that I read last summer.
   The morning is when I eat breakfast.
   The gym is where we go to play basketball.
   Read aloud the first sentence and ask students who the “who” refers to, or what word it’s related to. Repeat with each sentence. Then ask students why they think these words are called “relative pronouns.”
2. Watch the Grammar movie. Pause for students to add more or different examples to show their understanding They can use the sentences in the Grammar movie as the basis for additional sentences. For example, instead of I know the girl who lives in this house, students might say, I know the girl who is standing over there.
   Or students can create a sentence using the same relative pronoun, but a different noun. For example, I know a boy who has a dog like that.
3. Distribute pictures of famous buildings, landmarks, and people to teams of students. Taking turns within their teams, students choose a picture and describe it using a relative pronoun. They don’t show the picture to the class. Students on the other teams guess what the picture is. For example:
   
   This is a building that is famous in London.
   This is a soccer/football player who plays for Barcelona.
4. Print out and cut the sentence strips below. Distribute the sentence fragments and relative pronouns to pairs of students, small groups, or individuals. Challenge students to create sentences with the sentence fragments. To differentiate and add more support, you can provide the two clauses and have students fill in the missing relative pronoun. This activity can also be conducted with the whole class using an interactive white board.

Relative Pronoun Sentence Strips

A button is something	that	closes a jacket.
A park is a place	where	we can have a picnic.
An actor is a person	who	performs in films.
A camera is something	that	takes pictures.
A gym is a place	where	we can play basketball.
Evidence is something	which	helps us solve a mystery.
A teacher is someone	who	helps us learn.
She is the girl	whose	dog we found.
Summer is the time	when	we are on vacation from school.
My winter jacket is the reason	why	I'm sweating.

5. Display pictures of inventions. Alternatively, assign students to research inventions for homework. Have them bring in a picture of the invention to share with the class and be prepared to describe how life used to be different before the invention. if several students have researched the same invention, have them work in groups to prepare a presentation. Pay attention to the negative and interrogative forms. For example: People used to ride horses. They didn’t use to drive cars. Did everyone use to own horses?

Movie

1. Before watching the movie Action! (L3U6L1), have a class discussion about what it’s like to be new to a school. Encourage students to share ideas about what might make them feel welcome at a new school. Tell them that in this movie, Ben and Moby are making a video for new students at their school. Ask students what they might include in a video about their school. After sharing ideas, watch the movie as a class.
2. During a repeated viewing of the movie, pause for students to identify relative clauses. Encourage students to take note of which relative pronouns are used most often. Show the movie again for students to count, or list, the relative pronouns. Some students may keep a tally of the different pronouns, while others may count all of the relative clauses together. Here is the breakdown:
   who: 3
   that: 4
   which: 1
   where: 7
   when: 5
   what: 2

Features

1. Watch Hear It, Say It. Students may listen and repeat sentences from the movie, or record their own voices and listen back.
2. Use the Hear It, Say It feature for the following cloze activity . Students fill in the relative pronouns and then listen to check their answers. To differentiate and add more support, provide a list of the relative pronouns.

   Hear It, Say It Cloze

   1. If you are going to be the one ________ is filming, then you have to be serious.

   2. The movie ________we’re making will show them what the school is like.

   3. New students at the school will view it ________ they arrive.

   4. Push the button ________ is on the side of the camera.

   5. This is the place ________ you will be getting your education.

   6. This is the classroom ________ I had my classes ________ I was five years old.

   7. This chair, ________ is way too small for me now, is ________ I used to sit.

   8. The gym is ________ we have physical education.

   9. The kids ________ play sports spend a lot of time here.

3. Invite students to do the remaining interactive features, including: Play It, Warm Up, and You Can Do It.