Teacher Script: Agree to Agree

Warm-Up: True or False (5 minutes)

"Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to become grammar detectives, focusing on something called Subject-Verb Agreement. It sounds a little tricky, but by the end of this lesson, you'll be pros at making your sentences sound just right!"

"Let's start with a quick warm-up. Look at these sentences on the board (or screen). Read each one and decide if you think it's grammatically 'True' (correct) or 'False' (incorrect). Don't worry if you're not sure, just give it your best guess!"

Display Warm-Up: True or False

"Okay, who thinks the first sentence is true? Raise your hand. Who thinks it's false? Why? What do you notice?"

Facilitate a brief discussion, encouraging students to point out what sounds 'right' or 'wrong' without explicit grammar terms yet.

"Great observations! We'll come back to these ideas after we learn a bit more."

Introduction to Subject-Verb Agreement (10 minutes)

"Now, let's dive into the main topic. Open your eyes and ears for the Agree to Agree Slide Deck."

Display Slide 1: Welcome: Agree to Agree!

"As you can see, our lesson is called 'Agree to Agree.' That's because the subject and the verb in a sentence need to 'agree' with each other."

Display Slide 2: What is a Subject?

"Every sentence has a subject. The subject is the who or what the sentence is about. It's the person, animal, thing, or idea doing the action or being described."

"For example, in 'The dog barks loudly,' what is the sentence about? Yes, 'the dog.' So, 'the dog' is our subject."

"In 'She studies every night,' who is the sentence about? 'She.' Good. 'She' is the subject."

Display Slide 3: What is a Verb?

"And every sentence also has a verb. The verb is the action word, like run, jump, think, eat, or it can show a state of being, like is, am, are, was, were."

"In 'The dog barks loudly,' what is the dog doing? It 'barks.' So, 'barks' is the verb."

"In 'She studies every night,' what is she doing? She 'studies.' That's the verb."

Display Slide 4: The Big Rule: Singular Subjects

"Here's the most important rule for today. If your subject is singular – meaning one person or one thing – then your verb usually needs an -s at the end, especially when we're talking about now, in the present time."

"Look at the examples: 'The cat sleeps all day.' 'Cat' is one, so the verb 'sleep' gets an -s: 'sleeps'."

"Another one: 'He eats an apple.' 'He' is one person, so 'eat' gets an -s: 'eats'."

"Remember: one subject, verb gets -s."

Display Slide 5: The Big Rule: Plural Subjects

"Now, what if your subject is plural? That means more than one person or thing. If your subject is plural, the verb usually does NOT get an -s."

"Examples: 'The cats sleep all day.' 'Cats' is more than one, so 'sleep' stays 'sleep'. No -s!"

"Another example: 'They eat apples.' 'They' is more than one person, so 'eat' stays 'eat'. No -s!"

"Remember: many subjects, verb does NOT get -s."

Display Slide 6: Special Cases: 'I' and 'You'

"English always has a few special cases! The words 'I' and 'You' are singular, but their verbs don't follow the -s rule."

"We say, 'I run' not 'I runs'. And 'You sing' not 'You sings'. Just remember these two are a little different!"

Guided Practice: Spot the Agreement (10 minutes)

"Okay, let's try some together! Look at these sentences. I want you to tell me which verb makes the sentence correct. Which verb 'agrees' with the subject?"

Display Slide 7: Let's Practice! Choose the Right Verb

"For the first one: 'The student (study/studies) for the test.' What is the subject? 'The student.' Is it singular or plural? Singular. So, what verb do we need? 'Studies'! Yes, because 'student' is one, so the verb gets an -s."

"Next: 'My friends (play/plays) soccer.' Subject? 'My friends.' Singular or plural? Plural. So, which verb? 'Play'! Correct, because 'friends' is many, so the verb does not get an -s."

Continue with the remaining practice sentences on the slide, guiding students through identifying the subject, determining singular/plural, and choosing the correct verb. Provide immediate feedback and clarification.

Display Slide 8: Answers:

"Excellent work, everyone! You're really getting the hang of this."

Collaborative Activity: Subject-Verb Scavenger Hunt (15 minutes)

"Now it's time to put your new skills to the test in a fun activity! We're going to do a 'Subject-Verb Scavenger Hunt.'"

Display Slide 9: Activity: Subject-Verb Scavenger Hunt!

"I've placed sentences on strips of paper around the classroom. Some of them are correct, and some have mistakes in subject-verb agreement."

"I want you to get into small groups of 2 or 3 students. Once in your groups, you will walk around the room, find a sentence strip, and read it together. Your task is to decide: Is the sentence correct, or does it have an agreement error? If it has an error, work together to fix it!"

"You will write your corrections on the Subject-Verb Scavenger Hunt Activity worksheet. Don't forget to write the original sentence first, and then your corrected sentence."

"I will be walking around to help you, so don't hesitate to ask questions. You have 15 minutes for this activity. Ready? Go!"

Circulate among groups, providing support and clarification. After 10-12 minutes, give a 3-minute warning.

"Alright everyone, bring it back together in 3 minutes! Finish up the sentence you're working on."

Once students are back in their seats.

"Let's review some of the sentences you found. Can one group share a sentence they found and whether it was correct or if they had to fix it? What was the original sentence? And how did you fix it? Why?"

Facilitate a class review of a few sentences, using the Subject-Verb Practice Answer Key as reference.

"Fantastic teamwork! You did a great job identifying and correcting those errors."

Wrap-Up & Cool-Down: Agreement Check (5 minutes)

Display Slide 10: Great Job, Team!

"You did a fantastic job today learning about subject-verb agreement! It's a really important skill for clear writing and speaking in English."

"To finish our lesson, I have a quick 'Cool-Down: Agreement Check' for you. This is just a short exit ticket to see what you remember. Please complete it silently and independently."

Distribute Cool-Down: Agreement Check

"When you are finished, please turn it in. Thank you all for your hard work and participation today!"

Subject-Verb Scavenger Hunt

Instructions:

1. Work in your small groups.
2. Find the sentence strips placed around the classroom.
3. Read each sentence carefully.
4. Decide if the subject and verb agree (are correct).
5. If the sentence is correct, write it in the "Correct Sentences" section below.
6. If the sentence has an error in subject-verb agreement, write the original sentence in the "Sentences to Correct" section, and then write the corrected sentence below it.

Teacher will provide sentence strips with the following sentences (or similar, adjusted for your class):

Correct Sentences:

• The students learn English.
• My teacher explains clearly.
• Birds fly in the sky.
• I like to read books.
• You speak very well.

Sentences with Errors (students will correct these):

• The cat chase the mouse. (Correction: The cat chases the mouse.)
• They goes to the library. (Correction: They go to the library.)
• She have a new backpack. (Correction: She has a new backpack.)
• We eats lunch at noon. (Correction: We eat lunch at noon.)
• The flowers smells sweet. (Correction: The flowers smell sweet.)
• He walk to school every day. (Correction: He walks to school every day.)

My Group's Sentences:

Correct Sentences:

Sentences to Correct:

Original:



Corrected:

Original:



Corrected:

Original:



Corrected:

Original:



Corrected:

Original:



Corrected:

Original:



Corrected:

Subject-Verb Scavenger Hunt Answer Key

This answer key provides the correct responses for the sentences in the Subject-Verb Scavenger Hunt Activity.

Correct Sentences (Students should identify these as correct):

• The students learn English.
  • Reasoning: "Students" is plural, and "learn" is the plural form of the verb. They agree.
• My teacher explains clearly.
  • Reasoning: "Teacher" is singular, and "explains" is the singular form of the verb. They agree.
• Birds fly in the sky.
  • Reasoning: "Birds" is plural, and "fly" is the plural form of the verb. They agree.
• I like to read books.
  • Reasoning: "I" is a special singular subject that takes the plural form of the verb "like". They agree.
• You speak very well.
  • Reasoning: "You" is a special subject that takes the plural form of the verb "speak". They agree.

Sentences to Correct (Students should identify and correct these):

Original: The cat chase the mouse.

Corrected: The cat chases the mouse.

• Reasoning: "Cat" is a singular subject, so the verb "chase" needs to be in its singular form, "chases".

Original: They goes to the library.

Corrected: They go to the library.

• Reasoning: "They" is a plural subject, so the verb "goes" (singular form) needs to be in its plural form, "go".

Original: She have a new backpack.

Corrected: She has a new backpack.

• Reasoning: "She" is a singular subject, so the verb "have" needs to be in its singular form, "has".

Original: We eats lunch at noon.

Corrected: We eat lunch at noon.

• Reasoning: "We" is a plural subject, so the verb "eats" (singular form) needs to be in its plural form, "eat".

Original: The flowers smells sweet.

Corrected: The flowers smell sweet.

• Reasoning: "Flowers" is a plural subject, so the verb "smells" (singular form) needs to be in its plural form, "smell".

Original: He walk to school every day.

Corrected: He walks to school every day.

• Reasoning: "He" is a singular subject, so the verb "walk" needs to be in its singular form, "walks".

Warm-Up: True or False?

Read each sentence below. Decide if the sentence is grammatically True (correct) or False (incorrect) based on how you think English sounds.

1. The students walks to school.
   True / False
   
   
   
   
2. She play basketball every day.
   True / False
   
   
   
   
3. My cat loves to sleep.
   True / False
   
   
   
   
4. They are happy.
   True / False
   
   
   
   
5. He usually eat lunch at noon.
   True / False
   
   
   
   

Bonus Question: What did you notice about the sentences that felt "wrong" or "right"?

Cool-Down: Agreement Check

Instructions: Read each sentence. Circle the correct verb that agrees with the subject.

1. My brother (like / likes) to play video games.
   
   
   
   
2. The birds (sing / sings) in the morning.
   
   
   
   
3. She (read / reads) many books.
   
   
   
   
4. We (go / goes) to the park on weekends.
   
   
   
   
5. The car (need / needs) gas.
   
   
   
   

Reflection Question: What is one new thing you learned about making subjects and verbs agree today?