Grammar Lesson Plan

A. Topic:
Noun Phrase with Participle

Grade(s):
8th

Time:
20-30 minutes

B. Essential Question(s):
What is a noun phrase?
What is a participle?
What does a noun phrase with a participle look like?
In what ways can a noun phrase with a participle be used?

C. Text: Name and either write or attach.

Selections from The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare:
Her eyes, much too big for her pinched little face, gazed at Kit with longing (113).
Kit glanced again at the forbidding shore (4).
After a dazed second she sighted the bobbing piece of wood and instinctively struck out after
it in vigorous strokes that set her blood moving again (8).
Then you might have a thought for somebody else! snapped Nat, slapping the water out of
his dripping breeches (9).
The friendly grin of that morning had been replaced by an aloof and mocking smile that
showed only too well that his morning ducking had not been forgotten (12-13).

D. Learning Goals & Outcomes: Students will

Come to understand what a noun phrase is.
Come to understand what a participle is.
Learn to identify noun phrases with participles.
Learn how to make noun phrases with participles.

E. Types of Assessments: How will you check for understanding?

Summative: These occur after
instruction.
E.g., any length, genre or type of
writing, quiz, test, presentation,
project, performance assessment,
report
There will be an activity
(performance assessment) in which
the students will have to identify a
series of noun phrases by
underlining them and circling the
participles imbedded in the noun
phrase. They will also be asked to
write and share one noun phrase
with a participle.

Formative: These occur during instruction. They

let you check for understandings and
misunderstandings; they give students critical
feedback when they are saying, making, and
doing, and they allow for changes in the
instructional plan.
E.g., oral response, whole class cues, observation of
pair work, observation of group work, records of work,
worksheets, notes, annotations, drafts, organizers,
outlines, journals, discussions
With examples given on the board, students will
discuss with their neighbor which part of a sentence
constitutes as a noun phrase.
The teacher will ask the class if they can take some of
those examples and turn them into noun phrases with
participles.
Example:
Identify the noun phrase: Quick as lightening, the
open door slammed shut in the boys incredulous
face. (the open door; the boys incredulous face)
Noun phrases turned into noun phrases with
participles: the opening door and the boys
unbelieving face
Quick as lightening, the opening door slammed shut
in the boys unbelieving face.

F. Progression of Lesson Tasks

(The lesson could be a 20-30
minute learning segment):

G. Possible ELD Scaffolds and Strategies to

Support Students and Address the Language
Demands of each of the Lesson Tasks.
While these are not going into the actual plan,
consider extra steps that may be needed to support
students in the doing part of the plan.

Introduction of grammar concept

to be discussed.
Checking for understanding of a
noun phrase and looking at
examples.

Example demonstrated on board.

Examples given on board.

Defining participles and giving

examples.

Examples given on board.

Students may work in pairs.

Students complete worksheet on

grammar concept from lesson.
Students share and affirm
student developed sentences
using key grammar from lesson.

H. Teaching Resources (Visuals, Materials, Handouts)

The main text will be The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
There will be an activity worksheet. (See attached)

III. THE LESSON PLAN

Agenda
Learning Activities and Corresponding Activity Structures:
Into: 3 minutes. A hook.
This riveting, captivating and stimulating book will be our text today. Let me put
that on the board. (And so I do.) And what makes this book riveting, captivating
and stimulating? Participles! (And I underline the participles.) Otherwise, I would
have just said, this book will be our text today. Riveting, captivating and
stimulating are examples of participles, and without them, the this book of my
sentence would be the entire noun phrase, and how less enthused you might be if I
merely said this book will be our text today. But, I suppose, we must start with
what is a noun phrase?
Through:

1. 5 minute explanation
Two noun phrases are in this short sentence. Lets use that sentence to show what a
noun phrase is. (Two noun phrases are in this short sentence is written on the
board) [Two and this are determiners; noun is an adjective; phrases is the
headword and a noun; are is the verb; in is a preposition; short is an adjective;
sentence is a noun.]
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The class is asked if they can point out the noun phrases. They are underlined on
the board.
Now that noun phrases are understood (Noun phrase being a phrase of two or more
words that includes at least one noun and one modifier, such as the or an adjective
like short), lets look at placing a participle in a noun phrase.
Anyone know what a participle is? A participle can be defined as The ing and en
verb (or verb phrase) functioning as an adjectival (Kolln Understanding English
Grammar 401). Basically, it is the practice of taking what is normally a verb and
making it an adjective. Lets look at some examples from our text:
Her eyes, much too big for her pinched little face, gazed at Kit with longing (113).
Kit glanced again at the forbidding shore (4).
Then you might have a thought for somebody else! snapped Nat, slapping the water out of
his dripping breeches (9).
His breeches may be dripping, but the verb of the sentence is slapping. What is in other
contexts considered a verb, dripping, is in this case used as an adjective to describe Nats
breeches.

2. 10 minute student doing part

The students will be given a worksheet where they must identify the noun phrases with
participles. They will be asked to underline noun phrases and circle the participles.
Some example sentences from worksheet:
The singing boys brought down the house.
The broken bottle seemed to represent his entire existence.
The wizard cast a freezing spell on the cackling witch.
In addition, the worksheet will end with a prompt for students to create their own sentence
that contains a noun phrase with participle. This sentence will be shared at the end of the
period.
Beyond

3. 2 minute performance assessment

Students will share their one sentence containing a noun phrase with participle. The rest of
the class will determine whether or not the sentence does contain a noun phrase with
participle.
Note: Attach relevant documents, such as worksheets, assessments, rubrics, scoring guides,
etc.

Name:______________________________________
Date:_______________
Identifying Noun Phrases with Participles
Identify the noun phrase with participle in each sentence below. Underline the complete
noun phrase (determiner, participle, noun) and circle the participle in each sentence.

1. The singing boys brought down the house.

2. The broken bottle seemed to represent his entire existence.
3. The captivating woman crossed the street ahead of him and vanished in the crowd.
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4. The wizard cast a freezing spell on the cackling witch.

5. After a dazed second she sighted the bobbing piece of wood and instinctively struck out after it in
vigorous strokes that set her blood moving again (Speare 8).
6. The friendly grin of that morning had been replaced by an aloof and mocking smile that showed only
too well that his morning ducking had not been forgotten (Speare 12-13).
7. The waddling duck frantically flapped away at the sound of the approaching crocodile.

Now create your own sentence using a noun phrase with participle. You will share this
sentence with the rest of the class.
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