Subjects and Predicates SMART Board Lesson and Games

Subjects and Predicates SMART Board Lesson and Games
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Purpose of This Lesson

By the end of this lesson, your students will have a higher understanding of subjects and predicates and be able to identify subjects and predicates in sentences. They will also develop a better understanding of the parts of speech and how they function in a sentence. Also, they will be able to see a clear difference between sentences and fragments, which are missing either the subject or predicate.

Getting Them Ready for Learning

This lesson is designed for use with Notebook software on a Smart Board. If you do not have SMART’s Notebook software, you can still open Notebook files with other programs, and use this lesson on other interactive whiteboards too.

Preface the lesson by teaching and reviewing the parts of speech and by having your students take notes about subjects and predicates. Make sure your students realize that a sentence must have both a subject (tells who or what) and a predicate (the verb that tells did or is). I recommend that you also explain that fragments are missing either the subject or predicate and therefore are not considered sentences. Have your students practice identifying subjects and predicates in sentences prior to conducting the lesson, but this is not entirely necessary, considering this lesson covers identification. You will find the actual SMART Board file in the media section.

Teaching the Lesson

The best lessons include some versatility of teaching methods. With this one you can conduct this lesson one of two ways, by either having the students write down their answers to the questions on paper, or by asking for students volunteer to answer the questions, come up to the screen, and find out if their answers are correct or incorrect. Both ways work well.

The first of six exercises focuses on identifying the subject or predicate of a sentence. Here, your students will look at four simple sentences and find either the subject or the predicate of the sentence, depending upon what it asks for. By touching the square on the screen, the answer will be revealed. This exercise will help your students identify the subject and predicate of a sentence.

The second exercise asks the students to vote on whether the sentence is complete or incomplete. Complete this exercise by having your students form a line and touch either the right (sentence) or the left (not a sentence) side, depending upon their answer choice. After voting, discuss the correct answers and have the students explain why the answer is correct. If students voted for the wrong choice, make sure they understand why their answer was incorrect before moving on. This exercise will help your students understand the difference between sentences and fragments.

The third exercise is designed as a review of the parts of speech and of subjects and predicates. Again, you can conduct this portion of the lesson by having your students write down their answers on paper or by asking for volunteers to come up to the board and answer the questions. Students will drag the word(s) to the appropriate vortex, thus identifying the word(s) as a subject or a predicate. This portion of the lesson is designed to help your students understand that subjects are the “who” or “what” and predicates are the verb (the did or is).

For the next exercise, you will need to prepare a list of questions about subjects and predicates. Ask things like what part of speech is the subject of a sentence, or what is the predicate of the following sentence. Questions should be varied, so they include identification of both subjects and predicates in sentences, and information about the parts of speech and fragments too. Instructions for the game are found on the page.

Begin by dividing your students into two teams. Have the students on each team sit in a row. Start the game. Every student should be allowed a turn to answer the question for their team. This exercise can serve as a short assessment to see if your students understand the concept(s) being taught or need further instruction.

The next two pages each show eight sentences. The first of the two has your students underline the complete subject of the sentences. The second has them underline the complete predicate. It also can be conducted by having the students write down their answer on paper or by having volunteers come up to the board and answer the question. This exercise is designed to review identification and could also serve as a short assessment to see if the students understand the concept(s) being taught.

Student Involvement Activities

Extension activities are conducted by adding to the last two pages or by having your students quiz each other over the information. If you elect to have your students quiz each other, they can write eight sentences of their own and trade papers with another students to identify the subjects and predicates of the sentences. This could also serve as an additional assessment and a way for your students to peer teach.

It’s a Great Way to Teach

SMART Board English lessons like this one are great tools for teaching, reviewing, and assessing your students over subjects and predicates. Your students will love getting to work with the interactive board and will yield a higher understanding of what subjects and predicates are, and how they contribute to sentences. Assessment opportunities are included in the lesson, but it is recommended that additional assessments be given to ensure your students fully understand the concept(s) being taught.

References

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