Lesson: Active and Passive Voice
Year: 5 | Subject: English | Time Allocation: 100%
Class/Set: ____________ Date/Term: ____________
LO (WALT): To identify and use active and passive voice to affect meaning.
Success Criteria (WILF):
- I can identify the subject, verb, and object in a sentence.
- I can rearrange sentences to change from active to passive voice.
- I can select the passive voice to create a formal or mysterious tone.
1. Starter (15%)
- Identify: Display five simple sentences on the board (e.g., "The cat chased the mouse," "The boy kicked the ball").
- Label: Ask students to identify the Subject (the doer), the Verb (the action), and the Object (the receiver) for each sentence using mini-whiteboards.
- Discuss: Briefly review the SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) pattern as the standard 'Active' structure in English.
2. Main Activity (70%)
Teacher Input:
- Model: Show the sentence: "The scientist mixed the chemicals." Identify it as Active.
- Demonstrate: Rearrange the sentence to: "The chemicals were mixed by the scientist." Explain that this is the Passive voice because the object has become the focus.
- Explain: Introduce the 'Passive Formula': New Subject (original object) + form of 'to be' + Past Participle + (by + original subject).
- Examine: Discuss why we use passive voice. Use two WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like) examples:
- To be formal: "The rules were broken" (Scientific/Official).
- To create mystery/hide the doer: "The diamond was stolen" (Who did it? We don't know!).
- Check: Provide a 'Hinge Question': "Which sentence is passive? a) He ate the cake. b) The cake was eaten." Students show 'a' or 'b' on fingers.
Student Task:
- Task A: Fluency (The Voice Swap): Convert five active sentences into passive sentences using the 'by' phrase.
- Task B: Reasoning (The Detective’s Dilemma): Students are given a crime scene description written in the active voice. They must rewrite three specific sentences into the passive voice to make the report sound more professional and mysterious.
- Task C: Meaning (The Choice): Write two sentences about a broken window. One must be active (blaming someone) and one must be passive (focusing on the window).
- Support: Provide a 'Past Participle' word bank (e.g., 'broken', 'taken', 'found', 'written') for students who struggle with irregular verb forms.
3. Plenary (15%)
- Reflect: Ask students to share their Task C sentences. Discuss which one sounds more 'accusatory' and which sounds more 'accidental'.
- Consolidate: Perform a 'Quick-Fire' round. The teacher says an active sentence, and the class calls out the passive version in unison.
4. Resources
- Mini-whiteboards and pens.
- WAGOLL Crime Scene Handout.
- 'Voice Swap' Worksheet.
- Verb Tense/Past Participle desk mats.
⚠ TEACHER’S GUIDANCE
💡 Pedagogical Insights
- The 'By Zombies' Trick: A useful Year 5 scaffold is: "If you can add 'by zombies' after the verb and the sentence still makes sense, it is passive." (e.g., "The cake was eaten by zombies").
- Common Misconception: Students often confuse 'passive voice' with 'past tense'. Remind them that passive voice can exist in any tense (e.g., "The cake is being eaten" is passive and present).
✅ Answer Key & Solutions
Task A: Fluency (The Voice Swap)
- Active: The gardener planted the flowers. -> Passive Answer: The flowers were planted by the gardener.
- Active: The artist painted a masterpiece. -> Passive Answer: A masterpiece was painted by the artist.
- Active: The chef prepared the meal. -> Passive Answer: The meal was prepared by the chef.
- Active: The headteacher praised the year group. -> Passive Answer: The year group was praised by the headteacher.
- Active: The dog found the bone. -> Passive Answer: The bone was found by the dog.
Task B: Reasoning (The Detective’s Dilemma)
- Input Sentence 1: "Somebody smashed the vase." -> Passive Answer: The vase was smashed.
- Input Sentence 2: "The intruder left muddy footprints." -> Passive Answer: Muddy footprints were left (by the intruder).
- Input Sentence 3: "The police discovered a clue." -> Passive Answer: A clue was discovered.
Task C: Meaning (The Choice)
- Active Example: "John broke the window." (Focus is on John/Blame).
- Passive Example: "The window was broken." (Focus is on the window/Mystery or avoiding blame).