Lesson: Relative Clauses

Year: 5 | Subject: English | Time Allocation: 100%

Class/Set: ____________ Date/Term: ____________

LO (WALT): To identify and use relative clauses to provide additional information about a noun.

Success Criteria (WILF):

1. I can identify relative pronouns including who, which, where, when, and whose.
2. I can add a relative clause to a main clause to expand a sentence.
3. I can correctly punctuate embedded relative clauses using commas.

1. Starter (15%)

• Recall: Conduct a quick-fire retrieval activity on mini-whiteboards. Display: A list of nouns (e.g., 'the astronaut', 'the forest', 'the bicycle') and a list of pronouns.
• Identify: Ask students to select which pronoun matches which noun (e.g., 'who' for the astronaut, 'where' or 'which' for the forest).
• Define: Recap that a clause is a group of words containing a verb. Challenge students to remember what 'extra information' is called in a sentence.

2. Main Activity (70%)

Teacher Input:

• Explain: Define a relative clause as a type of subordinate clause that gives more information about a noun. Introduce the term 'Relative Pronoun' as the 'hook' that attaches the clause to the noun.
• Model: Write a simple sentence: "The dog barked." Show how to expand it using a relative pronoun: "The dog, which had a curly tail, barked."
• Demonstrate: Use the 'WAGOLL' (What A Good One Looks Like) to show the difference between a relative clause at the end of a sentence and an embedded relative clause (a 'sandwich' clause).
• Punctuate: Explicitly model the 'Comma Sandwich' rule. If we drop the relative clause into the middle of a sentence, it must have a comma before the pronoun and a comma at the end of the clause.
• Check: Provide a 'hinge question'. "Where should the commas go in this sentence: The Burj Khalifa which is in Dubai is the tallest building in the world?" Students use 'comma hands' (physical gestures) to indicate placement.

Student Task:

• Task A (Fluency): Match the main clauses to the most appropriate relative clauses provided on the worksheet.
• Task B (Application): Rewrite five simple sentences provided in the exercise books by adding a relative clause starting with a specific pronoun (e.g., whose, where, or who).
• Task C (Reasoning): 'The Punctuation Police'. Examine three sentences where the commas are misplaced or missing. Students must rewrite them correctly and explain why the commas are necessary for clarity.
• Support: Provide a 'Relative Pronoun Word Bank' on desks and a scaffolded sentence strip for Task B (e.g., The boy, who __________, ran home).

3. Plenary (15%)

• Consolidate: Play 'Relative Clause Relay'. Give a noun (e.g., 'The cake'). The first student adds a relative pronoun, the second adds the rest of the clause, and the third completes the main clause.
• Review: Ask students to self-assess against the Success Criteria. Reflect: "Why do authors use relative clauses? How does it change the experience for the reader?"

4. Resources

• Mini-whiteboards and pens.
• Exercise books and HB pencils.
• Relative Pronoun Word Bank (Tier 2 vocabulary).
• 'Punctuation Police' worksheet.

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⚠ TEACHER’S GUIDANCE

💡 Pedagogical Insights

• The Comma Sandwich: Year 5 students frequently forget the second comma in an embedded relative clause. Refer to it as a 'sandwich' or 'parenthesis' to help them visualise that the extra information is tucked inside.
• Who vs. Which: Explicitly teach that who is for people and which is for objects/animals to avoid the common error of "The girl which has red hair."
• Scaffolding for SEND: For students struggling with fine motor skills or cognitive load, provide pre-cut strips of relative clauses that they can physically 'insert' into a split main clause.

✅ Task Answer Key

Task A: Matching Clauses

1. The explorer (who reached the summit) felt exhausted.
2. The library (where we study) is very quiet.
3. The car (which belongs to my dad) is blue.

Task C: The Punctuation Police

1. Incorrect: The teacher who, is very kind works at our school. Correct: The teacher, who is very kind, works at our school.
2. Incorrect: My brother whose shoes are muddy is sitting on the rug. Correct: My brother, whose shoes are muddy, is sitting on the rug.
3. Incorrect: The tree which was, very tall fell down. Correct: The tree, which was very tall, fell down.

⚠ Safety & Nuance Check

• Ensure that examples used for relative clauses remain politically neutral and sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of the students in the classroom (e.g., avoid using names of students in negative examples).