Mastering Sentence Structure: Subject & Predicate Grammar Lesson Plan for Clear Writing

A dynamic grammar lesson plan focused on teaching students how to identify the Subject and Predicate, the core building blocks of clear communication. Includes interactive card-matching activities, guided practice, and resources for fixing sentence fragments.

Create Your Own Custom Lesson Plan
Previous Lesson
PDF

Sentence Superpowers: Building Blocks of Clear Communication

Materials Needed

  • Notebooks or blank paper
  • Pencils, Pens, and two different colored highlighters or markers (e.g., Blue for Subject, Red for Predicate)
  • Pre-cut index cards or paper strips (at least 10 sets of Subject cards and 10 sets of Predicate cards)
  • Whiteboard, chalkboard, or digital screen for modeling
  • Optional: Timer for activity challenges

Learning Objectives (What We Will Learn)

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
  1. Identify the two essential parts of a complete sentence: the Subject and the Predicate (verb).
  2. Explain the difference between a complete sentence and a sentence fragment.
  3. Construct five grammatically correct sentences that follow proper syntax (word order).

Introduction (10 Minutes)

The Hook: The Importance of Clear Signals

Educator Talk: Have you ever tried to give a friend instructions, but you left out a crucial detail? Maybe you said, "Go to the place," but didn't say which place? Sentences are the signals we send to communicate. If a signal is incomplete, it causes confusion!

Imagine you tried to text someone: "Ate lunch." That tells us the action, but who did it? Was it you, your dog, or the teacher? We need all the right ingredients to make a complete thought.

Defining Our Mission

Today, we are learning about syntax—that’s just a fancy word for the rules about how we put words together to make sense. We are going to become architects who can build strong, complete sentences every time.

Success Criteria: You will know you are successful today if you can confidently point to the 'who' or 'what' and the 'action' in any sentence.

Body: Building the Sentence Structure

I Do: Modeling the Basics (15 Minutes)

Concept 1: The Two Essential Pillars

Every complete sentence needs two major parts, like two pillars holding up a roof:

  1. The Subject (The WHO or WHAT): This is the person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about. It usually contains a noun. (We will use the BLUE marker for the Subject.)
  2. The Predicate (The ACTION): This tells what the Subject is doing or being. It always contains a verb (the action word). (We will use the RED marker for the Predicate.)

Modeling Examples:

Educator Talk: Let’s look at a simple sentence. Watch how I break it down:

  • The happy dog chased the ball.
    • Who or what is the sentence about? The dog (Blue Subject).
    • What did the dog do? Chased the ball (Red Predicate).
  • My brother and I read quietly.
    • Who is the sentence about? My brother and I (Blue Subject).
    • What did we do? Read quietly (Red Predicate).

Crucial Rule: If a sentence is missing the blue part OR the red part, it is called a fragment (a broken piece). Fragments are incomplete thoughts.

We Do: Guided Practice – Sentence Surgeons (20 Minutes)

Activity: Mix-and-Match Surgery

Preparation: Use your pre-cut index cards. Write five different Subject phrases on blue cards and five different Predicate phrases on red cards. Keep them shuffled.

  • Blue Subject Examples: The enormous dragon; My favorite book; Our quiet neighbor; Three silly monkeys; The flashing lightning.
  • Red Predicate Examples: flew over the mountain; fell off the table; baked delicious cookies; ate all the bananas; lit up the sky quickly.

Instructions (Whole Group/Pair):

  1. Lay all the blue (Subject) cards in one column and all the red (Predicate) cards in a second column.
  2. Together, read the cards aloud.
  3. Match one Subject card and one Predicate card to create a complete sentence that makes sense.
  4. Write the newly formed sentence in your notebook, coloring the Subject blue and the Predicate red.
  5. Discuss why certain matches work well together (e.g., "The flashing lightning baked delicious cookies" doesn't make sense, even though it's grammatically complete).

Formative Assessment Check-In:

Q&A: Show me a broken sentence (a fragment). How would you fix it? (Learners must identify the missing Subject or Predicate and add it.)

You Do: Independent Application – The Editor’s Challenge (20 Minutes)

Activity: Build-a-Sentence Blitz

Learners will independently use specific instructions to demonstrate mastery of sentence structure.

  1. Challenge 1 (Mandatory Subject/Predicate): Write one sentence about a sport you like. Highlight the Subject (Blue) and the Predicate (Red).
  2. Challenge 2 (Specific Verb): Write one sentence using the action word "whispered." Highlight the parts.
  3. Challenge 3 (Specific Subject): Write one sentence where the Subject is a type of food. Highlight the parts.
  4. Challenge 4 (Fix the Fragment): The teacher/educator provides this fragment: "Sprinted through the crowded hall." The learner must add a complete Subject and rewrite the sentence correctly.
  5. Challenge 5 (Creative Choice): Write the longest complete sentence you can, making sure it only has one Subject and one Predicate.

Success Review:

After completing the challenges, learners trade papers (or review their own). They check that all five sentences have both a blue (Subject) and red (Predicate) element. If a sentence is missing one, it must be fixed.

Conclusion (10 Minutes)

Recap and Review

Educator Talk: We started by talking about clear signals. What are the two essential ingredients that every complete sentence needs?

(Expected Response: A Subject (who/what) and a Predicate (the action/verb).)

Why is it important to include both parts? (Expected Response: So the reader/listener understands who is doing the action and what the complete thought is.)

Summative Assessment: The Exit Ticket Sentence

On an index card or a fresh sheet of paper, the learner must complete the following task:

Task: Write one perfect, complete sentence explaining what they learned today about grammar. Then, use the highlighters to correctly color-code the Subject (Blue) and the Predicate (Red).

(Successful completion of the Exit Ticket demonstrates immediate understanding of the objectives.)

Differentiation and Adaptations

Scaffolding (Support for Struggling Learners)

  • Templates: Provide fill-in-the-blank templates for the independent practice (e.g., "The ______ (Subject Noun) ______ (Predicate Verb) quickly.").
  • Limited Choice: For the "Sentence Surgeons" activity, only provide three Subject cards and three Predicate cards initially to reduce cognitive load.
  • Verb Focus: If struggling to identify the Predicate, focus only on finding the core action word (the simple verb) first.

Extension (Challenges for Advanced Learners)

  • Compound Parts: Challenge learners to create sentences with Compound Subjects (e.g., The dog AND the cat) or Compound Predicates (e.g., The man walked AND talked).
  • Inverted Syntax: Introduce sentences where the Subject and Predicate are out of typical order (e.g., "Down the hill tumbled the rock."). Ask them to identify the parts even when they are hidden.
  • Sentence Expansion: Take one of the simple sentences they created and expand it by adding adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases, ensuring the core Subject/Predicate relationship remains sound.

Ask a question about this lesson