Free 3rd Grade Passive Voice Lesson Plan (English)

Topic: Passive Voice

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to recognize the passive voice in a sentence and understand its usages and tricks.

Materials

• Passive voice examples
• Index cards
• Writing prompts (optional)

Warm-up

• Ask students to finish the following sentences using the passive voice:
• The cat was chased by the dog.
• The tree was planted by the volunteers.
• The book was written by the author.
• Ask students if they can spot the passive voice in the sentences.

Direct Instruction

• Write the following passive voice sentence on the board:
• The cake was baked by my mom.
• Ask students to identify the passive voice in the sentence.
• Explain that in the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is being acted upon, instead of doing the action.
• Ask students to give examples of passive voice sentences they know.
• Write the examples on the board.
• Explain that the passive voice can be formed in different ways, depending on the tense and the wording used.
• For example, the passive voice can be formed using "to be" + past participle (e.g. "was baked") or using "to be" + being + by + past participle (e.g. "being baked by my mom").
• Ask students to read the passive voice sentence on the board twice: once using "to be" + past participle, and once using "to be" + being + by + past participle.
• Check for understanding by asking students to explain the difference between the two versions of the passive voice.

Guided Practice

• Write the following active voice sentence on the board:
• The dog chased the cat.
• Ask students to identify the subject and the verb in the sentence.
• Explain that in the active voice, the subject is doing the action ("the dog"), and the verb is the action itself ("chased").
• Ask students to rewrite the sentence in the passive voice, using the same subject and verb.
• Write the revised sentence on the board.
• Explain that in the passive voice, the object of the sentence is being acted upon, instead of doing the action.
• Ask students to give examples of passive voice sentences where the object is being acted upon.
• Write the examples on the board.
• Ask students to rewrite the sentence using the passive voice, with the object being acted upon in the passive voice sentence.
• Check for understanding by asking students to explain the difference between the active voice sentence and the revised passive voice sentence.

Independent Practice

• Ask students to identify the subject and the verb in the following active voice sentences.
• Have them rewrite the sentences in the passive voice, using the same subject and verb.
• Check for understanding by asking students to explain the difference between the active voice sentence and the revised passive voice sentence.

Closure

• Review the concept of passive voice and its uses in the English language.
• Ask students to share any interesting or surprising finds during their independent practice.

Assessment

• Observe students during the guided and independent practice to assess their understanding of passive voice.
• Collect and review their written works to assess their ability to use and write in passive voice.