Julie Tagg| January 3, 2025| Think and Write for English A and B

Grade Level: Middle School/High School
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Objective: Students will identify prepositions and prepositional phrases in sentences and use them to enhance their writing and comprehension.

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Lesson Outline

Engage (5-10 minutes)

• Activity: Begin with a simple game of “Simon Says,” using prepositions (e.g., Simon says, “Put your hand on the desk,” “Stand behind your chair,” “Place your book under your arm”).
• Discussion: Ask students:
  • What did the words like on, behind, and under help you understand?
  • Lead into a brief discussion about how prepositions show relationships between objects or locations.

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Explore (10-15 minutes)

• Group Activity:
  • Provide students with a list of prepositions and a few sentences with blanks.
  • Example:
    The book is ___ the table. (on, under, beside, etc.)
  • Ask students to experiment with different prepositions to complete the sentences and discuss how the meaning changes.
• Focus on Prepositional Phrases: Highlight how a prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (e.g., on the table, under the chair).

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Explain (10 minutes)

• Mini-Lecture with Examples:
  • Define prepositions: Words that show relationships between nouns or pronouns and other words in a sentence.
  • Define prepositional phrases: A group of words beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or pronoun.
  • Provide examples:
    • The cat is on the mat.
    • She walked to the park.
  • Emphasize that prepositional phrases function as adjectives or adverbs.
• Visual Aid: Use a diagram or sentence tree to show the parts of a prepositional phrase.

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Elaborate (15 minutes)

• Activity 1: Sentence Expansion
  • Provide simple sentences (e.g., The dog barked.).
  • Ask students to add prepositional phrases to make the sentences more descriptive (e.g., The dog barked at the stranger.).
• Activity 2: Preposition Scavenger Hunt
  • Give students a short passage or a paragraph from a story.
  • Challenge them to find and underline all the prepositions and circle the prepositional phrases.
• Optional Group Challenge: Create sentences as a group, competing to include the most prepositional phrases without losing clarity.

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Evaluate (5-10 minutes)

• Quiz or Exit Ticket:
  • Identify the preposition and prepositional phrase in given sentences:
    1. The flowers in the vase are beautiful.
    2. He sat under the tree with a book.
    3. We walked through the forest to the river.
  • Ask students to write their own sentence with at least two prepositional phrases.

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Extensions/Homework

• Write a short paragraph about a favorite place, using at least five prepositional phrases.
• Bring an object to class and describe it using prepositions (e.g., The water bottle is on the desk, beside the book.).

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Assessment

• Active participation in activities and discussions.
• Accuracy in identifying prepositions and prepositional phrases in exercises.
• Creativity and correctness in sentence creation during evaluation and homework.

This plan provides an interactive, scaffolded approach to learning prepositions and prepositional phrases, ensuring students can understand, practice, and apply the concepts.

Quiz: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Name: _______________________ Date: _______________________

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Part 1: Multiple Choice (5 points)

Circle the correct preposition to complete each sentence.

1. The cat is hiding ___ the bed.
   a) under
   b) between
   c) on
   d) inside
2. She walked ___ the park on her way home.
   a) beside
   b) through
   c) before
   d) without
3. He placed the books ___ the shelf.
   a) on
   b) over
   c) against
   d) into
4. They went ___ the mountain to reach the cabin.
   a) around
   b) after
   c) across
   d) with
5. The picture hangs ___ the wall near the window.
   a) above
   b) along
   c) below
   d) between

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Part 2: Identify the Prepositions (5 points)

Underline the prepositions in the following sentences.

1. The dog ran across the yard to its owner.
2. We stayed inside the house during the storm.
3. The keys are on the table beside the vase.
4. She swam under the bridge to reach the shore.
5. He sat between his friends at the concert.

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Part 3: Identify the Prepositional Phrases (5 points)

Write the prepositional phrase(s) in each sentence.

1. The book on the shelf belongs to my sister.

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2. He traveled to the city with his family.

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3. The cat jumped into the box and hid.

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4. We drove through the tunnel during the night.

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5. The phone is beside the lamp on the desk.

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Part 4: Sentence Writing (5 points)

Write a sentence for each prompt that includes the indicated preposition or prepositional phrase.

1. Write a sentence using under.

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2. Write a sentence using to the park.

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3. Write a sentence using between.

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4. Write a sentence using on the table.

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5. Write a sentence using inside.

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Answer Key

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. a) under
2. b) through
3. a) on
4. c) across
5. a) above

Part 2: Identify the Prepositions

1. across, to
2. inside, during
3. on, beside
4. under, to
5. between

Part 3: Identify the Prepositional Phrases

1. on the shelf
2. to the city, with his family
3. into the box
4. through the tunnel, during the night
5. beside the lamp, on the desk

Part 4: Sentence Writing

(Example answers; students may have their own correct variations.)

1. The puppy is hiding under the couch.
2. We walked to the park after school.
3. The basketball rolled between the chairs.
4. I placed my notebook on the table.
5. She stayed inside during the rainstorm.

This quiz combines identification, application, and sentence construction to test students’ understanding of prepositions and prepositional phrases.