Teacher notes for this lesson. Two sides of A4, not for pupils.Mild sheetMedium sheetSpicy sheetAnswers
Teacher notes · not for pupils Grammar sequence

When, Where, Why

Expressing time, place and cause

Lesson 7 of 14
Year 3 45 min

Objective

Express time, place and cause using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions, and choose between them by what follows the word.

Board title: Saying when, where and why  ·  Say it: “Today we're showing when, where and why things happen, and choosing between a joining word, a preposition and an adverb by looking at what comes next.”

Curriculum

  • Y3: expressing time, place and cause using conjunctions, when, before, after, while, so, because
  • Y3: …and using adverbs, then, next, soon, therefore, and prepositions, before, after, during, because of
  • Terminology: conjunction · adverb · preposition · clause
  • STA domain: G3.1

Success criteria

  • use a conjunction when a whole part follows
  • use a preposition before a thing, like in or during
  • use an adverb on its own to say when
  • check that because really answers why

Key vocabulary

conjunction · preposition · adverb · clause · time · place · cause

Run of the lesson

5 min
Starter: write We had pudding _ we finished dinner. and fill the gap three ways with the class: after, after dinner, afterwards. Three kinds of word, one job. Don't explain anything yet.
10 min
Model time, then place (in the garden, under the counter, a preposition before a thing that says where), then cause, with the covering move: hide everything after the word and ask, a whole part, or just a thing? A whole part stands up on its own; a thing cannot. Say because of the rain and because it was raining back to back and make them choose by what follows. Then the third way, one word alone, then, next, soon, afterwards, therefore, the escape from the six-and sentence. Spring the trap: say I set the table because the pizza cooked confidently and ask who was asking why.
8 min
Build the Bridge on the whiteboard, Medium, knowing what the bank is: every item in it is a conjunction, so it covers one third of today. Use it for that third and the read-both-halves-aloud habit, then close it. If a child argues for when where the game wants because and can justify it, tell them plainly they are right and the game is being fussy.
5 min
The four vote pairs: a child says WHY before each reveal (answers: a-left, b-right, c-right, d-left). Pair c is the day's rule in one line, because the rain against because of the rain.
14 min
Worksheet, independent. Circulate on Task 2 and 3: the sheet's hardest error is because of swallowing a whole clause, Open the window because of the kitchen is hot, so make each fixer point at what follows the word and say 'thing' or 'whole part' before they change anything. One word in Task 2 is already right.
3 min
Plenary: two children read a Task 3 sentence, the class calls time, place or reason, then names the kind of word carrying it. Then the class quiz: Polpetta's counter sign says Because of the soup was cold, I heated it up, what comes straight after because of, a thing or a whole part?
On screenSPAGhetti → Build the Bridge → Medium. One screen only; no pupil devices needed. Read the bank before you plan, because it only does one third of today. Every item in it is a conjunction, because, when, if, before, after, so the adverbs and the prepositions, which are half of this objective and the half most resources quietly drop, are yours to teach from the slides and the worksheet. Use the game for the conjunction third and for the read-both-halves-first habit, then close it. ~8 items in 10 minutes with discussion.
SPAGhetti · Grammar sequence · Lesson 7 of 14  ·  Teacher notes 1 of 2
Teacher notes · not for pupils When, Where, Why · side 2

On the day

If the tech failsSkip the game entirely. Task 1 is the same content on paper, read the four pairs aloud and vote with thumbs. Three columns on the board headed when, where and why, and a stack of sentences to post into them, does the same job. The lesson still works.
If they're on devicesLesson code WHENC (on the worksheet footer) opens the right game, locks the café until 10 items are done, then unlocks it as the reward.

Misconceptions to watch for

Because as the all-purpose join. It is the first word they reach for whenever a sentence looks explanatory: I set the table because the pizza cooked. That is when, not why. Ask who was asking why. If nothing in the sentence asks it, because has no work to do and while, when or after is the word they wanted.

So and because the wrong way round. It was raining because we stayed inside. The reason always sits behind because and the result always sits behind so. Test it by swapping the halves and reading it back; the wrong one collapses immediately and they can hear it.

Because of followed by a whole clause. Because of it was raining, we stayed in. Extremely common and rarely corrected properly, because teachers mark it wrong without naming the rule. The rule is short: because of takes a thing, because takes a whole part. Say the two versions back to back, because of the rain / because it was raining, and make them choose by looking at what follows.

Only joining words can express time. They think the job belongs to conjunctions alone, so every sentence chains. Then, next, soon, afterwards, therefore let them start a new sentence instead, which is exactly what their writing needs. Teach these as the escape from the long sentence, and the same lesson fixes their punctuation.

The three sheets

Same four tasks on every sheet, in the same order, with the same look. Only the demand changes. Print the one each child needs; nobody does two.

Mild

Same four tasks as every other sheet, same order, same look, the demand is lower, not the dignity. Shorter passage in Task 2, and in Task 3 a word bank or words to tick, with printed sentence starters. Give it to anyone who needs a way in, and expect them to move up.

Medium

The core sheet. Give this to most of the class. No word bank; in Task 3 pupils choose from a few close options, then use one in a sentence of their own.

Spicy

Same four tasks, more demand, a longer passage with a subtler error, and Task 3 asks for two things at once. Not extra work; harder work. Nobody should be doing Spicy and the Medium sheet.

Adaptive teaching

  • Support: Task 1, then sort ten sentence-endings into two piles, a whole part, or just a thing, before any writing.
  • SEN: gentle mode on; read Task 2 aloud before they edit, and cover the second half of each sentence with a finger.
  • Stretch: Task 3 extension, write one reason three ways: with because, with because of, and with therefore.
  • EAL: pre-teach reason and cause. Many first languages use one word for because and because of, so the split is genuinely new information, not carelessness.

Play it

Lesson code WHENC at playspaghetti.com. The code is printed on the bottom of every pupil sheet with a QR, and Class Quiz in your dashboard opens the plenary quiz for this lesson pre-picked.

SPAGhetti · Grammar sequence · Lesson 7 of 14  ·  Teacher notes, not for pupils 2 of 2  ·  Ludora