Fact and opinion
A fact is something that can be checked and proved true or false. An opinion is what someone thinks or feels, and other people may disagree.
English · Ages 7–8 · 50 minutes
Apostrophes for possession
Children use an apostrophe and s to show that something belongs to someone, tell possessive apostrophes apart from plurals, and begin to place the apostrophe correctly for plural owners.
Success criteria
- I can add apostrophe s to show belonging
- I can tell a plural s from a possessive s
- I can find possessive apostrophes in a story
Key vocabulary
- apostrophe
- possession
- belong
- owner
- singular
- plural
You will need
- objects borrowed from children such as a pencil case or a hat
- name labels
- apostrophe cards
- mini whiteboards
Curriculum links
- Year 3· England
- Grade 2· United States
Practice sheets
Generated fresh each time you press a button, and marked instantly on screen.
Mei’s Rabbit Lantern
Teddy Goes First
The Children’s Bridge
1.Starter
7 minutesLost property: collect a few objects from children before the lesson: a pencil case, a hat, a water bottle. Hold one up. "Whose is this?" It's Amir's!
"Let's write that." Write Amir's hat on the board. "Look at this little mark here. It's an apostrophe. It's doing a special job: telling us the hat belongs to Amir."
Do two more. Children write each label on a whiteboard as you go.
2.Teach
13 minutes"When something belongs to someone, we write the owner, then an apostrophe, then s, then the thing they own."
Write a big model and use arrows: Amir + 's + hat = Amir's hat.
"A quick test: turn it round. The hat belonging to Amir becomes Amir's hat. The owner always goes first."
Now show why it matters. Write:
- The dogs are barking. (more than one dog, no apostrophe)
- The dog's bowl is empty. (one dog owns the bowl)
"Both have an s. Only one needs an apostrophe. Ask yourself: is this s making more than one, or is it showing that something belongs?"
For plural owners (stretch input, 3 minutes): "What if the bag belongs to two girls? The owner is already girls, with an s. So we just add the apostrophe after it: the girls' bags." Then show the odd ones out: children's, men's, women's. "Children doesn't end in s, so it's the normal rule: children's."
