Language Unit: Relative clauses in final position (object clauses): (I met the man who helped you.)
This unit was written for upper elementary/middle school students, however, if you have older students who need to develop this structure, you can use a similar format with age-appropriate materials and activities.
As you develop this language component, use only language structures and concepts the students already know. They should be familiar with clauses conjoined by and and but and adverbial clauses telling Why--? and When--? Relative clauses are adjective clauses that modify nouns.
Tell the students what they will learn and why
Tell the students that they will learn a new English sentence structure. They will learn another way to combine short sentences to make longer sentences. Ask students why we sometimes want to use longer sentences (in previous units this was discussed so students should know that they use both short and long sentences to give variety to their writing and make it more interesting.
Teacher demonstration/modeling
-
Review several ways students have learned to join short
sentences to make a longer sentence, for example:
- Clauses conjoined using and
- Clauses conjoined using but
- Adverbial clauses of cause
- Adverbial clauses of time
- Introduce them to the new language structure. Write
two sentences on the board:
- Kim helped her dad.
- Her dad is writing a book about sea animals.
- Students read the sentences.
- Tell them these two sentences can be joined but in a way different from what they have learned before.
- Demonstrate how these two
sentences can be joined to make a clear and fluent sentence.
Write the sentence under the two short sentences:
- Kim helped her dad who is writing a book about sea animals.
- Discuss how you combined the two sentences to make the
longer sentence.
- Kim helped her dad. Her dad is writing a book about sea animals.
- Show the students that her dad is repeated (both sentences have a common element).
- Explain that you deleted the period in the first sentence and deleted the word/phrase that is repeated (Her dad in the second sentence).
- Point out that you substituted who for the deleted phrase and that is how the longer sentence is formed.
- Repeat
these steps with another set of sentences:
- Mason waved at Mr. Steinhoff. Mr. Steinhoff is his baseball coach.
- Tell the students that first you find the words that are
repeated:
- Mason waved at Mr. Steinhoff. Mr. Steinhoff is his baseball coach.
- Tell the students that you substitute
who for the
repeated words:
- Mason waved at Mr. Steinhoff who is his baseball coach.
- Explain that in both sets of sentences you substituted who for the word/phrase that was repeated and deleted.
- Reinforce these steps using 3 or 4 more sets of sentences.
- Write another set of sentences on the board.
This set should require the relative pronoun that:
- Ivan was playing with a small, black and white puppy. The puppy was a birthday gift.
- Underline the common elements:
- Ivan was playing with a small, black and white puppy. The puppy was a birthday gift.
- Write the longer sentence:
- Ivan was playing with a small, black and white puppy that was a birthday gift to him.
- Explain that you substituted that for the word puppy. Ask the students why you wrote that in this sentence and not who. (In the other set of sentences, you were substituting a pronoun for a person so you used who. A puppy is not a person, it is an animal, so you used that.)
(Note: The relative pronouns that and which can both be used in relative clauses that modify an object. That is used in restrictive clauses; which is used in nonrestrictive clauses.)
- Repeat these steps with another set of sentences, for
example:
- Dad and David went to the aquarium. They saw a big shark. The shark was swimming in a huge tank.
- Underline the common elements:
- They saw a big shark. The shark was swimming in a huge tank.
- Write the longer sentence:
- They saw a big shark that was swimming in a huge tank.
- Students explain why you joined the two sentences with that.
Guided Practice
Review work from the previous lesson.
- Students work with partners. Write 3 – 4 sets of
sentences on the board, for example:
- Francesca rode a bus to go see her aunt.
- Her aunt is a kindergarten teacher.
- Partners identify the common elements and then combine the two sentences using a relative clause. After they complete each set, have them compare and discuss their sentences.
- Continue with similar steps for each pair of sentences.
Independent Practice
- Locate pairs of sentences from stories the children have already studied which can be joined using relative clauses
- Students read the pairs of sentences, identify the common elements, and then write one longer sentence using who or that.
- When finished, have them compare the sentences they wrote and discuss them.
- Present several short paragraphs. Have the students locate two sentences in each paragraph that can be joined using who or that.
- Have the students read the first paragraph. Work with the class as a whole to find the appropriate sentences to combine using a relative clause. The students should complete the rest of the paragraphs independently.
- When the students are finished, have them compare their sentences and discuss their work.
Independent Application
- Remind students to use the new structure when they are writing. Show them a short story you have written and have them identify the sentences that contain relative clauses in final position. Have them write a short story and see if they can use at least two or three sentences that contain the new structure.
- In their other writing activities, look for and encourage the use of this structure.
- Have the students read stories that include frequent uses of the targeted structure.
- Incorporate the targeted structure into all other activities during the school day and emphasize its use.
- Encourage the students to use the new structure whenever appropriate throughout the day.