Grade 3 · Week 11subject verb agreement
A Busy Day at Maple School
Students read a lively story about Mia's school and home day, then answer six questions about singular and plural subject-verb agreement with teacher and homeschool guidance.
On screen - your kid, alone
- 1Day 1 - Meet the story
- 2Day 2 - Word work
- 3Day 3 - What it means
- 4Day 4 - Fix & re-read
- 5Day 5 - Show what you know
Offline - with you
Print the pages for offline work together; the answer key is for you.
Read the story aloud together, then tell your child, "We're hunting for subjects and verbs that match. One bird *chirps*, but many birds *chirp*." Point to a sentence like "The soccer team plays on the big field" and ask why it's *plays* and not *play* (the team acts as one group, so it takes a singular verb). A strong answer sounds like, "*Players* is more than one, so it needs *pass*," or "*Mia* is one person, so she *kicks*." If your child mixes up tricky group words like *team*, *class*, *family*, or *flock*, slow down and ask, "Is this one thing acting together, or many things doing their own action?" — then reread the sentence both ways so the correct version sounds right to their ear. Finish by having your child make up two sentences of their own, one with a singular subject and one with a plural subject, and check the verbs together.
A Busy Day at Maple School
The morning bell rings at Maple School, and the students rush to their seats. Mia hangs up her bright red backpack. Her best friend Jordan waves from across the room. Mrs. Park smiles and taps her desk. "Our class starts with a quick puzzle," she says. The kids cheer because puzzles are their favorite warm-up. One girl raises her hand first. She solves the puzzle in a flash, and the class claps for her. At recess, the soccer team plays on the big field. The players pass the ball with care. Mia kicks it hard, and the ball zooms past the goalie. Her teammates jump up and down. "That was a super shot!" Jordan shouts. A flock of birds flies above them, and the birds chirp like tiny fans. The team wins the game by one point. After the bell, the children line up and walk back to class in a neat row. At home, Mia tells her family about her day. Her little brother giggles as she describes the goal. Her parents listen with big smiles. "Our family is proud of you," Dad says. Mom sets the table while the twins help carry plates. The twins set the forks down very carefully. After dinner, Mia and her brother wash the dishes together. The bubbles float in the warm water. Outside, the stars twinkle in the dark sky. A soft wind blows through the open window. Mia yawns and climbs into bed. She thinks about her busy, happy day. Tomorrow, the class begins a new project, and Mia cannot wait.
What this lesson checks
- Grammar usage: Read this sentence from the passage: "The players ___ the ball with care." Which verb correctly completes the sentence so the subject and verb agree?
- Grammar usage: The sentence below has a subject-verb agreement mistake. Rewrite it so the subject and verb agree: "The stars twinkles in the dark sky."
- Grammar usage: Which sentence uses the correct subject-verb agreement?
- Grammar usage: Read this sentence from the passage: "A flock of birds ___ above them, and the birds chirp like tiny fans." Which verb correctly completes the sentence so the subject and verb agree?
- Grammar usage: The sentence below has a subject-verb agreement mistake. Rewrite it so the subject and verb agree: "The kids cheers because puzzles are their favorite warm-up."
- Grammar usage: Look at this sentence from the passage: "The players pass the ball with care." In 2-4 sentences, explain how this sentence shows the rule for subject-verb agreement. Be sure to name the subject, name the verb, tell whether the subject is singular or plural, and explain why the verb matches.