This unit was written for elementary students, however, if you have younger or 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.
Tell students what they will learn and why
Teacher demonstration/modeling
- Review the Where____? the children already know. (Where is the ___?)
- Tell the students that they will learn another Where question. (Use material from their reading and content area books.) Write on the board: The children played outside.
- Tell the students that you will ask a Where question about this sentence.
- Ask: Where did the children play? Write the question on the board and then write their response on the board.
- Write the Where question form they already know on the board: (e.g., Where is the book?) Compare the new form to the familiar form.
- Discuss the difference in the verb. (In the form they already know, they used a form of the verb TO BE, e.g., is, are, was, were. The verb is different in the new form.)
- Explain: The verb in the sentence is in the past tense. In the question you change played (which is past tense) to did____play.
- The verb did____play is also in the past tense.
- Write on the board: played = did____play.
- Show the students how this verb is used in the new question form, Where did the children play? Students say/sign the question with you.
- Write a second sentence on the board: The children found some worms in the grass.
- Ask the students what the verb is (found). Emphasize that it is in the past tense.
- Show them how to change the verb for the question: found = did____find. (also indicate past tense)
- Tell them the question would look like this (write on board): Where did the children find some worms? Have the students say/sign the question with you.
- Write a third sentence on the board: The children put the worms in a jar.
Follow the same steps:
- Identify the verb in the sentence.
- Show them how to change the verb for the question.
- (put = did___put)
- Write the new question form (Where did the children put the worms?) on the board.
- Have the students say/sign the question with you.
Review:
- Tell the students that you will ask them the questions, and they will answer.
- Ask: Where did the children play? They can respond: outside or The children played outside. Encourage them to respond “outside.”)
- Ask: Where did the children find some worms? Encourage them to respond in the yard.
- Ask: Where did the children put the worms? Response: in a jar
Guided Practice
- Write on the board: The children jumped on the bed.
Ask the students what the verb is. Response: jumped.
Ask how the verb changes in the question from. Response: jumped = did____jump.
- Have a student (Latasha) ask the Where question. If necessary, guide her response to: Where did the children jump? Have Latasha write the question on the board.
- Latasha asks a student (Ruben) the question. Ruben should answer: on the bed.
Continue the same steps with other sentences.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Review work from the previous lesson.
- Write a familiar sentence on the board for each student (if you have only one or two students, each can do 2 – 3 sentences):
- Assign a sentence to each student. The students will go to the board and write the new Where question form under their sentences. For example: The birds built their nest in a big tree. Where did the birds build their nest?
- Provide help when necessary.
- Each student should read the sentence and the Where question he/she wrote.
The other students respond.
Repeat the steps using different sentences.
INDEPENDENT APPLICATION
Review work from the previous lesson.
- In reading class, during guided reading and postreading, incorporate the Wherequestion form into your discussions as often as possible.
- Give the students a worksheet with 5 – 6 comprehension questions; several of these should be Where questions. Students write responses in class or for homework.
- Incorporate the new structure into other activities during the day.