Description
This lesson plan provides ideas for teaching conditional subordinating conjunctions and complex sentences using the picture book If I Was a Horse by Sophie Blackall. A key feature in If I Was a Horse is the repeated refrain ‘If I was a horse, I would…’ This sentence stem lends itself to an investigation of the word ‘If’. ‘If’ is a conditional subordinating conjunction that can be used to develop a complex sentence.
This lesson plan meets Australian Curriculum: English Version 9 outcomes for Year 4 and Year 5. However, it is a useful revision lesson for senior students as they progress past Year 4 and require a depth of knowledge about complex sentences.
The lesson plan includes teacher instructions for a planned exploration, modelling prompts, a group shared experience, independent practice and a word list to assist in teaching conditional subordinating conjunctions. This lesson plan is based on a gradual release of responsibility model and a deconstructing and reconstructing teaching and learning cycle.
