Overview

Lesson Procedure

50-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice10-15 minutes
5. Closure5 minutes

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Read two headlines about the same event: (1) Dog Pulls Hiker from Icy River. (2) Hiker Pulled from Icy River. Which headline gives the dog the credit? Why might a newspaper choose the other one? Then finish this sentence: If I were the dog, I would ..."

   Collect answers. Headline 1 names the dog first as the doer; headline 2 puts the hiker first and never mentions the dog, which fits a story about the hiker's recovery. Tell students that the difference is called voice. Then point out the verb in their sentence ending: If I were the dog uses were, not was, because nobody in the room is a dog. That is the subjunctive mood. Today students learn to choose voice and mood on purpose, and to notice when other writers and speakers do.

2. Direct Instruction15-20 minutes

   Part 1: Voice names who is in the spotlight. A verb's voice shows whether the subject does the action or receives it. In the active voice, the subject is the actor, the one doing the action: The eighth graders built the stage. In the passive voice, the subject is the receiver, the thing the action is done to, and the verb is a form of be plus a past participle (a verb form such as built, taken or painted): The stage was built by the eighth graders. The actor moves into a by-phrase at the end, or disappears: The stage was built in one weekend. Not every be + word is passive. In The stage is ready and The builders are gone, nothing is done to the subject, so there is no passive (Diagram 1).

   Part 2: Choosing a voice for its effect. The start of an English sentence gets the reader's attention, and the end gets a second, strong stress. Choose the active voice to emphasize the actor: to give credit, to assign responsibility, or to make writing direct and energetic. Choose the passive voice to emphasize the action or its receiver: when the actor is unknown, obvious or unimportant, when the receiver is the topic, or to save a surprising actor for the end of the sentence, where the by-phrase gets extra stress. Watch for one misuse: a passive with no actor can hide who is responsible. When a writer drops the actor, ask whether the reader needs to know who did it.

   Part 3: Mood names how sure the speaker is. A verb's mood shows the speaker's attitude toward what the sentence says. The indicative mood states facts and asks ordinary questions: The library opens at eight. The conditional mood uses would, could or might to tell what may happen, often under a condition in an if-clause: If the buses run late, the concert could start at 7:30. It expresses possibility and uncertainty. The subjunctive mood describes things that are wished for, demanded or contrary to fact (not true right now). It has three common forms: were for any subject in a wish or an untrue condition (If I were a faster runner, I would join the track team; I am not faster), the plain base form of the verb after words like ask, insist, recommend and it is essential + that (The nurse recommends that he rest, not rests), and had + a past participle for a past that did not happen (If we had left earlier, we would have caught the bus; we did not leave earlier). Formal writing may flip that last condition and drop if: Had we left earlier means If we had left earlier.

   Part 4: Using the choices when you write, speak, read and listen. Writers and speakers choose voice and mood on purpose: the conditional sounds careful and honest about what is not known; the subjunctive sounds formal when it makes a request, and imaginative when it pictures what is not true; the active voice sounds confident. Readers and listeners use the same knowledge in reverse. Ask: Who is the actor, and is it named? Is this a fact, a possibility or an imagined situation? What does the choice make me notice (Diagram 2)?

   • Active voice: emphasizing the actor

     The robot that won the county contest was built by Ms. Ruiz's eighth graders. The school newsletter wants to praise the students.

     Result: Active revision: Ms. Ruiz's eighth graders built the robot that won the county contest. The students now open the sentence as its subject, so the credit goes to them first. The passive version starts with the robot and saves the builders for the end; it fits a story about the robot.

   • Passive voice: emphasizing the action when the actor is unknown

     Someone broke two windows in the science wing on Saturday night. The principal's note to families.

     Result: Passive revision: Two windows in the science wing were broken on Saturday night. Nobody knows who did it, so "someone" adds nothing. The passive puts the damage, the part families need to know, at the front. The same passive would be a problem if the principal knew who did it and was hiding it.

   • Conditional mood: expressing uncertainty

     Indicative: The storm will close the ferry tomorrow.

     Result: Conditional revision: If the storm reaches the coast tonight, the ferry might not run tomorrow. The indicative states a certainty that no one has yet. The conditional might not run, with the condition in the if-clause, tells readers what depends on what and how sure the writer is.

   • Subjunctive mood: describing a state contrary to fact

     I am not the principal, so I can't move lunch to noon.

     Result: Subjunctive revision: If I were the principal, I would move lunch to noon. Were signals that the condition is not true: the speaker is not the principal. The result clause uses the conditional would move. The same were appears in wishes: I wish the gym were open on Sundays (it is not).

   • Subjunctive mood in a formal request (speaking)

     A student speaking to the school board: We think the board should make the library stay open until five.

     Result: Formal revision: We ask that the board keep the library open until five. After ask that, the verb takes its base form, keep, not keeps. The subjunctive sounds formal and firm, which suits a speech to a board; the first version sounds like a casual opinion.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Introduce the text: on April 18, 1906, a great earthquake struck San Francisco, and fires burned much of the city for three days. The magazine Collier's asked the writer Jack London, who lived about forty miles away, to report what he saw; his article appeared on May 5, 1906. Words to know: conflagration (a huge, destructive fire), nabobs (very rich people), lurid (glowing a harsh, fiery red), contrivances (clever devices). In pairs, students highlight active verbs in one color and passive verbs in another, name each actor or write "not named," and fill in the chart. Model the first row together.

   1The earthquake shook down in San Francisco hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of walls and chimneys. But the conflagration that followed burned up hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of property. There is no estimating within hundreds of millions the actual damage wrought. Not in history has a modern imperial city been so completely destroyed. San Francisco is gone. Nothing remains of it but memories and a fringe of dwelling-houses on its outskirts. Its industrial section is wiped out. Its business section is wiped out. Its social and residential section is wiped out. The factories and warehouses, the great stores and newspaper buildings, the hotels and the palaces of the nabobs, are all gone. Remains only the fringe of dwelling-houses on the outskirts of what was once San Francisco.

   2Within an hour after the earthquake shock the smoke of San Francisco’s burning was a lurid tower visible a hundred miles away. And for three days and nights this lurid tower swayed in the sky, reddening the sun, darkening the day, and filling the land with smoke.

   3On Wednesday morning at a quarter past five came the earthquake. A minute later the flames were leaping upward. In a dozen different quarters south of Market Street, in the working-class ghetto, and in the factories, fires started. There was no opposing the flames. There was no organization, no communication. All the cunning adjustments of a twentieth century city had been smashed by the earthquake. The streets were humped into ridges and depressions, and piled with the débris of fallen walls. The steel rails were twisted into perpendicular and horizontal angles. The telephone and telegraph systems were disrupted. And the great water-mains had burst. All the shrewd contrivances and safeguards of man had been thrown out of gear by thirty seconds’ twitching of the earth-crust.

   Verb chart for the opening of "The Story of an Eye-Witness" (teacher key in the last two columns)

   Verb (paragraph)	Active or passive?	Actor	Effect (teacher key)
   shook down (1)	Active	The earthquake	The first destroyer opens the article as the doer.
   burned up (1)	Active	the conflagration (the great fire)	A second, bigger destroyer, also the doer: the fire did far more damage than the shaking.
   has ... been so completely destroyed (1)	Passive	not named	The city, the receiver, is now the topic; the actors were just named.
   is wiped out (1, three times)	Passive	not named	The repeated verb, with a new section each time, hammers home how complete the loss is.
   is gone (1)	Not passive	none: nothing is done to the city	Gone describes the city's state, like an adjective.
   had been smashed by the earthquake (3)	Passive	the earthquake, in a by-phrase	The city's "cunning adjustments" come first; the earthquake gets the stressed end of the sentence.
   were twisted, were disrupted (3)	Passive	not named	A list of damaged systems keeps the spotlight on what broke.

   Ask: London opens with two active verbs, then switches to passive ones. Why? (Once readers know the two actors, the earthquake and the fire, the passive keeps the spotlight on what was lost.) Why does is gone not count as passive? (Nothing is done to the city in that phrase; gone tells its state.) If students ask why is wiped out does count, since it also tells the state the fire left behind: grammar books sometimes call this a stative passive, and both readings are defensible. Treat it as passive here because wipe out takes a receiver (something, the fire, wiped each section out), while go never takes one, so is gone can only be be + an adjective. Point out the one active verb in the paragraph 3 list, the great water-mains had burst: burst here has no receiver, and a verb with no receiver cannot be made passive.

4. Independent Practice10-15 minutes

   Students revise the invented letter to the editor below. Its writer wants the city to fix a faded crosswalk, but several verbs work against that purpose. Students find seven verbs to change and three passive verbs to keep, and for each change name the voice or mood they chose and its effect.

   1To the Editor:

   2Last month, a seventh grader was nearly hit by a car at the corner of Elm Street and Park Avenue. The crosswalk there was painted years ago, and now its lines can barely be seen. A request for a new crosswalk was sent to the city in March, but nothing has been done.

   3Drivers speed down Elm Street every morning. A crossing guard will solve the problem. If there was a guard at the corner, students would feel safer. I wish the city was as worried about us as our parents are.

   4Our student council asks that the city repaints the crosswalk before school starts in the fall. Mistakes were made, and now they need to be fixed.

   5Sincerely,
   Maya Okafor, student council secretary

   Teacher key. Keep three passives: was nearly hit by a car keeps the student, the person readers care about, at the front of the letter; was painted years ago and can barely be seen focus on the crosswalk, and who painted it does not matter. Change seven verbs: (1) A request ... was sent to the city becomes Our student council sent the city a request in March (active: the council gets credit for acting); (2) nothing has been done becomes the city has done nothing (active: names who is responsible); (3) A crossing guard will solve the problem becomes A crossing guard could solve the problem (conditional: a hopeful prediction, not a promise); (4) If there was a guard becomes If there were a guard (subjunctive: there is no guard); (5) I wish the city was becomes I wish the city were (subjunctive: a wish contrary to fact); (6) asks that the city repaints becomes asks that the city repaint (subjunctive base form after asks that); (7) Mistakes were made, and now they need to be fixed becomes The city let the crosswalk fade, and now the city needs to fix it (active: the passive hid the actor the letter is written to).

5. Closure5 minutes

   Exit ticket: Write one sentence about today's class in the active voice and rewrite it in the passive voice. Then write one sentence that begins If I were. Label which version of the first sentence you would use in a thank-you note, and why.

   Teacher note on the texts: The London excerpts are quoted exactly from the 1906 magazine, with its spellings (débris, fire-fighters, Eye-Witness). The article describes a real disaster in which many people died; the second excerpt mentions the dead. London uses ghetto in its early-1900s sense of a crowded, poor district, here the working-class neighborhoods south of Market Street; the word first named the Jewish quarter of Venice, and today it can carry stereotypes, so present it as a historical usage and do not use it to describe people or places. Nabobs is a mocking word for the very rich, from nawab, the title of a governor in Mughal India. Historians now know the fire's damage and death toll were larger than early reports said, and that some dynamiting spread the fire; London was writing two weeks after the event.

   For the quiz: Questions 8-11 and 15 use the second London excerpt below, from later in the article. Paragraphs 1-2 describe Wednesday night, the first night of the fire; paragraphs 3-4 are the article's last two paragraphs, about Thursday night on Van Ness Avenue, a wide street where fire-fighters tried to stop the fire, and about the days after. Words to know: enumeration (a list, one by one), vestiges (traces), the Carnegie medal fund (a fund that gives awards for heroism), the Presidio (an army post in San Francisco). Questions 12-14 and 16 use the campaign speech transcript after it.

   1Wednesday night saw the destruction of the very heart of the city. Dynamite was lavishly used, and many of San Francisco’s proudest structures were crumbled by man himself into ruins, but there was no withstanding the onrush of the flames. Time and again successful stands were made by the fire-fighters, and every time the flames flanked around on either side, or came up from the rear, and turned to defeat the hard-won victory.

   2An enumeration of the buildings destroyed would be a directory of San Francisco. An enumeration of the buildings undestroyed would be a line and several addresses. An enumeration of the deeds of heroism would stock a library and bankrupt the Carnegie medal fund. An enumeration of the dead—will never be made. All vestiges of them were destroyed by the flames. The number of the victims of the earthquake will never be known. South of Market Street, where the loss of life was particularly heavy, was the first to catch fire.

   [...]

   3The great stand of the fire-fighters was made Thursday night on Van Ness Avenue. Had they failed here, the comparatively few remaining houses of the city would have been swept. Here were the magnificent residences of the second generation of San Francisco nabobs, and these, in a solid zone, were dynamited down across the path of the fire. Here and there the flames leaped the zone, but these fires were beaten out, principally by the use of wet blankets and rugs.

   4San Francisco, at the present time, is like the crater of a volcano, around which are camped tens of thousands of refugees. At the Presidio alone are at least twenty thousand. All the surrounding cities and towns are jammed with the homeless ones, where they are being cared for by the relief committees. The refugees were carried free by the railroads to any point they wished to go, and it is estimated that over one hundred thousand people have left the peninsula on which San Francisco stood. The Government has the situation in hand, and, thanks to the immediate relief given by the whole United States, there is not the slightest possibility of a famine. The bankers and business men have already set about making preparations to rebuild San Francisco.
   

   1Good morning, Hillcrest Middle School. My name is Dev Mehta, and I am running for eighth-grade class president.

   2Last spring, our class trip to the aquarium was canceled. We were told that not enough money had been raised. That is true, but it is not the whole story. The fundraiser was planned in May, two weeks before the trip, and no flyers were ever sent home.

   3If I were class president, I would start fundraising in September. With nine months instead of two weeks, we could raise enough for the trip, and we might even have money left for the spring dance. I cannot promise that every plan will work. I can promise this: I will ask that every fundraiser be announced a month ahead.

   4I wish I were a better speaker. I am not, but I am a good planner. Vote for Dev on Friday.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which sentence is in the passive voice?

   AThe goalie blocked every shot in the second half of the game. BThe goalie was tired after the second half. CEvery shot in the second half was blocked by the goalie. DThe goalie has been blocking shots all season.

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A reporter wants readers to notice who deserves credit for a rescue. Which sentence fits best?

   AA stranded kayaker was rescued on Tuesday. BTwo teenage lifeguards rescued a stranded kayaker on Tuesday. CThe rescue of a stranded kayaker took place late on Tuesday afternoon. DA stranded kayaker was rescued on Tuesday afternoon.

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A lab report says, The samples were heated to 80 degrees Celsius for ten minutes. Why is the passive a good choice here?

   AWho heated the samples does not matter; the procedure does. BIt blames the lab partner who heated them too long. CIt shows that the writer wishes the samples were warmer. DScience reports are never allowed to use the active voice at all.

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Jordan forgot to lock the bike shed, and a bike was taken. Which sentence lets Jordan avoid admitting his part?

   AI forgot to lock the shed, and someone took a bike. BThe shed was left unlocked, and a bike was taken. CSomeone took a bike after I forgot the lock. DI left the shed unlocked, and a bike was taken.

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which sentence describes a state contrary to fact?

   AIf it rains tomorrow, the game will move inside. BIf Ana was at practice, she saw the new drill. CWhen the bell rings, we line up at the door. DIf I were taller, I could reach the top shelf.

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which sentence expresses uncertainty?

   AThe bus leaves at 7:15 every morning. BGet off the bus at the second stop. CThe bus might leave early if the roads are icy. DThe bus left early this morning.

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Choose the verb that completes the sentence in standard formal English: The coach recommended that each player ___ a water bottle to practice.

   Abring Bbrings Cbrought Dwill bring

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 1 of the second London excerpt, many of San Francisco's proudest structures were crumbled by man himself into ruins. Why does London use the passive voice with the actor at the end?

   ATo hide who destroyed the buildings BTo stress the surprising actor, people CBecause no one knew who did it DTo express a wish that they had stood

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 2, London writes that an enumeration of the buildings destroyed would be a directory of San Francisco. What does the conditional would be do?

   AIt reports that a real list of buildings was printed. BIt commands readers to make a list of the buildings. CIt pictures an imagined list to show the huge scale. DIt shows doubt about whether any buildings burned.

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    After three sentences with would, paragraph 2 says that an enumeration of the dead will never be made. What is the effect of this change?

    AThe dead are named as the actors who will make the list. BIt means the list might be made someday, if anyone tries. CIt shifts from imagined lists to a certain, grim fact. DIt hides the name of the person who caused the earthquake.

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In paragraph 3, London writes, Had they failed here, the comparatively few remaining houses of the city would have been swept. What does this sentence tell the reader?

    AThe fire-fighters failed, and the fire swept the houses. BLondon is unsure whether the fire-fighters were there. CThe fire-fighters are ordered never to fail again. DThe fire-fighters did not fail, so the houses survived.

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In paragraph 2 of the campaign speech, Dev says, We were told that not enough money had been raised and The fundraiser was planned in May. What is the effect of these passive verbs?

    AThey make clear exactly who canceled the class trip. BThey show that Dev himself planned last year's fundraiser. CThey express Dev's wish that the trip had happened. DThey point to the problem without naming who planned it.

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In paragraph 3 of the speech, why does Dev say If I were class president instead of If I was class president?

    AHe is not president yet, so it is contrary to fact. BThe subject I is plural, so it takes were. CThe sentence is about last spring, so it is past tense. DIt is an error; formal English requires was.

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence from the speech expresses uncertainty rather than a promise?

    AI will ask that every fundraiser be announced a month ahead. BWe might even have money left for the spring dance. CVote for Dev on Friday. DI am running for eighth-grade class president.

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Paragraph 4 of the second London excerpt uses many passive verbs, such as are being cared for by the relief committees and were carried free by the railroads, and it is estimated. Its last sentence is active: The bankers and business men have already set about making preparations to rebuild San Francisco. Explain what the passive verbs emphasize, why London might write it is estimated, and what effect the final active sentence has.

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16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    In paragraph 2 of the speech, Dev says, The fundraiser was planned in May, two weeks before the trip, and no flyers were ever sent home. Rewrite the sentence in the active voice, naming an actor (for example, last year's class council). Then explain which version better fits a campaign speech, and why.

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17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Explain the difference in meaning between these two sentences: (a) If Maria was at the meeting, she heard the news. (b) If Maria were at the meeting, she would hear the news. Name the mood of each if-clause.

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18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    An online store sent two versions of an email about a late order. Version A: We regret that your order was delayed and that the wrong size was shipped. Version B: Our warehouse packed your order late and shipped the wrong size. We are sorry. Which version takes more responsibility? Explain how voice creates that effect, and say when a company might prefer the other version.

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19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    A fire broke out overnight in a bakery on Pine Street. The cause is not yet known. Firefighters carried two cats out of the building. Write a three-sentence news brief: use the passive voice where the actor is unknown, the active voice to give the firefighters credit, and the conditional mood to report something that is not yet certain. Label each sentence.

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20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    You will give a one-minute speech asking the school board to add a late bus for students in after-school clubs. Write three sentences for it: one in the conditional mood that admits uncertainty, one in the subjunctive mood that describes a situation contrary to fact, and one in the subjunctive after a verb such as ask or propose. Then explain which sentence a listener would hear as the most certain, and why.

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These standards connect to L.8.3: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.