Conventions: Apostrophes in Possessives
Grade 3
Lesson Title:
Conventions: Apostrophes in Possessives
Lesson Overview:
In this lesson, students will learn how to form and use possessive nouns and pronouns.
Materials Needed:
1. Chart paper or white board
2. Student journal/paper/individual white board
3. Writing utensils
4. PowerPoint lesson
5. Apostrophes in Possessives worksheet
Instructional Focus Addressed:
Form and use possessives.
Explicit Instruction:
1. Explain to students that a possessive noun shows that a person or an animal owns or has something.
2. To form a possessive noun, add an apostrophe and s to make a singular or plural noun possessive.
3. Add only an apostrophe to a plural noun that ends in s.
4. A possessive pronoun can take the place of a possessive noun.
5. Alternating between possessive nouns and possessive pronouns varies your writing and makes it more
enjoyable to read.
Modeled Instruction:
1. Display the chart below either via the PowerPoint, a whiteboard, or chart paper.
2. Give an example of a singular possessive noun, and what he might own. Add this singular possessive
noun to the chart. As you do this, model adding the apostrophe and s. Make sure to tell students the
rule as you do this. Add the next. Again, model correctly writing this on the chart, explaining as you are
writing. Complete this process until you have at least two examples of each.
Singular
Possessive Noun
boy's
dog’s
boy’s bat
dog’s bone
Plural
Possessive Noun
children's
girls’
children's toys
girls’ jackets
Possessive
Pronoun
Singular: her, his, my, mine
Plural: our, ours, their, theirs
my computer
our classroom
Guided Instruction:
1. Students may work on their own, or with partners. Have students fill in the blank with the correct
possessive noun or pronoun.
2. Give students time to discuss their answer with a cooperative group.
3. Randomly call on a group member to share the teams’ answer.
4. Repeat this process with all four questions.
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Conventions: Apostrophes in Possessives
Grade 3
1.
2.
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The _____ growl made me nervous. (dog)
The _____ toy is in the crib. (baby)
The _____ toys are on the rug. (babies)
The students cheered for _____ team. (the students’)
Answers:
1. The dog’s growl made me nervous.
2. The baby’s toy is in the crib.
3. The babies’ toys are on the rug.
4. The students cheered for their team.
5. Once the students have had time to discuss whether the nouns are common or proper, review the
correct answers.
Independent Practice:
1. Tell students they are going to work on their own now, revising and editing their writing. Instruct
students to look for possessive nouns and pronouns that are not punctuated correctly and correct
them. Instruct students that, as they are doing this, if they notice repetitive use of proper nouns, that
they should alternate some of those proper nouns with pronouns. This will make their writing
smoother and more enjoyable to read.
2. Circulate the room, choosing students to share who have completed this task (midpoint during this
portion of the lesson).
3. Wrap up this lesson by having students work in partnerships to check their partner’s writing.
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