Mastering Plural Nouns: Rules and Exceptions English Grammar SS 1 First Term Lesson Notes Week 1

Lesson Plan: English Grammar (Senior Secondary School SS 1, First Term, Week 1)

Subject: English Grammar
Class: SS 1
Term: First Term
Week: 1
Age: 14-16 years
Topic: Nouns – Numbers
Sub-topic: 1. State the rules for forming plural nouns
Duration: 40 minutes

Behavioral Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Understand and state the rules for forming plural nouns.
2. Apply the rules to form plural nouns from singular nouns.
3. Identify exceptions to the pluralization rules.
4. Correctly pluralize a variety of nouns in exercises.

Keywords

• Nouns
• Singular
• Plural
• Regular plurals
• Irregular plurals

Set Induction

Begin the lesson by asking students to name a few things they see around them. Then ask them to say what they would call more than one of those things, leading into a discussion on singular and plural nouns.

Entry Behavior

Students have been previously taught about singular nouns and are familiar with basic noun identification.

Learning Resources and Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Flashcards with singular and plural nouns
• Textbooks: “New Oxford Secondary English Course” (SS1) and “Essential English Grammar”

Building Background/Connection to Prior Knowledge

Students have encountered nouns in various contexts during their Junior Secondary School years and have basic knowledge of singular and plural forms.

Embedded Core Skills

• Critical thinking
• Listening and speaking
• Reading and writing

Instructional Materials

• Textbooks
• Flashcards
• Interactive exercises

Content

1. Rules for Forming Plural Nouns
   • Adding “s”: Most nouns take an “s” to become plural (e.g., cat → cats).
   • Adding “es”: Nouns ending in s, sh, ch, x, or z add “es” (e.g., box → boxes).
   • Changing “y” to “ies”: Nouns ending in a consonant + “y” change “y” to “ies” (e.g., baby → babies).
   • Changing “f” or “fe” to “ves”: Some nouns ending in “f” or “fe” change to “ves” (e.g., knife → knives).
   • Irregular plurals: Some nouns do not follow regular rules (e.g., man → men, child → children).
   • No change in form: Certain nouns remain the same in singular and plural forms (e.g., sheep → sheep).
2. Examples and Exceptions
   • Singular → Plural: child → children, tooth → teeth, woman → women.
   • Unchanging forms: deer → deer, series → series.
   • Special Cases: Some words like “fish” can be both regular and irregular depending on context.

Evaluation (Fill-in-the-Blank Questions)

1. The plural of “child” is ___.
2. The plural of “knife” is ___.
3. Change “baby” to its plural form.
   a) babys
   b) babies
   c) babys’
   d) babyes
4. The plural of “woman” is ___.
5. The plural of “box” is ___.
   a) boxes
   b) boxs
   c) box’es
   d) boxies
6. Change “sheep” to its plural form.
7. The plural of “tooth” is ___.
8. The plural of “series” is ___.
9. Change “deer” to its plural form.
   a) deers
   b) deer
   c) deeres
   d) deeris
10. The plural of “church” is ___.
11. The plural of “fish” can be either ___ or ___.
    a) fishs, fish
    b) fishes, fish
    c) fish, fishers
    d) fishes, fishers
12. “Man” changes to ___ in the plural form.
    a) mans
    b) men
    c) manes
    d) men’s
13. Change “tooth” to its plural form.
    a) tooths
    b) teeth
    c) teeths
    d) toothies
14. The plural form of “leaf” is ___.
    a) leafs
    b) leaves
    c) leafes
    d) leave’s
15. The plural form of “goose” is ___.

Class Activity Discussion (FAQs)

1. What is a plural noun?
   A plural noun refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
2. How do you form the plural of a noun that ends in “s”?
   You add “es” to the end of the noun (e.g., bus → buses).
3. What happens to nouns that end in “y” when forming the plural?
   If a noun ends in a consonant + “y”, change “y” to “ies” (e.g., baby → babies).
4. Are there nouns that do not change in plural form?
   Yes, some nouns remain the same in both singular and plural forms (e.g., sheep → sheep).
5. How do you pluralize nouns that end in “f” or “fe”?
   Change “f” or “fe” to “ves” (e.g., knife → knives).
6. Can the word “fish” be both regular and irregular in its plural form?
   Yes, “fish” can be pluralized as “fish” or “fishes” depending on context.
7. What is the plural of “man”?
   The plural of “man” is “men”.
8. What is the plural of “tooth”?
   The plural of “tooth” is “teeth”.
9. Do all nouns follow the rules for forming plurals?
   No, some nouns have irregular plurals that do not follow standard rules (e.g., child → children).
10. What is an irregular plural?
    An irregular plural is a plural form that does not follow regular pluralization rules.
11. What is the plural of “woman”?
    The plural of “woman” is “women”.
12. How do you form the plural of “box”?
    You add “es” to form “boxes”.
13. What is the plural of “deer”?
    The plural of “deer” is “deer” (it remains the same).
14. Why does “baby” change to “babies” in plural?
    Because “baby” ends in a consonant + “y”, so “y” changes to “ies”.
15. What is the plural of “church”?
    The plural of “church” is “churches”.

Presentation

Step 1: Revising the Previous Topic
The teacher revises the previous topic, which was “Introduction to Nouns,” by asking students to define a noun and provide examples of singular nouns.

Step 2: Introducing the New Topic
The teacher introduces the new topic by explaining how nouns change from singular to plural. The rules for forming plural nouns are discussed, and examples are provided.

Step 3: Allowing Students to Contribute
The teacher invites students to give their own contributions by asking them to form the plurals of various nouns. The teacher corrects any mistakes and clarifies any misunderstandings.

Teacher’s Activities

• Explaining the rules for forming plural nouns.
• Providing examples and writing them on the board.
• Guiding students through the class activities and discussions.

Learners’ Activities

• Answering questions and providing examples of plural nouns.
• Participating in class activities and discussions.
• Practicing forming plural nouns using the rules learned.

Evaluation Questions (Short Answer Questions)

1. What is the plural form of “child”?
2. How do you form the plural of a noun that ends in “y” after a consonant?
3. What is the plural of “knife”?
4. Give the plural form of “man”.
5. How do you form the plural of “box”?
6. What is the plural of “tooth”?
7. How do you form the plural of “leaf”?
8. What is the plural of “church”?
9. Give the plural of “series”.
10. What is the plural of “woman”?

Conclusion

The teacher goes around to mark the students’ work, providing feedback and making necessary corrections on the topic.