Virginia SOL 5.LU.1.E

ELA5th Grade

The Standard

Use standard subject-verb agreement when speaking and writing.

Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Grammar

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify the subject and decide whether it is singular or plural. They select a verb form that matches, even when other words separate the subject and verb.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students consistently match verbs with singular and plural subjects in speech and writing. They can correct errors in sentences with compound subjects, intervening phrases, and irregular verb forms.
Common Misconceptions: Students may match the verb to the nearest noun instead of the sentence subject. They may use plural verbs with collective or indefinite subjects, as in “Everyone are ready.” Irregular forms such as is, are, has, and have also cause confusion.
How to Assess It: Use an exit ticket: “The basket of apples sits or sit on the table. Explain your choice.” Check that students identify “basket” as the subject and choose “sits.”

Lesson moves

Give pairs subject cards and verb cards to sort into correct sentence matches, then add prepositional phrases between each subject and verb.
Ask students to explain why “The box of pencils is missing” uses “is” rather than “are,” then write a similar sentence.
Play Agreement Relay, where teams choose the correct verb for projected sentences and circle the subject that controls the verb.
Have students edit a mock morning announcement for agreement errors, then read the corrected version aloud as the school announcer.

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