Syntax and Sentence Structure
Picnic Plurals: Preparing for a Picnic!

Summary

In this literacy centre, designed for grades 1 to 3, students will help prepare for a picnic by turning a shopping list of singular nouns (like “apple”) into plural nouns (like “apples”). They will learn to change singular nouns into plural ones by following simple rules. Then, they will read a picnic-themed story and identify the plural nouns used in the text.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this centre, students will be able to:

Understand how to change singular nouns into plural nouns;
Use plural nouns correctly in writing;
Apply the rules for plural nouns (e.g., adding -s, -es, or changing the word).

Material to Prepare

Appendix A: Picnic Shopping List (Singular Nouns)
Appendix B: Plural Rules Chart to guide the change from singular nouns to plural
Appendix C: Picnic Story featuring plural nouns
Writing sheets where students can rewrite the shopping list using plural nouns
Pencils, erasers, and coloured pencils

Procedure

Station 1

Step 1: Read the Shopping List

Look at the Picnic Shopping List (Appendix A). It includes food and items needed for a picnic, but everything is singular.
Example: “apple,” “sandwich,” “plate.”

Step 2: Change the Singular Nouns to Plural

Use the Plural Rules Chart (Appendix B) to help you change the singular nouns into plural nouns.
Example: “apple” becomes “apples,” “sandwich” becomes “sandwiches,” “plate” becomes “plates.”
Write the new plural nouns on your writing sheet.

Step 3: Create Your Picnic List

Now that you’ve changed all the nouns to plural, write the full picnic shopping list with the correct plurals. Make sure you use plural forms for each item.

Step 4: Draw Your Picnic

Draw a picture of your picnic on the other side of your writing sheet. Make sure to include all the items from your shopping list, like apples, sandwiches, and plates!

Station 2

Step 1: Read the Picnic Story

Read The Picnic Story (Appendix C). It contains both singular and plural nouns.

Step 2: Highlight the Plural Nouns

Use a highlighter or coloured pencil to mark all the plural nouns you find in the story.

Step 3: Categorize the Plurals

Create a list of the plural nouns you highlighted. Categorize them based on how the plural was formed: Add -s, add -es, change -y to -ies, irregular plurals, etc.

Step 4: Rewrite Sentences Using Plural Nouns

Choose a few sentences from the story and rewrite them by turning the singular nouns into plural forms.
Example: “The child is eating an apple.” → “The children are eating apples.”

DIFFERENTIATION: Observing and providing support during analysis.

Possible Observation	Intervention Strategies
Students struggle to apply the pluralization rules correctly, particularly with irregular nouns or nouns that require the addition of -es or the change from -y to -ies.	Have students use the Plural Rules Chart (Appendix B) as a step-by-step guide. Encourage them to check each noun against the rules and provide a few worked examples. Offer a mini-review of the different plural rules using concrete examples from the shopping list (e.g., demonstrating “apple” → “apples” and “sandwich” → “sandwiches”). Pair students with a buddy to review the rules together and apply them.
Students may not recognize irregular plurals or may attempt to apply regular plural rules to irregular nouns.	Use a flashcard set with common irregular plural nouns (e.g., “child” → “children,” “mouse” → “mice”) to give students extra practice. In context, provide additional examples of irregular plurals and emphasize that some nouns follow unique plural rules. Create a separate chart for irregular plurals and review it with students who need more help with these tricky words.
Students may have a hard time recognizing plural nouns when reading the picnic story, either overlooking them or marking singular nouns by mistake.	Before students begin reading, model identifying plural nouns by reading the first few sentences together and highlighting the plural nouns as a group. Encourage students to read aloud to themselves, which can help them notice plural endings like -s, -es, and -ies as they say the words. Use partner reading to support students who struggle with text comprehension. Partners can help each other find plural nouns.
Students may over rely on the -s rule for all plurals without applying other pluralization rules (e.g., -es, -ies).	Review the plural rules for nouns that end in -ch, -sh, -s, -x, or -z, explaining that these require -es rather than just -s (e.g., “box” → “boxes”). Have students group plural nouns by their pluralization rules in a sorting activity to see the patterns (e.g., nouns that require -s vs. -es). Before writing their answers, encourage students to slow down and check each noun carefully against the pluralization chart.
Students may quickly breeze through the activity by applying the basic plural rules.	Offer extension tasks such as writing their own picnic-themed story using at least 10 plural nouns or rewriting the original story with their own creative twist. Challenge students to find and create sentences using irregular plurals only (e.g., “children,” “geese,” “teeth”). Encourage them to write a more detailed shopping list or draw and label a more elaborate picnic scene using a mix of singular and plural nouns.

Appendixes

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Syntax and Sentence Structure Picnic Plurals: Preparing for a Picnic!