Mini-Lesson for: Prepositions (Gr. 3)
Unit Theme: Conventions of Grammar
Essential Question: How can using prepositions appropriately help students’ writing to
be clear and provide more details for readers?
Definition: A preposition is a word which shows relationships among other words in the
sentence. The relationships include direction, place, time, cause, manner and amount. In
the sentence She went to the store, to is a preposition which shows direction. In the
sentence He came by bus, by is a preposition which shows manner. In the sentence They
will be here at three o'clock, at is a preposition which shows time and in the sentence It is
under the table, under is a preposition which shows place.
A preposition always goes with a noun or pronoun which is called the object of the
preposition. The preposition is almost always before the noun or pronoun and that is why
it is called a preposition. The preposition and the object of the preposition together are
called a prepositional phrase. The following chart shows the prepositions, objects of the
preposition, and prepositional phrases of the sentences above. -From
http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/POS/pos7.htm
Preposition Websites
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001022.shtml
Charts, sample quizzes, and writing activities for prepositions and prepositional phrases
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/prep.htm
Games, interactive exercises, flashcards, and riddles to practice prepositions
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/english/prepositions/index.htm
Three interactive games for learning and practicing knowledge of prepositions
http://www.manythings.org/vocabulary/games/k/words.php?f=prepositions
Interactive hangman game using prepositions
http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/englishfile/elementary/i_games/theanteatergame/
games_ant01/
Preposition game
http://home.earthlink.net/~jesmith/Prep.poems.html
Preposition student poems
Essential Skill or Concept:
3-4.4 Use grammatical conventions of written Standard English including prepositions
and prepositional phrases.
Standard 3-5 All four writing indicators
*Pre-assessment: Display a page from a picture book under the document camera that
has several prepositions. Ask children to try to write any prepositions they see. If
students aren’t able to do that, explain what a preposition word is and how it makes our
writing more descriptive. Scan the sentences together and have students jot prepositions
and the definition on a page in their Writer’s Notebook. Display anchor chart of the
definition and words for students to refer to later.
*Introduced in third grade so most children probably would not have heard about
prepositions before. After explaining the definition, students could scan the text in search
of words that fit the definition.
Mentor Text: Any text
Lesson Outline: Lesson from Read Write Think found at:
www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=34
* It is necessary to go to the website to print handouts mentioned in the three day lesson.
Day 1: 30 minutes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Read Behind the Mask by Ruth Heller to the class, allowing for student participation. Encourage students to
play with the language of the text as you share the picture book.
When you finish reading the book, ask students to share what they noticed about the book. Answers will vary
from bright colorful illustrations to variations in font. Note their answers on the board or chart paper for
reference as you discuss the text.
Once students have identified such features as the use of very descriptive words or the variety in text font,
shift to questions about how prepositions work in the text.
Encourage students to identify the words in the text that are prepositions and how prepositions work.
Pass out copies of the Prepositions Handout to help students identify the prepositions in the picture book.
Take notes on their observations for reference in later sessions.
Day 2: 30 minutes
1.
2.
3.
Review the information on prepositions from the previous session.
Share a poem from the Sample Prepositional Poems Web site with the class.
After reading a sample, ask students to identify the prepositions in the poem and to discuss how the part of
speech is working. Students can refer to the Prepositions Handout from the previous session as they review
the sample poems.
4. Pass out copies of the Prepositional Poem Checklist, and use the questions to analyze the sample poems.
5. Repeat the process with additional example poems until you are satisfied that students understand how to
identify and use the part of speech in grammatically correct ways.
6. Invite students to create their own preposition poem, using their writers notebook or the Word Mover.
Depending upon experience level of students and needed accommodations, students can work in partners or
independently.
7. Allow enough time for students to complete their poems in one sitting since users cannot save in this
interactive.
8. Demonstrate how to create new preposition magnets that suit the needs of their poems.
9. As students work, ask them to compare their drafts to the questions on the Prepositional Poem Checklist and
make adjustments as appropriate.
10. Make sure students have a printed or handwritten copy of their poem for use in the next session.
Day 3: 30 minutes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Explain that the class will return to the poems written in the previous session and publish them in a style
based on Behind the Mask.
Briefly review a few key images and sections of text from the book.
Ask students to think about how they can make all or part of their poem come to life in a similar fashion.
Encourage students to share and discuss their ideas.
Introduce the ReadWriteThink interactive Multigenre Mapper.
Demonstrate how to include details in the different portions of the tool:
o
o
o
Write the title of the poem in Blank A.
Write the student’s name in Blank B.
Write the text of the poem in Blank C.
o
6.
7.
8.
Illustrate the poem in the drawing box.
Remind students that their illustrations should show what one or more preposition(s) in their poem is/are
doing.
Suggest that students use the Prepositional Poem Checklist to evaluate their poems before printing the final
copies.
Have students print their poems and display them in the classroom, hallway, or lobby display case.
Assessment and Reflection
As students work on their poems, watch for indications that they understand the grammatical form and
function of prepositions. Note how students work together, rely on their own knowledge, and consult to
reference information in the classroom.
Respond to students’ poems using the Prepositional Poem Checklist as a guide.
From http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-list.htm
English Prepositions List- There are about 150 prepositions in English. Yet this is a
very small number when you think of the thousands of other words (nouns, verbs etc).
Prepositions are important words. We use individual prepositions more frequently than
other individual words. In fact, the prepositions of, to and in are among the ten most
frequent words in English. Here is a short list of 70 of the more common one-word
prepositions. Many of these prepositions have more than one meaning. Please refer to a
dictionary for precise meaning and usage.












about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
anti
around
as
at









before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but

by


concerning
considering



despite
down
during



except
excepting
excluding



following
for
from



in
inside
into

like

minus

near







of
off
on
onto
opposite
outside
over



past
per
plus


regarding
round


save
since

than




through
to
toward
towards






under
underneath
unlike
until
up
upon


versus
via



with
within
without