Teacher guide · Think Lab · Harder · about 35 min

🔁 Active or Passive?

Pupils practise confidence through "Active or Passive?": Who does the action?

Lesson guide

1. Hook · 5 min
Show the 🔁 mission title and read the opening: "'The window was broken by Tom.' This is…". Take three quick guesses.
2. Model · 5 min
Think aloud through the first step together. Use Cog the Owl's line as your prompt: "Good thinking. Show me the why."
3. Do · 10 min
Pairs work through the 3 steps on screen or on the printed sheet. Circulate and ask "why?"
4. Discuss · 10 min
Use two or three of the discussion questions. Ask pairs to share different answers, not just correct ones.
5. Reflect · 5 min
Exit ticket: one sentence on how they used confidence today.

What was the hardest choice in "Active or Passive?", and why?
'The window was broken by Tom.' This is… — explain your reasoning to a partner.
Make active: 'The cake was eaten by the dog.' — explain your reasoning to a partner.
Write one active and one passive sentence about a football match — explain your reasoning to a partner.
Where could you use confidence outside school this week?
If you did this again, what would you change?

Support: Read prompts aloud, pair with a confident partner, and accept spoken or drawn answers for writing steps.

Stretch: Ask pupils to create their own extra step for a partner and explain the correct answer.

National Curriculum: English: reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and writing
National Curriculum: Maths: reasoning mathematically and problem solving
National Curriculum: Computing: logical reasoning and algorithms
PSHE: Living in the wider world: making decisions and evaluating choices

Pupil sheet

Name: ____________________ Date: __________

1. 'The window was broken by Tom.' This is…
☐ A question
☐ Active
☐ Passive
2. Make active: 'The cake was eaten by the dog.'
☐ Eaten was the cake.
☐ The cake ate the dog.
☐ The dog ate the cake.
3. Write one active and one passive sentence about a football match.