Age: 11-12 years

Duration: 80 min

Objectives

• Form the passive across present, past, future, and continuous aspects.
• Choose active or passive based on tone and focus.
• Complete a formal report paragraph in appropriate passive style.

Vocab

• was passed: "A new law was passed last year."
• is being built: "A new library is being built."
• agent: "Add 'by + agent' only when it matters who did it."
• formal: "Reports often use passive for a formal tone."

Warm-up (5min)

Compare two sentences: "Workers built the bridge" vs "The bridge was built." Ask which sounds more like a news report and why. Elicit that passive shifts focus to the result, not the doer.

Main Activity (65min): "Grammar: Passive Voice (Intermediate)"

"Passive Transformation Lab" — Round 1: form chart (8 min) building passive in 4 tenses from one base verb (build → is built / was built / will be built / is being built). Round 2: convert drill — turn 8 active policy statements into passive; decide whether "by + agent" is needed. Round 3: tone sort — read pairs and label each "casual/active" or "formal/passive," then justify. Round 4: report gap-fill — complete a short municipal report paragraph choosing correct passive forms. Round 5: mini-write — students write a 4-sentence formal notice (e.g., a park rule) using at least three passive forms. Peer-check tense accuracy.

Wrap-up (10min)

Quick flip: teacher says an active sentence, class responds with the passive. Exit ticket: rewrite "The city will plant trees" in the passive.

Teacher Tips

• Stress that passive is a choice for focus/tone, not "better English" — overuse hurts clarity.
• Continuous passive (is being built) is the hardest form; drill it separately.
• Pairs naturally with causative (Lesson 02) — contrast "made them build" vs "was built."