Standard 5: Language

Students will apply knowledge of grammar and rhetorical style to reading and writing.

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students will identify the use of active voice.
• The subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb.  Example: I throw the ball.

• Teachers explain active voice is the subject that performs the action, while in passive voice the subject receives the action.
• Active: The student measures the chemicals.
• Passive: The chemicals were measured by the students.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to identify active and passive voice in grade level text.
• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback when recognizing the active and passive voice in text.

• Students will identify the use of passive voice.
• Someone or something that is being acted upon.   Example: The ball is thrown by me.

Supporting Resources 

Teacher Insights

• The main difference between active voice and passive voice is which part of the sentence is most important.

• In active voice, the noun/pronoun performing the action is the most important, therefore coming first in the sentence.

• The student measures the chemicals.

• Our company made some mistakes.

• In passive voice, the noun/ pronoun the action is being done to is more important than the noun performing the action, which is sometimes not listed.

• The chemicals were measured by the student.

• Mistakes were made.

• The emphasis on whether or not to use active/passive voice should be on the writers’ intentions.

• While it is true that for most cases, active voice is recommended, there are some instances writer’s should use passive voice. Such as:

• The actor is unknown: The painting was stolen.

• The actor is irrelevant: The thief was discovered. (we don’t really care who discovered him)

• The writer wants to be intentionally vague about the actor: Mistakes were made. (Politicians are masters at this).

• Occasionally, a writer may want to emphasize the object being acted on over the actor: The Mona Lisa was stolen.

• Scientific writing favors passive voice: The sodium chloride was dissolved in the water. 

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.