Year 3 · SPaG · Apostrophes and commas
Year 3 apostrophes for contractions worksheet and PowerPoint
To use an apostrophe where letters are missing: don’t, isn’t, I’m, she’s.
Apostrophes for missing letters
An apostrophe (’) can show that letters are missing when two words are joined into one. This is called a contraction.
| not | do not → don’t, is not → isn’t, can not → can’t |
|---|---|
| is, am, are | she is → she’s, I am → I’m, we are → we’re |
| will, have | I will → I’ll, we have → we’ve |
Examples
- I don’t know.
- She’s my sister.
Key words
- apostrophe
- a mark ’ that shows missing letters or belonging
- contraction
- two words joined into one with letters missing
- possession
- when something belongs to someone
- plural
- more than one
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Write ten sentences that each use a contraction. Underline the apostrophe and say which letters are missing.
Pupil target: I can use an apostrophe for missing letters.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the apostrophes for contractions PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 5 of 53 in the Year 3 SPaG scheme, in the block “Apostrophes and commas”.
Other lessons in this block
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