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HOMOPHONES LESSON TWO – Teacher’s Guide
INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to Ten-Minute Grammar! The goal of these units is to help students build a solid
understanding of grade-level grammar concepts during the first ten minutes of the class period each
day. Each unit goes through a progression in which new grammatical concepts are introduced (by
discovery, as much as possible), built upon, and then practiced and reviewed. In addition, the concepts
in each consecutive unit build on one another logically—it might seem silly to spend time reviewing
nouns and verbs with 8th graders, but it’s necessary if they’re going to understand things like gerunds
and infinitives or specific types of verb phrases.
The unit includes a week and a half of daily bell ringer activities, a quiz, and one or more additional
practice worksheets.
SUGGESTED TIMELINE:
Start the Day One bell ringer on a Monday.
By Friday, if you feel the class is ready for it, give the unit quiz.
o If you feel like the entire class needs additional practice to master the concept (or, let’s be
honest, if the next week is a short one and you don’t have time to start a new unit but
need bell ringers for a few extra days), there are three additional days’ worth of bell
ringers.
After the quiz, a student who clearly failed to grasp one of the week’s concepts could be
assigned one of the practice worksheets. After completing the worksheet, the student could
retake the unit quiz for an improved grade.
o The worksheets can also be used during the week as extra practice for the entire class.
OBJECTIVES:
1. Students should understand that…
a. “Homophones” are pairs of words that sound the same but have different spellings and
different meanings.
b. Homophones are commonly misspelled in student writing and should therefore always
be double-checked during proofreading.
2. Students should be able to…
a. Match common homophones to their definitions.
b. Recognize misspelled homophones in another person’s writing.
c. Correctly spell common homophones in their own writing:
i. Effect, Affect; Then, Than; Past, Passed; Who’s, Whose; Lead, Led; Weather,
Whether; Lose, Loose
KEYS TO THE UNIT:
The set of homophones in this unit are some of the most commonly misspelled word in student
writing (it doesn’t help that spell-checkers don’t catch these errors.) So the main goal here is to set
these words up in students’ minds as words they should always double check in their writing. Review
Ten-Minute Grammar
them often throughout the rest of the year. And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put these homophones
on a list of “spelling unforgivables”—words that must be spelled right in the students’ final drafts.
One optional supplement activity could be to have students create visual mnemonic device posters to
help them remember the different spellings and meanings. I divide my class into small groups and
assign each group a set of homophones. Their goal is to come up with a good way to help the rest of
the class remember the difference between the homophones on their list. (For example, they might
draw a picture showing “They” and “are” crashing into each other so hard that the “a” in “are” is
smashed into an apostrophe.)
DAILY ROUTINE:
Have the day’s bell ringer activity up on a projector when the students come to class each day. I have
my students do the assignment on quarter sheets of paper (I cut them up and have a stack available
each day). Some days in each unit require copyediting; since it takes too long for students to copy the
incorrect sentences and then edit them, a page of quarter-size student answer sheets are provided for
those days (see the pages after the last bell ringer.)
Students should spend the first five minutes working silently (you should use that time to take roll and
then circulate around the room to keep kids on task.) After the five minutes of work time, spend the
next five minutes going over the answers. Don’t give them the answers (except as a last resort); you
want the students to volunteer their answers. Use the correction session each day to explain new
concepts, clarify ideas, and correct misconceptions. If a student volunteers an incorrect answer, find
someone else who can give the correct answer. Help the class understand the concept a little better
and then ask the first student a question like, “Explain to the class why your first answer was wrong.”
I’ve never had a student feel offended by this—if anything, it gives kids a chance to redeem themselves
after what might have been an embarrassing moment of being wrong in front of everyone.
If you use an overhead projector, a Smart Board, or project onto a white marker board, you can
choose a student each day to come to the front and write answers or corrections as other students
volunteer them.
In my class, students get full credit as long as they come up with an answer for every question, even if
some answers are incorrect. At the very least, for the first few days while new concepts are introduced,
students should be allowed to change their answers during the correction session—but only if they
already have an answer of their own. What we want is for them to try to figure out the answer. If
they get it wrong, they’ll learn when you set them straight in the correction session. But they learn
nothing if they just write down answers as you dictate them!
The Wordplay at the end of each day’s questions can be a way to earn extra credit if you choose. As
incentive to work quickly, I tell my students they can’t begin on the Wordplay until they’re finished
with the other questions, and I always offer a piece of candy to the first student to get the answer right
or the student with the best answer or most answers. (You’d be surprised what junior-high students
will do for a Starburst or a Jolly Rancher!)
LITERATURE:
This unit contains example selections from the novel White
Fang by Jack London.
In each sentence below, choose the correct answer from the list of “homophones”:
1. A scientist named Dr. Morkenstein (lead / led) a research team that
accidentally created a terrible monster.
2. They were interested in learning more about the (weather / whether)
and how it related to farm animals.
3. Dr. Morkenstein wanted to know how a full year of winter would
(effect / affect) the lifespan of chickens.
4. So he created a winterized bio-dome; (then / than) he populated the
habitat with hundreds of chickens.
5. An entire year (past / passed), and Dr. Morkenstein anxiously waited
for the reopening of his bio-dome.
6. Unfortunately, one of the chickens, (who’s / whose) food had been
contaminated by the coolant used to keep the bio-dome cold, had
mutated and developed super-chicken powers, like the ability to freeze
living things.
7. The monster, known as Chick-fil-Ice, got (lose / loose) and went on a
rampage in the city, freezing everyone in sight.
Wordplay – Just for fun!
FIXER-ROOTER: How many words can you think of that have the same
prefix, suffix, or root as the multisyllabic word below?
PREEXISTENCE
(existence before something else)
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
DAY One
The word “effect” is a noun, while “affect” is a verb. One easy way
to tell them apart is to use THE ARTICLE TEST for nouns: If you can
put “a,” “an,” or “the” in front of it, you want “effect,” not “affect.
Choose the correct word for each sentence:
1. This windy weather will (affect / effect) the outcome of the game.
2. We won’t know how great the (affect / effect) will be until after
kickoff.
3. One (affect / effect) might be that the teams will have to run the ball
more.
In the following sentences from White Fang by Jack London, decide if the correct
homophone is used (answer YES or NO):
4. He past out of the forest and into the moonlit open. No
5. But the man who’s hand he had bitten was angry. No
6. Then he lead her to a small pine, around which he tied the other string.
No
7. He was never known to lose his footing. Yes
Wordplay – Just for fun!
EIGHT LETTERS: Create as many words as you can using three or more of the
letters below (at least one eight-letter word is possible):
E S A D T J D U
Adjusted
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
DAY Two
Use “then” with an E if you’re talking about the order of two
events: “I lost my keys; then I found them.” Use “than” with an A if
you’re comparing two things: “I’m cooler than you!”
Choose the correct word for each sentence:
1. My boss is more obnoxious (than / then) you can possibly imagine.
2. Last week, he made me stay late every day organizing notes from past
appointments with his anger management counselor; (than / then)
yesterday he screamed at me because I apparently did it wrong.
3. I’d rather lose my job (than / then) have to deal with my boss’s snide
remarks one more day.
Write your own sentences that correctly use the following words:
1. Affect Answers will vary.
2. Who’s
3. Whether
4. Than
Wordplay – Just for fun!
VOWEL COMBINATOR: The vowel combination “ea” usually sounds like
the hard “E” in “beach.” List as many words as you can that contain this vowel
combo making a DIFFERENT SOUND (other than the one in “beach.”)
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
DAY Three
Which homophone would you choose in the following situations:
1. When asking to whom something belongs (who’s / whose)
2. Expressing a doubt or a choice (whether / weather)
3. As a synonym for “guided” or “directed” in past tense (lead / led)
4. As an antonym for “win” (lose / loose)
Using the proper proofreading marks, correct the six errors in this excerpt from White Fang
by Jack London:
He slept long hours and dreamed much and through his mind past an
unending pageant of Northland visions. all the ghosts of the passed a rose
and we’re with him.
Wordplay – Just for fun!
ANAGRAM: Rearrange the letters in the nonsense phrase below to
create new words that actually make sense.
EMPORIUM TIPS
(Hint: becomes a semi)
Optimus Prime
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
DAY Four
passed
past
REVIEW FOR TODAY’S QUIZ—Make sure you know the difference between the following
homophones:
1. Effect / Affect
2. Then / Than
3. Past / Passed
4. Who’s / Whose
5. Lead / Led
6. Weather / Whether
7. Lose / Loose
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
QUIZ DAY
Match the following words to the best definition or explanation of when you would use it:
1. Effect h
2. Affect c
3. Then l
4. Than e
5. Past j
6. Passed n
7. Who’s a
8. Whose i
9. Weather f
10. Whether k
11. Led b
12. Lead m
13. Lose g
14. Loose d
a) A contraction meaning “who is”
b) Past tense of the verb “to lead”
c) To produce a change in something (a verb)
d) The opposite of “tight”
e) Used to introduce a comparison of unequal things
f) Referring to conditions like rain and wind
g) The opposite of “win”
h) A result produced by a cause (a noun)
i) The possessive version of the pronoun “who”
j) A time previous to the present
k) Used to introduce the first of two alternatives
l) Next in order of time
m) A bluish-grey metal used in bullets, weights,
construction materials, and more
n) Past tense of the verb “to pass”
Wordplay – Just for fun!
CATALOGUE CREATOR: The prefix “com- / con-” means “with or
together.” How many words can you list that contain this prefix?
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Two
Extra
DAY Five
Write your own sentences that correctly use the following words:
1. Loose Answers will vary.
2. Led
3. Passed
4. Effect
Using the proper proofreading marks, correct the six errors in this excerpt from White Fang
by Jack London (could be five depending on how you fix one of them):
In point of fact, the cuff was rarely administered. The masters voice was
sufficient. By it White Fang knew weather he did right or not by it he
trimmed his conduct and adjusts his actions
You could also have put a semi-colon after the “not” in line 2. The “adjusts” in line 3 could have been
marked several different ways—the key is that it needs to be past tense instead of present tense.
Wordplay – Just for fun!
FOUR-LETTER WORDS: Take the four-letter word below and change one letter
to make a new four-letter word (keep it clean!) Then take that word and change
one letter to make a new word. Then take that word and… You get the picture.
GRIM
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
Extra
DAY Six
whether
ed
Read the excerpts from White Fang by Jack London and then answer the following
questions:
They did not bother to look after the causes of his conduct. They
saw only the effects, and the effects were bad.
1. What two words make an infinitive verbal in the first line? to look
2. Is the word “effects” on the second line used correctly? yes
3. List all the pronouns in this selection (there are three of them). They, his,
They
4. What are the two verbs in the second sentence? saw, were
Where the river swung in against precipitous bluffs, he climbed the
high mountains behind. Often he took to the rim-ice that was
beginning to form, and more then once he crashed through and
struggled for life in the icy current.
5. It the word “Where” in the first sentence used correctly? yes
6. Is the word “struggled” in the last sentence a noun, verb, or adverb?
verb
7. Is the word “then” in the third line used correctly? no
8. List all the nouns in this selection (there are six). river, bluffs, mountains,
rim-ice, life, current
Wordplay – Just for fun!
DESCRAMBLER: Try to sort out the five scrambled words below:
LAOE FUPFY GOLOEG HTECEHA LDWANDOO
Aloe Puffy Google Cheetah Download
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
Extra
DAY Seven
NAME: PERIOD:
Choose the best answer or match:
1. _____ Define the word “homophone.”
A. One word that rhymes with another
B. A word that sounds the same as another word but has
a different meaning and spelling
C. Two words that are spelled the same and have
opposite meanings
D. Two words that are almost synonyms but not quite
2. _____ Past A. Past tense of “guide” or “direct”
3. _____ Passed B. A time before the present
4. _____ Who’s C. A heavy metal
5. _____ Whose D. Past tense of the verb “pass”
6. _____ Lead E. A contraction meaning “who is”
7. _____ Led F. Something belongs to “who”
Choose the sentence that correctly uses the homophone:
8. A. The Klondike gold rush in northwest Canada and
Alaska started late in 1896 and than ended in 1899.
B. More than 800,000 pounds of gold have been taken
from the Klondike since gold was first discovered there.
9. A. News of the gold discovery affected many people.
B. Gold fever’s affect brought thousands to the Klondike.
10. A. Many decided to try prospecting for gold weather
they had any wilderness experience or not.
B
D
E
F
C
A
B. Gold miners in the Klondike had to deal with very
harsh weather.
11. A. Due to a series of economic recessions, many people
felt they had nothing to loose.
B. They made their way to the Yukon River in hopes of
finding loose deposits of gold among the mud and rock.
For each sentence below, choose the correct
homophone.
12. The gold rush (effected / affected) the Yukon region in
significant ways.
13. The gold rush lasted less (then / than) three years in all.
14. The gold stampede is now a thing of the (past /
passed).
15. Many of the prospectors were men (who’s / whose)
jobs had disappeared because of the bad economy.
16. Sled dogs often (lead / led) the way to the Klondike.
17. One of the greatest hazards prospectors faced was the
territory’s intensely cold (weather / whether).
18. It was common for teams to (lose / loose) sled dogs
along the way as they died from exhaustion.
19. One (effect / affect) of the gold rush was the growth
of Dawson City.
20. (Weather / Whether) you like Jack London’s writing
or not, his novels Call of the Wild and White Fang are
now important depictions of this period of history.
NAME: PERIOD:
Read the explanations and then choose the correct word within each example sentence:
Effect vs. Affect – “Effect” is a noun, while “affect” is a verb. If you can change it to past or present
tense, then you want “affect.” If you’re talking about the result of a specific cause, you want “effect.”
1. The (effects / affects) of his bad choices ruined John’s life.
2. After surviving a fight with Cancer, my grandma refused to let her lack of hair (effect / affect)
her attitude.
3. The cold (effected / affected) me more than my friend because she’s used to this weather.
Then vs. Than – “Then” means “at that time” or “next in order,” while “than” is used to compare
two things or to show a choice between two alternatives.
4. I’d rather swallow a handful of nails (then / than) go through that again!
5. Dad used to play basketball; he was in better shape back (then / than).
6. I like Call of the Wild better (then / than) White Fang, but they’re both good.
Past vs. Passed – “Past” locates something’s position in time and sometimes in space. So when you say,
“Don’t live in the past” or “It happened at half past five,” you’re referring to something’s location in
time. And when you say, “My house is one mile past the stop sign,” you’re referring to something’s
position in space. The word “passed” is the past tense of the word “pass” (no tongue-twister intended),
as in, “She passed me the football.” So if you’re using the word as an action, you want to use “passed”
instead of “past.”
7. The Alaskan Gold Rush is a time-period in the (past / passed) that interests me.
8. Go straight (past / passed) the city park, and then turn left.
9. The tank (past / passed) within ten feet of our foxhole, but the enemy didn’t see us.
Who’s vs. Whose – “Who’s” is a contraction made up of “who” and “is” (or sometimes “who” and
“has”). “Whose” is a possessive pronoun showing that something belongs to “who.” So if it makes sense
to break it into two words, you want “who’s.” Otherwise, it’s probably “whose.”
10. (Who’s / Whose) coat is this in my closet? It’s not mine.
11. I’m looking for a good teacher; and by that I mean a teacher (who’s / whose) going to give
me an A no matter what I do.
12. (Who’s / Whose) that guy you sold your sled dogs to? I think I ripped you off!
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
Extra Practice
Lead vs. Led – “Led” is the past tense of the verb “to lead.” The word “lead” is actually two words—if
it sounds like “LEED,” then it’s a present-tense verb, as in “The leader leads us every day” But if “lead”
sounds like “LED,” then you’re using it to refer to metal, as in “Don’t hit me with that lead pipe.”
13. Buck was given the chance to (lead / led) the other sled dogs.
14. Our coach (lead / led) us through a series of drills to get us ready for the game.
15. He made a full-body suit out of (lead / led), so he was bulletproof from head to toe.
Weather vs. Whether – “Weather” refers to what’s happening with climate conditions. Use
“whether” with two H’s when you’re introducing two or more alternatives. One way to remember it is
that if you’re considering TWO alternatives, you should use the “whether” with TWO H’s.
16. I can’t remember (weather / whether) I’ve ever been to Alaska or not.
17. (Weather / Whether) you go or I go, it doesn’t really matter to me.
18. If you went hunting gold in the Klondike, you’d be in for some bad (weather / whether).
Lose vs. Loose – “Lose” with one O is the opposite of “win.” “Loose” with two O’s is the opposite of
“tight.” Perhaps you could get an image in your mind of the two O’s in “loose” wobbling around—they
need to be tightened because they’re “loose!”
19. I can’t stand to (lose / loose); I’m very competitive.
20. My brother (loses / looses) everything he owns, and then he always wants my stuff.
21. The exercise regime must be working because my pants are getting (lose / loose).
Write a short story on the prompt below. Within your story, correctly all of this unit’s
homophone words. Underline each homophone word within your story.
Effect / Affect Then / Than Past / Passed Who’s / Whose
Lead / Led Lose / Loose Weather / Whether
PROMPT: Imagine you are living in the frozen wilderness of Alaska with a dog as your only companion.
Answers will vary.
NAME: PERIOD:
Read the following excerpts from White Fang by Jack London. When you come to a bold
group of homophones, choose the correct word.
But greater (then / than) that, to the wolf-cub, was (there / their) mastery over things not alive; (there /
their) capacity to communicate motion to unmoving things; (there / their) capacity (two / too / to) change
the very face of the world. It was this last that especially (effected / affected) him.
(Wherever / Wear ever) there was trouble and uproar in camp, fighting and squabbling or the outcry of a
squaw over a bit of stolen (meat / meet), they were sure to find White Fang mixed up in it. They did not
bother to look after the causes of his conduct. They saw only the (effects / affects).
(Hear / Here) was power. The white gods (were / where) strong. They possessed (grater / greater) mastery
over matter (then / than) the gods he had known, most powerful among (witch / which) was Grey Beaver.
And not for nothing had his puppyhood (been / bean) made bitter by the persecution of Lip-lip and the (hole
/ whole) puppy pack. It (mite / might) have been otherwise, and he (would / wood) then have been
otherwise. Had Lip-lip not existed, he would have (past / passed) his puppyhood with the other puppies and
grown up more doglike.
He rested for (two / too / to) days, and (then / than) ventured (forth / fourth) from the cave again. He
found the young weasel (who’s / whose) mother he had helped eat, and he saw to it that the young weasel
went the (way / weigh) of (its / it’s) mother.
He, on the other hand, being the fastest-footed, was unafraid to venture anywhere. During the period that he
waited vainly (for / four) his mother (two / too / to) come back, he (led / lead) the pack many a wild chase
(threw / through) the adjacent (woulds / woods). But the pack invariably lost him. (Its / It’s) noise and
outcry warned him of (its / it’s) presence, while he ran (a loan / alone), velvet-footed, silently. He was more
directly connected with the Wild (then / than) they; and he (new / knew) more of its secrets and stratagems.
A favourite trick of his was to (lose / loose) his trail in running water and (then / than) lie quietly in a near-by
thicket while (they’re / their) baffled cries arose around him.
Though he did not (no / know) it, by the (wait / weight) of his body he clogged the action of the leg and
(their by / thereby) saved his mother much damage. A change in the battle crushed him under both (there /
they’re / their) bodies and wrenched (lose / loose) his hold. The next moment the (two / too) mothers
separated, and the lynx lashed out at the cub with a huge (four / fore)-paw that ripped his shoulder open to
the bone and (sent / scent) him hurtling sidewise against the wall.
"I'm agreein' with you," the dog-musher answered, and Weedon Scott was not quite sure (weather / whether)
or not the other had snickered. The next day White Fang's anxiety and restlessness (we’re / were / where)
even more pronounced. He dogged his master's (heals / heels) whenever he left the cabin.
Ten-Minute Grammar
Homophones Lesson Two
Extra Practice
Fix any incorrect bold words in the example sentences from White Fang (if the bold word is
already correct, just write “CORRECT”).
1. ____________ The repeated drenchings in the icy water had likewise had their effect on him.
2. ____________ The affect of all this was to rob White Fang of much of his puppyhood and to
make him in his comportment older than his age.
3. ____________ But there were times when even a moose-bird failed to effect him, and those
were times when he felt himself to be in danger from some other prowling meat hunter.
4. ____________ The circle of gleaming eyes drew in even closer then before.
5. ____________ Bill turned and looked, then quietly stopped the dogs.
6. ____________ The dogs had laid down in the snow, and he walked passed them to join his
partner in the sled.
7. ____________ "Whose croaking now?" Bill demanded triumphantly.
8. ____________ His rages and battles were pleasures. Terror itself, and the mystery of the
unknown, lead to his living.
9. ____________ "An if I get a chance at it, that wolf that's a dog'll be jes' meat," Bill declared. "We
can't afford to loose no more animals."
10. ____________ Henry shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Unless One Ear gnawed 'm loose. He
couldn't a-done it himself, that's sure."
11. ____________ The master's voice was sufficient. By it White Fang knew whether he did right or
not.
12. ____________ "He'll never stand the climate!" he shouted back. "Unless you clip 'm in warm
whether!"
13. ____________ But the man whose hand he had bitten was angry.
14. ____________ He passed a rope over his shoulder, a man-trace, and pulled with the dogs.
15. ____________ It was a tree-shadow flung by the moon, from who’s face the clouds had been
brushed away.
16. ____________ Motherhood is motherhood, at all times fiercely protective weather in the Wild
or out of it.
17. ____________ The struggle had not lasted more than three minutes.
18. ____________ White fang turned lose and tore around the pen.
CORRECT
effect
affect
than
CORRECT
past
Who’s
led
lose
CORRECT
CORRECT
weather
CORRECT
CORRECT
whose
whether
CORRECT
loose