Possessives — Whose Is It?

Match objects to their owners using possessives.

Use with a student — free
Matching

Words

Match

Demo — these marks stay on this screen.Save these marks to a student, free →Sign in

How to run it

Ask the question aloud and require the possessive in the answer. Whose bone is it — the dog's, with the marker, is the target; the dog is not. Once matching is easy, remove the cards and ask about objects in the room, which moves the same structure into real use. Eight minutes covers the twelve with the spoken answers.

Cueing ladder

Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.

  1. Step 1IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
  2. Step 2HintStress the part of the sentence that changes, or point to the word ending.Log as cued
  3. Step 3Sentence starterSay the first half of the sentence and let the student finish it.Log as cued
  4. Step 4ModelSay the correct form in the whole sentence; the student repeats it.Log as cued

Adjust it

Easier

Give a sentence starter every time, and do fewer cards.

Harder

Ask for a new sentence of the student's own with the same form, with no card to lean on.

Matching IEP goal

Given sentence cards, Student will produce possessive forms in sentences in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.

Send it home through the parent portal →

About this activity

Twelve objects matched to their owners: the bone to the dog's, the keys to Mom's, the desk to the teacher's, the bike to the boy's, the nest to the bird's, the coffee to Dad's, the crayons to my sister's, the whistle to the coach's, the glasses to Grandpa's. Matching makes the ownership relationship explicit before the student has to produce the marker.

What to listen for

Listen for the marker surviving the answer. A student who matches perfectly and answers the dog has the relationship and not the morpheme, which is the whole target. Notice the coach's whistle and Grandpa's glasses, which use roles rather than family names and are slightly harder because the owner has to be inferred from the object.

Carrying it home

Sorting anything by owner is this activity. Laundry, shoes by the door, lunchboxes — asking whose and requiring the full answer takes no extra time, and the answer has to include the marker to count, which is the only rule the family needs to hold.

What's in this activity

  • the bone the dog's
  • the keys Mom's
  • the desk the teacher's
  • the bike the boy's
  • the backpack the girl's
  • the nest the bird's
  • the bottle the baby's
  • the coffee Dad's
  • the tail the cat's
  • the crayons my sister's
  • the whistle the coach's
  • the glasses Grandpa's

Questions

How is this different from the possessive phrases board?
That one gives the phrase to produce. This one asks the student to match owner to object and then answer a whose question, which requires the marker rather than supplying it.
Do I need to sign in?
No, all twelve pairs play free.
What grades is it for?
Kindergarten through third grade.

Use this board with your caseload

With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.

Track progress free

Free for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.