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Robotics News: Keep Pronouns Consistent worksheet preview

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Robotics News: Keep Pronouns Consistent

Edit robotics competition news for inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person, and explain how revisions improve clarity.

Grade 6ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.6.1.c

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What’s included

  • Single worksheet
  • Auto-graded online
  • 1 Common Core standard
  • Printable answer key
  • 14 questions
  • Classroom-ready

Details

Format
Interactive · Printable
Grade
Grade 6
Subject
ELA
Question types
Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

  • Students recognize inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person in school news writing.
  • Students revise pronouns to maintain consistent number and person.
  • Students distinguish appropriate pronoun changes from shifts that confuse the reader.

How to use

Read the report and review the pronoun reminder. Have students edit the related drafts independently, then discuss why some pronoun changes are appropriate.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.6.1.c

Recognize and fix shifts in pronoun number and person that do not fit.

Preview

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Name Date

Robotics News: Keep Pronouns Consistent

Recognize and repair shifts in pronoun number and person.

Read Like an Editor

Read the report, then evaluate the related draft excerpts. Keep the writer’s intended meaning.

Pronouns should match the people or things they refer to. First person includes I and we; second person uses you; third person includes he, she, it, and they. A change is appropriate when the speaker or referent changes. Singular they is also correct; do not treat it as a number error.

A Careful Finish at the Robotics Meet

1On Saturday, students from Bellwick Middle School carried a small wheeled robot into the district robotics competition. The machine had to move foam blocks into marked spaces without being steered by a person. Teams could revise their programs between rounds, but once a run began, students had to step away from the course.

2The Bellwick team’s first run ended with two blocks outside the target area. Its robot turned too soon after passing a strip of dark tape. Team programmer Nikhil examined the instructions on a laptop while driver Celeste checked the wheels. Neither student blamed the other. Instead, both compared the robot’s movement with their practice notes.

3During the repair period, the students shortened one turn and tested the change on a practice surface. They also moved a loose cable away from a wheel. The team’s adviser watched from behind the table, leaving the decisions to the students. With only a few minutes remaining, the teammates agreed to stop adding changes and check the program they already had.

4The second run was slower, but the robot placed more blocks inside the marked spaces. Bellwick did not receive the highest score. However, the team earned a judges’ certificate for explaining its testing process clearly. After the results, Celeste described the adjustment in a brief interview for the school news page.

5Back at school, the news editors chose a photograph of the testing table rather than a photograph of the certificate alone. Their caption identified the students’ different jobs. The finished report would include the result, but it would also show readers the careful work behind that result.

Unedited follow-up draft
The student reporters arrived before the final round. They recorded the teams’ scores. You checked the spelling of each competitor’s name before submitting the article. The article appeared on the school news page on Monday.
1.
In the follow-up draft, all reporting tasks were done by the student reporters. What pronoun problem needs correction?
  • A. The draft shifts from plural reporters to a singular reporter.
  • B. The draft shifts from third person to second person.
  • C. The draft shifts from first person to third person.
  • D. The draft shifts from a person to an object.
2.
Underline the one sentence in the follow-up draft that contains the inappropriate shift identified in question 1.

The student reporters arrived before the final round.They recorded the teams’ scores.You checked the spelling of each competitor’s name before submitting the article.The article appeared on the school news page on Monday.

3.
A reporter writes: “The robot crossed the starting line. They stopped beside the first block.” Both sentences describe the robot. Which revision fixes the number shift?
  • A. We stopped beside the first block.
  • B. You stopped beside the first block.
  • C. He stopped beside the first block.
  • D. It stopped beside the first block.
4.
Which news sentence uses a change in pronouns appropriately because the pronouns refer to different things?
  • A. Celeste checked her notes before she spoke about your work.
  • B. The robots approached the tape before it crossed the line.
  • C. The students tested their robot before it entered the course.
  • D. We interviewed the adviser before you submitted our report.

Repair the Drafts

Use each stated viewpoint and referent to choose or write the correct pronouns.

5.
The student reporters are writing about themselves: “We reached the gym early so you could photograph the empty course.” Replace you with the subject pronoun that keeps their first-person plural voice.

We reached the gym early so   could photograph the empty course.

6.
Both sentences refer to the same two laptops. Replace it with the correct subject pronoun.

The two laptops stored the team’s programs.   remained on the testing table.

7.
The reporters write: “We asked Celeste about the second run, and she explained the shorter turn.” An editor wants to change she to we. Which response is correct?
  • A. Keep she because Celeste, not the reporters, explained the turn.
  • B. Use we because every pronoun must remain in the same person.
  • C. Use they because the reporters include more than one student.
  • D. Keep she because the reporters are describing themselves.
8.
Celeste is describing her own work throughout this quotation. Replace both shifts with first-person singular pronouns. Use the word bank. Word bank: I, my, we, our
Word bank: I · my · we · our

“I checked the wheels before   returned to the course. I kept   notes beside the laptop.”

9.
A caption describes only Nikhil and Celeste: “The two students compared her practice notes before they changed the program.” The notes belong to both students. Which edit is needed?
  • A. Change they to she.
  • B. Change her to our.
  • C. Change they to we.
  • D. Change her to their.

Check the Final Copy

Distinguish confusing shifts from appropriate changes, then explain one revision.

10.
Classify each draft excerpt. Use the referents stated in each excerpt.
About one robot: “The robot reached the tape, but they stopped there.”About the reporters’ own work: “We finished the article after you checked our facts.”About a student whose gender is unspecified: “A competitor can explain their design to a judge.”About Celeste and the wheels: “Celeste inspected the wheels because they looked uneven.”Addressing the reader throughout: “You can view the results after we open the results page.”About two certificates: “The certificates arrived, and it was displayed near the office.”
No inappropriate shiftInappropriate person shiftInappropriate number shift
11.
A reporter tells readers how to find competition photographs: “If you open the school news page, we can choose the competition album and view our favorite photographs.” Which revision consistently addresses the reader?
  • A. If you open the school news page, you can choose the competition album and view your favorite photographs.
  • B. If you open the school news page, you can choose the competition album and view our favorite photographs.
  • C. If you open the school news page, we can choose the competition album and view your favorite photographs.
  • D. If you open the school news page, they can choose the competition album and view their favorite photographs.
12.
Which sentence correctly keeps third-person plural pronouns for the student competitors throughout?
  • A. The competitors saved their programs before we left our tables.
  • B. The competitors saved their programs before they left their tables.
  • C. The competitors saved your programs before you left your tables.
  • D. The competitors saved our programs before they left your tables.
13.
The first blank refers to the reporters speaking about themselves. The second refers to one robot. Write one pronoun in each blank.

We watched the final run, and   recorded the score. The robot stopped after   crossed the finish line.

14.
The reporters write about their own work: “We reviewed the interview before you posted our article. Celeste read her quotation and approved it.” Rewrite the excerpt to fix the inappropriate shift. Explain why the other pronouns do not need to change.

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