The note
How schools teach it now
In Year 5 children learn relative clauses: extra information about a noun, starting with who, which, where, when, whose or that. Who is for people, which for things and animals, whose for belonging. They also learn that a clause has a verb and a phrase usually doesn't.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Play 'tell me more' with family photos. Your child describes each with a relative clause: 'That's Grandma, who loves gardening.' 'That's the beach where we found the crab.' Then you say one with the wrong word ('the car who broke down') and they fix it.
Worked example
Which word completes the sentence? The boy ___ coat was left on the bus went back for it. (who, which, whose, where, when)
- The missing word links 'the boy' to 'coat'.
- The coat belongs to the boy.
- 'whose' shows belonging.
Answer: whose
Common mistakes to watch for
- Mixing up 'whose' (belonging) and 'who's' (who is or who has).
- Using 'which' for people: 'my friend which lives next door'.
- Using 'where' for something that isn't a place.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “Who or what is the extra information about?”
- Rather than
- “That sounds wrong, just change it.”