Apostrophes: Contraction and Possession
Use apostrophes in writing for both contraction (marking omitted letters) and singular possession, distinguishing the two uses
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Set out your lesson
“When your child writes a word like "don't" or "it's", do they put the apostrophe in the right place — and can they also write something like "the dog's bowl" to show the bowl belongs to the dog?”
Full guide and materials
- Activity. Use apostrophes in writing for both contraction (marking omitted letters) and singular possession, distinguishing the two uses
What to notice. Use apostrophes correctly in both 'don't' and 'Sam's bag' within the same piece of writing • Explain the difference between apostrophe for contraction and apostrophe for possession • Correct misplaced or missing apostrophes in a set of sentences
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When your child writes a word like "don't" or "it's", do they put the apostrophe in the right place — and can they also write something like "the dog's bowl" to show the bowl belongs to the dog?
Use apostrophes in writing for both contraction (marking omitted letters) and singular possession, distinguishing the two uses
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Check understanding
- Use apostrophes correctly in both 'don't' and 'Sam's bag' within the same piece of writing
- Explain the difference between apostrophe for contraction and apostrophe for possession
- Correct misplaced or missing apostrophes in a set of sentences
“When your child writes a word like "don't" or "it's", do they put the apostrophe in the right place — and can they also write something like "the dog's bowl" to show the bowl belongs to the dog?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- English
- Domain
- Grammar & Punctuation
- Age range
- Ages 6–7