English Language Arts · 9th Grade

Active learning ideas

Passive Voice for Objectivity

Active learning works well for passive voice because it forces students to confront the nuances of grammar in real contexts. When students analyze published texts or rewrite sentences themselves, they see how voice affects meaning and authority, moving beyond oversimplified rules to genuine understanding.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.3
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Passive by Choice

Give students three passive-voice sentences from three different genres (a science report, a news article, a legal document). Students individually identify why the passive might be the right choice in each context, then compare reasoning with a partner. The class builds a list of contexts where passive voice serves a purpose.

When might a scientist or journalist intentionally use the passive voice?

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share: Passive by Choice, tell students to focus on the shift in emphasis when they explain their choices, not just identifying passive constructions.

What to look for

Provide students with two short paragraphs on the same topic, one primarily in active voice and the other in passive voice. Ask students to identify which paragraph uses passive voice intentionally and explain why, referencing objectivity or de-emphasizing the actor.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Jigsaw
• 40 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Genre Experts

Assign each group a genre (science writing, journalism, legal writing, personal essay). Groups read two short excerpts and identify all passive constructions, then hypothesize why the passive serves this genre. Groups report findings to the full class, building a shared genre-voice reference chart.

How does the passive voice allow a writer to hide the 'doer' of an action?

Facilitation Tip

During Jigsaw: Genre Experts, assign each group a different genre and ask them to find three examples of passive voice that serve distinct purposes.

What to look for

Present students with sentences and ask them to identify whether they are in active or passive voice. Then, ask them to rewrite a few passive sentences into active voice, and vice versa, explaining the change in emphasis or clarity for each.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Individual

Writing Workshop: Voice in Context

Students write the same event in two genres, once as a news report and once as a personal essay. They must include at least one intentional passive construction in the news report and explain in an annotation why they chose it. Partners evaluate whether the passive choice was effective.

Compare the effects of active and passive voice in different contexts (e.g., news report vs. personal essay).

Facilitation Tip

In Writing Workshop: Voice in Context, circulate with two colored pens: one for marking passive voice and another for annotations about its effect on the reader.

What to look for

Students bring in a short piece of their own writing or a professional text. In pairs, they identify examples of passive voice, discuss whether its use is effective for the context, and suggest alternatives or confirm its appropriateness.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic by normalizing passive voice first, then teaching students to evaluate its effectiveness. Research shows that explicit instruction about rhetorical context improves revision skills more than rule-based drills. Avoid teaching passive voice as a grammar error to fix; instead, frame it as a tool for clarity and objectivity in specific situations.

Successful learning looks like students identifying passive voice in context, explaining its purpose, and choosing deliberately between active and passive structures. They should justify their choices based on audience, genre, and rhetorical goals, not just correctness.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share: Passive by Choice, students may assume passive voice is always weaker than active voice.

  Use the Think-Pair-Share handout with paired paragraphs showing the same information in both voices. Ask students to compare which version feels more objective or procedural and explain why the passive version might be preferable in a lab report.

• During Jigsaw: Genre Experts, students might believe using passive voice to hide the actor is always dishonest.

  In the Jigsaw groups, include a short legal or bureaucratic text where passive voice obscures responsibility. Have students discuss whether the choice is purposeful or evasive, using the text as evidence for their claims.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Jigsaw
• Case Study Analysis