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.

• 9th Grade
• English Language Arts
• 3 activities
• 20 min–40 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze provided professional texts to identify instances where passive voice is used intentionally for objectivity or to de-emphasize the actor.
2. Compare and contrast the stylistic and rhetorical effects of active versus passive voice in specific contexts, such as scientific reports and news articles.
3. Explain the grammatical structure of the passive voice and how it differs from the active voice.
4. Evaluate the appropriateness of using passive voice in a given writing scenario, justifying the choice based on audience and purpose.

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Groups at tables with case materials

Materials: Case study packet (3-5 pages), Analysis framework worksheet, Presentation template

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

Teaching This Topic

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.

What to Expect

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

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Think-Pair-Share: Passive by Choice, collect student reflections on when they would choose passive voice over active voice in their own writing and why.

Discussion Prompt

During Jigsaw: Genre Experts, listen for whether students can articulate the rhetorical purpose behind passive constructions in their assigned genres.

Peer Assessment

After Writing Workshop: Voice in Context, have students exchange drafts and use a checklist to identify passive constructions, evaluate their effectiveness, and suggest revisions if needed.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to locate a bureaucratic or legal text online and analyze whether any passive constructions obscure responsibility or serve an objective purpose.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence stems with blanks for key details so students can practice rewriting active sentences into passive, focusing on the shift in emphasis.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research how different disciplines define objectivity and compare passive voice use across fields like medicine, law, and social sciences.

Key Vocabulary

passive voice	A grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence receives the action, rather than performing it. The structure typically involves a form of 'to be' and the past participle of the main verb.
active voice	A grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence performs the action. This is the more common voice, with the subject directly acting upon the object.
actor	In grammar, the person or thing performing the action of the verb. In passive voice, the actor is often omitted or placed in a prepositional phrase.
objectivity	A quality of writing that presents facts and information without personal bias or emotion, focusing on observable phenomena.
de-emphasize	To reduce the importance or prominence of a particular element within a sentence or text.