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Thank you, teacher! Object pronouns for saying thank you

This A1 ESL lesson plan covers object pronouns, from me to them, for thanking teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week.

Grammar
Object pronouns from me to them after a verb (Thank him!) or after for, with, to and from (This card is for you.), set against subject pronouns: She helps me. I help her.
Topic
Teacher Appreciation Week in May, when US students thank their teachers with cards, notes and drawings, and words such as thank-you note, sticker, crayons and principal.
Activities
A school flyer, a dialogue and a principal's morning message, self-checking drills, a chat that plans a card, open boxes and a thank-you note to write.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, school!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: thank you, teacher!VocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: a week for teachers

    • Look at the photo: cards for a teacherPictureUnlock
    • Read the flyerReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: cards for Emma

    • Listen to Emma and JackListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the principal's morning messageListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to the principal and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: thank him, help me

    • Study the scheme: me, you, him, her, it, us, themGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: change the word in ( )Fill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: turn the sentences aroundFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: a thank-you plan

    • Choose the right replies: a card for Mrs. DiazChatTry it
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Drag the words into the gaps: me, you, him, her, it, us, themDrag and dropUnlock
    • Match the words and their meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a thank-you note to a teacher or a coachWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message: thank you!Speaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • thank-you note
  • drawing
  • sticker
  • classroom
  • student
  • principal
  • crayons

Grammar: object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

A thank-you is all about who gets it: Thank him! We love her. This card is for you. Learners put the object form after a verb or a preposition and learn the subject and object pronouns as pairs, I and me, they and them, while you and it stay the same.

Thank him! Help me! Give them a card!

After a verb, or after for, with, to, from: say me, you, him, her, it, us, them.

Seven pairs: I and me, he and him…

Every subject pronoun has an object partner: I and me, he and him, she and her, we and us, they and them. You and it keep one form for both jobs: You help me. I help you.

Before the verbAfter a verb or for, with, toExample
ImeCan you help me?
youyouThis card is for you.
hehimThank him!
sheherWe love her.
ititA card? I love it!
weusTell us a story!
theythemGive them a card.

After a verb: thank him, love her

The object pronoun goes right after the verb: We love her. Thank him! Emma tells us about her class. The subject form never goes there, so Thank she! and Give they a card are wrong.

verbme / you / him / her / it / us / them

We love her.

Thank him!

Emma tells us about her class.

After for, with, to and from

The same forms follow for, with, to and from: This card is for you. Come with me! Give the card to her. A preposition takes me, never I: for me, not for I.

for / with / to / fromme / you / him / her / it / us / them

This card is for you.

Come with me!

Give the card to her.

Who does it? Who gets it?

Before the verb, the subject does the action; after it, the object gets it: She helps me. I help her. Her has two jobs, like him and like his: Thank her for her card!

Who does it? Who gets it?

Before the verb: I, he, she, we, they

  • She helps me.
  • We love him.
  • They thank us.

After the verb: me, him, her, us, them

  • I help her.
  • He loves us.
  • We thank them.

you, it and her

you and it don't change: You help me. I help you. It's great. I love it! her is like him and like his: Thank her (= him) for her card (= his card)!

Common mistakes

  • Thank she!

    Thank her!

    after a verb: her

  • Give they a card.

    Give them a card.

    after a verb: them

  • This card is for I.

    This card is for me.

    after for: me

  • Come with he!

    Come with him!

    after with: him

More lessons on this grammar: Pronouns lessons and exercises

Try the object pronouns exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 12 auto-checked exercises
  • 2 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • use me, you, him, her, it, us and them after a verb: We love her. Thank him!
  • use the same forms after for, with, to and from: This card is for you. Come with me!
  • turn a sentence around, from subject to object: She helps me. I help her.
  • thank a teacher or a coach in a card or a short note: Thank you for everything!

Lesson 16 closes Celebrations, the fourth unit of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on lesson 7 of English A1.1 · Hello, World, which set the subject pronouns beside their possessives (he and his, she and her), and adds a third form, the object; lesson 28 completes the set with possessive pronouns such as mine and hers. A thank-you always has someone on the receiving end, so the object pronoun carries the message: Thank him!

A spin wheel about favorite teachers comes first, then ten words, from thank and tell to principal and crayons, with pictures and audio. Students read a school PTA's flyer with a thank-you for each school day, then answer true-or-false and multiple-choice questions. They hear Emma and Jack look at the cards from Emma's students (an AI-voiced dialogue) and a principal's message on National Teacher Day. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four exercises, checked as students answer, from a gap-fill that changes I to me to a table that turns sentences around. In the speaking chapter, students plan a card for Mrs. Diaz with a classmate in a chat, then open boxes of questions about teachers, friends and saying thank you.

Homework is a drag-and-drop of the seven object pronouns and a word match, both checked automatically. Students then write a thank-you note to a teacher or a coach and record a voice message for one, and both go to the teacher.

Grammar:
object pronouns · me, you, him, her, it, us, them · subject and object pronouns
Topic:
Teacher Appreciation Week · school · thank-you cards · teachers

Teaching tips

  • Pass a card around the room and narrate where it goes with object pronouns: I give it to him. He gives it to her. She gives it to them.
  • Ask how students thank their teachers before the flyer, list the ideas on the board, then compare them with the flyer's plan for each school day.
  • Drill the turn-around table in pairs: one student says She helps me, the partner answers I help her, and they swap with a new verb.
  • Make real cards after the chat: each student writes one for someone at school, with at least three object pronouns: This card is for you. We love you!

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16 · you're hereThank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

What are object pronouns?
Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us and them, the pronouns that come after a verb or after words like for and with. They name the person or thing that gets the action: We love her. Thank him! This card is for you. Before the verb, English uses the subject pronouns instead: She helps me, but I help her.
What's the difference between subject and object pronouns?
A subject pronoun does the action and comes before the verb; an object pronoun gets the action and comes after it. She helps me. I help her. The pairs are I and me, he and him, she and her, we and us, they and them, while you and it don't change. A table in Thank you, teacher!, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, turns He thanks us into We thank him.
What are some examples of object pronouns in sentences?
Here are seven examples, one for each object pronoun: Can you help me? This card is for you. Thank him! We love her. A card? I love it! Tell us a story! Give them a card. Each one follows a verb or a word like for. The scheme of the A1 lesson Thank you, teacher! on edio.ai sets the same seven in a table.
When do you use me, you, him, her, it, us and them?
Use these pronouns after a verb or after for, with, to and from, where the person or thing gets the action. Emma tells us about her class. Come with me! Give the card to her. Before the verb, switch to I, he, she, we or they: We love him, but He loves us.
Is it "for I" or "for me"?
It's for me: words like for and with take object pronouns. This card is for me. Come with him! Give it to them. The same rule makes with he, to she and from they wrong. This card is for I and Come with he! are two of the common mistakes in Thank you, teacher!, an A1 lesson on edio.ai.
Is it "tell her" or "tell to her"?
It's tell her, with no to, because tell takes the person straight after it. Let's tell her: You're a great teacher! Tell us a story! Tell me about him! Say works differently and needs to before a person: Say thank you to her. The chat in the A1 lesson Thank you, teacher! on edio.ai sets Let's tell to her as a wrong reply.
Is "her" an object pronoun or a possessive adjective?
Her is both: an object pronoun after a verb, like him, and a possessive before a noun, like his. Thank her (= thank him) for her card (= his card). We love her. Her students make cards. The other pronouns keep the two jobs apart: him and his, us and our, them and their.
How do you say thank you to a teacher in English?
Say Thank you for…! and name what the teacher does: Thank you for our English classes! You help me every day. A card or a note can start with Dear Mrs. Diaz, and end with your name. Add object pronouns: We love you! This drawing is for you. In the US, students write such cards and notes in Teacher Appreciation Week, the first full week of May.
How do I teach object pronouns to beginners?
Teach each object pronoun with its subject partner, then flip sentences so students see the switch: She helps me. I help her. Real thank-yous give the forms a reason: Thank him! This card is for you. In Thank you, teacher! on edio.ai, a flyer for Teacher Appreciation Week and a dialogue about students' cards come before the scheme, four drills and a chat that plans a card.
What's a good game for practicing object pronouns?
A good one is passing a real card around the class: each student says where it goes, I give it to her, She gives it to them. For speaking, open-the-box questions work well: Who helps you every day? How can you thank him or her? The boxes in this lesson end with Thank your partner for something today: Thank you for…!
What's good homework for practicing object pronouns?
Good homework is a thank-you note to a teacher or a coach, since it needs you, me and us naturally: You help me every day. This drawing is for you. In the A1 lesson Thank you, teacher! on edio.ai, a self-checking drag-and-drop of the seven pronouns and a word match come first; the note and a voice message that thanks a teacher or coach then go to the teacher.
Are there interactive exercises for object pronouns?
Yes: gap-fills that turn I into me and he into him check each answer at once. This page plays four parts of Thank you, teacher!, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, with no account needed: the Teacher Appreciation Week flyer, Emma and Jack's dialogue, the gap-fill that changes the word in parentheses (We love her.) and a chat that plans a card for Mrs. Diaz. The other drills are locked.
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