Objective

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to understand and use the past tense in simple sentences. They will learn how to change verbs from present to past tense and will be able to share stories about things they did in the past.

Materials and Prep

• Paper and colored pencils or crayons
• A comfortable space to sit and write
• Some simple present tense verbs (like "play," "jump," "eat") listed for reference

Before the lesson, make sure to explain what verbs are and give a few examples of present tense verbs that the student can work with.

Activities

• Verb Transformation Game:

  Start with a list of present tense verbs. Ask the student to say each verb, and then together, transform them into past tense. For example, "play" becomes "played." Make it fun by using silly voices or acting out the verbs!

• Story Time:

  Encourage the student to think of a fun thing they did recently. Help them write a short story about it using past tense verbs. Ask them to illustrate their story with drawings.

• Past Tense Charades:

  Play charades using past tense verbs. You can act out things like "jumped," "danced," or "cooked," while the student guesses what you did in the past!

Talking Points

• "What is a verb? A verb is a word that tells us what someone is doing!"
• "When we talk about something that already happened, we use the past tense. Can you think of something you did yesterday?"
• "To change a verb to the past tense, sometimes we just add 'ed.' For example, 'play' becomes 'played.' Isn't that cool?"
• "Let's think of some fun stories! What did you do last weekend? How can we tell that story using past tense?"
• "In charades, when I act out 'jumped,' it means I did it before, not right now. Can you show me something you did last week?"
• "Remember, using past tense helps us share our adventures! What is your favorite adventure from the past?"