Instructions
Read each section carefully. We are going to learn about things happening now (the present tense) and things that happened long ago (the past tense) by exploring the world of cave art!
Activity 1: Sorting Words
Verbs are action words. Some verbs tell us what is happening now, and some tell us what already happened. Sort the verbs from the rock into the correct columns in the table below.
hunted paint drew lived walk saw look made
| Happening Now (Present) | Happened Long Ago (Past) |
|---|---|
Activity 2: Cave Sentences
Circle the correct word to finish each sentence about life long ago.
- A cave artist ( paints / painted ) a picture of a horse.
- Long ago, people ( hunt / hunted ) mammoths for food.
- Yesterday, I ( see / saw ) a drawing of a bison on the wall.
- The artist ( makes / made ) paint from berries and rocks.
- They ( live / lived ) in big, dark caves.
Activity 3: Time Travel Writing
The first sentence is happening now. Rewrite the sentence to make it happen in the past. The first one is done for you.
1. I walk to the cave.
I walked to the cave.
2. I look at the art.
____________________________________________________
3. I draw a deer.
____________________________________________________
4. I make a paintbrush from twigs.
____________________________________________________
Activity 4: Be a Cave Artist!
Imagine you lived long ago. In the box below, draw your own cave art of an animal. Then, write one sentence in the past tense about what you drew.
I ____________________________________________________ .
Answer Key
Activity 1: Sorting Words
| Happening Now (Present) | Happened Long Ago (Past) |
|---|---|
| paint | hunted |
| walk | drew |
| look | lived |
| (saw and made could be here but are irregular, for a 7-year-old let's stick to the base verbs) | saw |
| made |
Note for educator: The present tense forms of "drew", "saw", and "made" are "draw", "see", and "make". They were not in the word bank to simplify the sorting task.
Activity 2: Cave Sentences
- A cave artist ( paints / painted ) a picture of a horse.
- Long ago, people ( hunt / hunted ) mammoths for food.
- Yesterday, I ( see / saw ) a drawing of a bison on the wall.
- The artist ( makes / made ) paint from berries and rocks.
- They ( live / lived ) in big, dark caves.
Activity 3: Time Travel Writing
- I walk to the cave.
I walked to the cave. - I look at the art.
I looked at the art. - I draw a deer.
I drew a deer. - I make a paintbrush from twigs.
I made a paintbrush from twigs.
Activity 4: Be a Cave Artist!
Answers will vary. The drawing should be of an animal. The sentence should be in the past tense (e.g., "I drew a big mammoth." or "I painted a running horse.").