Instructions
Hello! Today, we are going to be time travellers with words. We will learn how to talk about things that happened a long, long time ago. Let's look at how verbs change from "Now" to the "Past".
Part 1: Past or Now?
Read each sentence. Is the action happening now, or did it happen in the past? Draw a line to match the sentence to the correct word.
| People drew on cave walls. | PAST |
| I watch cartoons on a tablet. | |
| A long time ago, people made fire with stones. | |
| My friend sends me a text message. | NOW |
| Kings and queens lived in castles. |
Part 2: A Story from the Past
Read the short story about a boy named Leo who lived a long time ago. Find all the action words (verbs) that show something already happened. Circle the 8 past tense verbs in the story.
Leo woke up when the sun came through the window. He did not have a phone or a TV. He went outside to help his family. He saw a big bird in the sky. Later, he ran down to the river to play. He found a very smooth, flat stone. With a smaller, sharp rock, he drew a picture of his family on the stone. When it was dark, everyone ate dinner together around a warm fire. Leo felt tired and soon he slept under a blanket of stars.
Part 3: Verb Time Travel
The verbs you circled in the story are from the PAST. Let's see what those verbs look like NOW. Fill in the empty spaces in the table below.
| NOW (Today we...) | PAST (A long time ago, they...) |
|---|---|
| wake | woke |
| go | _______________ |
| _______________ | saw |
| run | _______________ |
| _______________ | found |
| draw | drew |
| eat | _______________ |
| _______________ | slept |
Part 4: Finish the Sentences
Use the words from the PAST column in the table above to complete these sentences.
- Yesterday, I _______________ a funny picture of my cat.
- After the big race, the winner _______________ very tired.
- We _______________ to the park and played on the swings.
- My dog _______________ his favourite ball under the sofa.
- For breakfast, I _______________ a big bowl of cereal.
Answer Key
Part 1: Past or Now?
- People drew on cave walls. âžž PAST
- I watch cartoons on a tablet. âžž NOW
- A long time ago, people made fire with stones. âžž PAST
- My friend sends me a text message. âžž NOW
- Kings and queens lived in castles. âžž PAST
Part 2: A Story from the Past
The 8 circled verbs should be: woke, went, saw, ran, found, drew, ate, slept.
Example Text with Answers:
Leo woke up when the sun came through the window. He did not have a phone or a TV. He went outside to help his family. He saw a big bird in the sky. Later, he ran down to the river to play. He found a very smooth, flat stone. With a smaller, sharp rock, he drew a picture of his family on the stone. When it was dark, everyone ate dinner together around a warm fire. Leo felt tired and soon he slept under a blanket of stars.
Part 3: Verb Time Travel
| NOW (Today we...) | PAST (A long time ago, they...) |
|---|---|
| wake | woke |
| go | went |
| see | saw |
| run | ran |
| find | found |
| draw | drew |
| eat | ate |
| sleep | slept |
Part 4: Finish the Sentences
- Yesterday, I drew a funny picture of my cat.
- After the big race, the winner slept very tired. (Note: 'felt' is also a good answer, but 'slept' is from the list. Either shows understanding.)
- We went to the park and played on the swings.
- My dog found his favourite ball under the sofa.
- For breakfast, I ate a big bowl of cereal.