LESSON PLAN

Teacher: Lupascu Monica

Level: pre intermediate
Stage of course: VI.
Theme: Past Simple Tense of Regular and Irregular Verbs
Textbook: Snapshot
Functions: ask and talk about past events
AIMS: The students will learn:
 The past tense of irregular verbs
 to identify past forms in a text
OBJECTIVES
By the end of the lesson, my students will be able to:
 Talk about past events
ASSUMPTIONS:
I assume that students have already understood the meaning of past tense of regular verbs
and are eager to practice.
ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS:
Students might need further practice with the structure as it is completely new for them.

Stages of lesson Activities - students and teacher Reasons for Materials Timing
activities

T greets students.
Warm-up To create a calm The register 2 min.
T asks questions: Who is absent today?
How are you today? atmosphere for
Are you ready for the lesson?
beginning the
Students answer.
lesson.
„What was your homework for today?’’ Did you
Textbook, 5 min.
Checking- do it?’’ The teacher asks a few students to read it.
- to correct the
notebooks
up homework If it’s necessary, the teacher will ask them to write
mistakes
--------------------- on the blackboard.
Pictures,
Checking T asks more comprehension questions:
To introduce the
previous What did you do yesterday? students into the
cards, 3 min.
knowledge Ss: I washed the dishes/tidied my room etc.
new topic posters,
Activity 1 To create
Transition to T gives Ss worksheets to fill in (past tense
expectations worksheets 5 min.
the new lesson simple of regular verbs)-see appendix
Ss work individually and report back to the class. pictures
Ss check their worksheets.
 T say: The title of our new lesson is „Past o
Simple” and you will learn to use in your o to introduce new
discussions about past events. structure(past
Activity 2 simple of
Presenting the T asks the pupils to read the text from the textbook irregular verbs)
page 42 ‘A Liverpool ghost story’(see the picture textbook 15 min.
new lesson from the next page)
T draws attention upon certain structures, such as : To encourage
It was late... students to talk
The woman continued....
T: What tense have these verbs? using the new
T elicits the infinitives of the verbs in the text and words
writes them on the blackboard.
Infinitive Past simple
Be was To develop
Have had etc. Worksheets
The pupils identify all the irregular verbs in the listening, writing,
textbook
text and complete the text individually with the reading and
past tense verbs from the list. (textbook, page 43)
They underline the unknown words and use the speaking skills
dictionary for explanations.
textbook
Activity 3
The teacher give to the pupils to read, complete
and copy the Grammar snapshot from the
textbook, page 43 to check if they understood the
new lesson. To make students to 5 min.
Practice practice what they
Activity 4
T explains the 3 endings of the verbs (t, d, id)- learnt
(helped, cleaned, acted).
The pupils put the verbs: counted, helped, 2 min
laughed, looked, needed, played, showed, started,
waited, washed, and watched into the right
column.
Activity 5
T asks the pupils to put the verbs in brackets into
the past simple tense, completing the sentences
from the textbook, page 43. 4 min.

Activity 6
T asks the pupils to work in pairs questioning each
other to complete their factfile on Harrison Ford.
(see the page 9) 7 min

Evaluation Then the teacher will make a short appreciation of

the pupils’ activity during the lesson.
To appreciate the
The Ss will receive as homework to solve the students’ work
exercises 2 and 3 from the page 47. 2 min.
Home T gives facultative homework to the pupils who To give students the
need to work more.(see the page 7)
Activities from the Snapshot textbook:

Facultative homework
Choose from these variants:

1. Write an essay with the title: ‘My holiday dream’ in your portfolio.
You can begin so: ‘In my dream I was with three friends in California and…’

Read and use the following questions:

-Do you sometimes dream about great holidays?
-What was your best holiday dream?
-Or your best real holiday?
-Where were you?
-What did you do?
Draw a picture; add photos, brochures or cards, too.
2. Imagine you’re still on holiday. Write a postcard to your favourite person.
e.g. 1 Dear……
Here I am in California with my family. We’re staying in a
wonderful hotel near the beach. I……
e.g. 2 Dear John
Hello from Italy! We’re at a wonderful camping
near……….
The first two days were rainy, but now it’s sunny. We go
swimming every morning. In the afternoons we
sometimes ride our bike in the forest or go and look at
the old town.
Lots of love, John Smith
Catherine 30 Newton
Road
Chester
England

I gave to the best pupils more activities from our last textbook English G
2000:
Activity 6

HOLLYWOOD
FACTFILE

He’s Han Solo and Indiana Jones. He’s the star of many Hollywood blockbusters.
His name is Harrison Ford.

Student A
Born:….
Parents: Christopher and Dorothy
First hobby:….
Aged 12: Becomes a student at Meltzer Junior High School (1954-60)
Aged 18: ….
Outside college: Forms a band, The Brothers Gross, with a friend
Aged 22:….
Aged 24: Gets first part in film in 1966
Aged 30: …..
Job: Work as a carpenter and makes furniture in Hollywood
Aged 34: …..
Some other important films: The Empire, Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade
Runner, Witness, Working Girl, The Fugitive, The Devil’s Own, Air
Force One

Student A asks student B questions to complete his factfile, then answers student B’s
questions.
Student A asks:
A: When and where was Harrison Ford born?
B: He was born on … in…
A: What was his first hobby?
B: He …
A: What happened / did he do when he was 18?
B: He …

Student B
Born: On July 13 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Parents: ….
First hobby: Keeps rats
Aged 12: …
Aged 18: Goes to Ripon College, Wisconsin to study philosophy
Outside college: ….
Aged 24: …..
Aged 30: Makes two more films, including American Graffiti
Job: ….
Aged 34: Gets his big break as Han Solo in Star Wars
Some other important films:

Questions:
B: What were Harrison Ford’s parents called?
A: They were called Christopher and Dorothy.
B: What happened / What did he do when he was 12?
A: He …
General aims:
By the end of the lesson the students will be able to:
-to identify the past simple of regular and irregular verbs
-to understand, read and write new words enriching their vocabulary
-to ask or give information about past events
-to develop speaking skills by expressing their opinions
-to be aware that this language has a grammar and we must learn its theory to
practice it correctly
- get to know more about themselves by sharing their experience
Presentation mood:
 -I try to create a friendly atmosphere and I find the presence of self-confidence in
my pupils’ eyes.
- I speak in a natural and moderate voice to assure the pupils that all is right and
under the control
- I focus on all my students to maintain the eye contact with them; they must feel
that all their problems and actions are important;
- I use one of my hand to gesture emphatically; I relaxed my arms, nod my head
to the speaker
- I smile gently when one of the pupils tells a humorous adventure referring to
the life

Learning resources:
- I always paid attention to the presentation, making drawing simple, big
enough to be seen by every pupil in the classroom. I wrote legible and
correctly on the blackboard, emphasizing with colour chalks the
grammatical rules that are important to keep in mind.
- I use interesting photos which illustrate events and traditions, playing
cards to stimulate the pair work, which provides responsibility,
independence, cooperation
- Referring to the grammar practice teacher must make a bridge between
variety of practice activities and structures in the context.
- We use also the course-book that provides texts and learning tasks, which
are likely to be of an appropriate level for most of the class.
- Practice activity must be in connection with the presentation
- We use the Internet, the Ael lessons and CD-s, which offer variety in
learning

Teaching techniques:
- I like to use: the conversation, exercises, the observation, the dialogue, the
Brain-storming, etc.
- I need to be aware that the students are pre-intermediate; I let them to be
active.
- Language teaching becomes enjoyable and more effective by singing songs for
each major topic and playing games in pair with cards or in groups;
-I need to be sure that students understand the new words correctly and also the
grammar
- I help the pupils if it is necessary
-I give them questions before teaching the new lesson (to offer them possibilities
to be active to talk)
- A teacher always gives clear instructions and he/she must to know very well the
subject matter.
- Constant revisions help consolidate learning.

Motivation:
- The pupils’ approach is very important in order to attract their attention and
to motivate them. All the children like singing and playing. I used these
ways with success. Using pair or group works, pupils have a positive
attitude and a more rapid apprehension of the information, becoming
independent, acquiring a high sense of responsibility.
- Pupils are concerned with things and activities that interest them: events,
holiday, countries, and people’s customs.

Questioning:
- Referring to questioning, I keep pupils involved in discourse and ask
appropriate questions at the right time for encourage pupils’ self-
expression or to test their understanding and their knowledge.
- I give pupils time and I command to raise their hands for permission to
speak before they answer.
- I prepare a series of helping questions for effective learning; when
questions are not concrete it may cause problem.

Time management:
- A lesson has a limited time.
- I set a time limit to the group work till I try to finish the activity while the
pupils are still enjoying it and interested.
- Playing is very interesting, but this activity and its preparation take more
time and sometimes I can’t manage it; however games are more
efficiently.

Problems in practice:
- The pupils could find difficulty in speaking, sometimes they express
themselves incorrect in pronunciation and also grammar mistakes aren’t
excluded, too. I think that, the problems are caused by the fact they didn’t
know the grammatical application rule in order to express their opinion
- They are pre-intermediate and some students may not feel self-confident
about their pronunciation and refuse interaction.
- I assess the situation and I prepare more explanations.
- I try to solve the discipline problems giving black points which influenced
badly their grades.

Assessment and feed-back:

- I always give encouragement to those pupils, who don’t answer
successfully. By this way I can recapture pupils’ wandering attention,
promote success, and enhance self-esteem. The teacher mustn’t break
their enthusiasm, but we must have high expectations.
- I treat all the pupils equally with care and with respect when I assess their
acquaintances.
- Feedback gives pupils information about the validity of their knowledge or
skills, which must have a positive emotional tone.
 - By the diagnostic assessment trough the formative, I obtain the final
appreciation respecting the syllabus.

The Past Tense Simple- Worksheet

Theory Tip
Past Tense Simple is used to denote past actions, completely finished by the
moment of speaking.
Adverbs: yesterday, four days ago, a long time ago, last year, in 1990.
EXERCISE
Use Past Tense forms to complete the following sentences.
to play volleyball to drink tea to go fishing
to plant a tree to go for a walk to take photos

a. It was a beautiful day, so Sarah and her baby………….

b. After spending the whole day at work, my parents finally had a

moment of peace and ……………….

c. Jane loves taking care of her garden and last year she ………

d. In 2000 Marco visited London and he ………….

e. I have just called Tim but his wife tells me that he

……………………. an hour ago.
f. Last summer all the children…………………………….together.

Past Simple- Test Paper for the next lesson

1. Complete the sentences with the right verb. Choose from:

helped, followed, visited, walked, crossed,
arrived, served, finished, stopped, talked
1. We ……… Disneyland last year.
2. He ………. Fast and ………… home earlier yesterday.
3. The boy ………… the street when the traffic light was red.
4. My classmates …………. I organize my birthday party at school.
5. We ………… cakes and orange juice to the other children.
6. 6. They ………… in front of Mike’s house and …………. For a long time.
7. John …………… my advice and …………… his composition for the English
class.

2. Write the following sentences in the Past Tense.

Example: The dog (chase) the cat.
The dog chased the cat.
1. The dog (chase) the cat.
___________________________
2. The cat (climb) the tree quickly.
___________________________
3. The dog (start) to bark.
___________________________
4. I (want) to chase the dog away.
___________________________
5. The dog’s owner (arrive) and (walk) away with it.
___________________________
6. The cat (look) happy.
___________________________

3. a. Write the sentences in the negative.

Example: Jane cleaned her room yesterday.
Jane didn’t clean her room yesterday.
1. Father watched TV last night.
____________________________________
2. The teacher talked about “Robinson Crusoe” last week.
____________________________________
3. I wanted to read the book.
____________________________________
4. I walked to my friend’s house two days ago.
____________________________________
5. The reporter asked the film star a lot of questions.
____________________________________
6. They traveled a lot on their holiday.
____________________________________
b. Write the sentences in 3. a. in the interrogative.
Example: Jane cleaned her room yesterday.
Did Jane clean her room yesterday?

4. Put the verbs in brackets in the past simple. Pay attention!

play – played cry – cried
stay – stayed try – tried
study – studied fry – fried
1. Mother (fry) fish yesterday.
__________________________________________
2. The little boy (cry) for his mother.
__________________________________________
3. The scientist (study) English when he was a child.
__________________________________________
4. They (play) tennis together last week.
__________________________________________
5. They (stay) at home because the weather was bad.
__________________________________________
6. John and Susan (try) to write a song for the school festival.
__________________________________________

5. Study the list of irregular verbs from be to cost, then put the verbs in
brackets in the past tense simple.
1. Your friend …………... his leg in the park yesterday. (break)
2. ……. He …………. you flowers last Saturday? (bring)
3. Where …….. you last night? (be)
4. Her mother …………….. pancakes yesterday. (not cook)
5. My friend ………… a new dress last Saturday. (buy)
6. We ………… at a hotel last summer. (stay)
7. …. he …….. to Cluj last winter? (come)
8. This dress ……… her lot of money. (cost)
9. There …………. Any books on my desk yesterday. (not be)

6. a. Study the list of irregular verbs from cut to get, the put the verbs in
brackets in the past tense simple.
1. My cat …….. its leg yesterday. (cut)
 2. We ……… cheeseburgers last Thursday. (eat)
3. Where ……. you ………. your keys yesterday? (lose)
4. These men ……….. a lot yesterday. (work)
5. I ………… my jacket at school last Monday. (forget)
6. Wendy ………. A good mark yesterday. (get)

7. a. Study the list of irregular verbs from give to run, then put the verbs in
brackets in the past simple.
1. He …….. to grandmother’s house and ………. there before Little Red Riding
Hood. (run) (arrive)
2. When she ……….., the wolf …….. Little Red Riding Hood, too. (arrive) (eat)
3. The wolf ………. where she ……….. . (find out) (go)
4. Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother ……… sick. (be)
5. He ……… the grandmother and …………… her clothes. (eat) (put on)
6. Little Red Riding Hood ……… to her grandmother’s house. (go)
7. On the way to her grandmother’s place she ………. a wolf. (meet)
8. She ……….. bread, cheese and fruit in her basket. (have)
b. Order the events to write the story of Red Riding Hood.

8. Study the list of irregular verbs from sell to think, then put the verbs in
brackets into the past simple.
Last week I (go) with my friends to the seaside. We (spend) four days there.
We (take) food, water, clothes and sleeping bags. We (sleep) in a tent. In Constanta
we (see) the Aquarium and the Dolphinarium. At the Aquarium we (meet) some
American tourists and we (speak) to them in English. They (tell) us about their
country. One of them (study) the sharks. He (say) he (like) danger and the fish in the
sea. We (think) he (be) a bit crazy. But after talking to him, we (become) more
interested in sharks.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
____________

9. a. Put the following irregular verbs in the past simple.

Example: I (drink) juice at her birthday party.
I drank juice at her birthday party.
1. I (eat) a lot of fresh fruit last week.
___________________________________
2. Mary (go) for a walk with her friend yesterday evening.
_______________________________________
3. The children (make) a robot from empty boxes yesterday.
_______________________________________
4. Jane (take) her dog for a walk last night.
_______________________________________
5. They (see) a good film on TV last Sunday.
_______________________________________
6. I (be) on duty yesterday at school.
_______________________________________
7. Tom (be) a good student.
_______________________________________
8 Tony (have) a good time at my birthday party.
_______________________________________
9. She (give) me a wonderful present.
_______________________________________
10. Sheila (write) a letter to her parents from the summer camp.
_______________________________________
11. Ben (read) “Robinson Crusoe” when he was eleven.
_______________________________________
12. They (come) to see me last week.
_______________________________________
b. Write the sentences in 9. a. in the negative.
Example: I drank juice at her birthday party.
I didn’t drink juice at her birthday party.
c. Write the sentences in 9. a. in the interrogative.
Example: I drank juice at her birthday party.
I didn’t drink juice at her birthday party.
10. Write questions about the underlined words.
Example: He met his friends.
Who did he meet?
1. She was 11 years old.
How …………………?
2. The weather was wet and cold yesterday.
What ……………………………….?
3. The children liked reading stories.
What ………………………………..?
4. Tom saw two sparrow chicks on his way home.
How many ………………………………………..?
5. He ate all the cakes because he was hungry.
Why ……………………………?
6. Father washed the dishes yesterday.
Who ………………………………..?
7. Anne put her books in her schoolbag.
Where …………………………………?
8. The dirty T-shirt was Sam’s.
Whose ………………………………?

11. Write the questions.

where/ you/ go last Sunday? ___________________________
 1. how/ you/go there? ___________________________
2. what/ you/ eat? ___________________________
3. how/ be the food? ___________________________
4. what/ you/ drink? ___________________________
5. what/ you/ see? ___________________________

12. Put the verbs in brackets in the past tense simple, affirmative, negative
or interrogative.
1. The dog (run) away from home because his owner (not feed) him.
________________________________________________________
2. Why you (write) such a short composition?
________________________________________________________
3. He (take) a bad mark yesterday.
________________________________________________________
4. They (spend) all their money on sweets.
__________________________________________________________
5. You (see) the big truck in front of our school?
__________________________________________________________
6. You (be) at home last night?
__________________________________________________________
7. Tom (not hear) us knocking at his door.
__________________________________________________________
8. They (find) a stray puppy in the street.
__________________________________________________________
9. My cousin (come) to visit me at the weekend.
__________________________________________________________
10. You (give) her your address?
__________________________________________________________
13. Read the story of The Ugly Duckling.

A duck sat on her nest, waiting for her eggs to hatch. When the eggs cracked and the little
ducklings came out, she saw that one of them was very ugly. She looked at him angrily, so
the little duckling ran away in the fields.
Soon he arrived at a great marsh where the wild ducks lived. All the ducks there told him he
was very ugly and laughed at him. He ran away from the great marsh. The rain started to fall.
The ugly duckling was wet and cold and hungry.
Just as the night fell, he found a little house. He went in to get warm. An old woman lived
there. She had a cat and a hen. But when they all found him in the morning, they sent him
away, telling him how ugly he was. So the little duckling was on his own again.
One day, he saw a flock of beautiful white swans and felt sorry he wasn’t as beautiful as
they were. Winter came and the duckling had nowhere to go and no food to eat. He was
always cold and hungry.
But after many long weeks, the spring sun began to shine again. The duckling spread his
wings – they were strong wings now! He flew high into the sky to meet the beautiful white
swans. Now he was one of them.
to hatch = a iesi din ou, flock = stol
 to spread the wings = a întinde aripile

a. Underline the verbs in the past tense. Write down the two forms of the
irregular ones.
Example: sit – sat

b. Ask questions about the story.

Example: Why did the ugly duckling run away from the duck’s nest?
He ran away because the duck was angry with him for being ugly.
1. ______________________________________________________?
He arrived at a marsh where the wild ducks lived.
2. ______________________________________________________?
No, he didn’t stay there long.
3. ______________________________________________________?
Next he went to a small house.
4. ______________________________________________________?
An old woman lived there.
5. ______________________________________________________?
He went away from the old woman because she told him he was ugly.
6. _______________________________________________________?
One day he saw a flock of beautiful white swans.
7. ________________________________________________________?
He felt sorry because he wasn’t like them.
8. _________________________________________________________?
When spring came he turned into a beautiful white swan.