Transcript Silvia Fusi Scuola Frassati – Seveso (Mi)

How to introduce
Irregular Past Tenses
to Young Learners (from 11 to 13 y.o.)
Silvia Fusi
Scuola Frassati – Seveso (MB)
You can start from any text (oral or written) you
have in your course book or in your lesson plans.
Usually students like short thrillers or mystery
stories.
The one I chose was easy but the students
enjoyed it.
GETTING THINGS STARTED…
1.
The aim of these lessons is to get students to find the past tenses of verbs themselves.
2.
Students approaching this text were already familiar with the simple past tense of be
(was and were). They had already listened to a story in the past and already understood
that something “changes” in the verb when you talk about past actions.
3.
Choose a text which:
a.
is interesting for your students;
b.
contains the past of the verb to be, of some common regular verbs and of some
common irregular ones;
c.
is easy enough to be understood by your students without too much help from
you.
NB. The following activities took 3 lessons to teach irregular verbs plus 2 for regular ones.
Remember you need a few days to practise using the verbs.
STEP 1
Reading,
Comprehension and
verb detection
o The students start by
reading the story;
o Then they use the chart
both to work out and
match the infinitives to
their past forms;
o After filling in the chart,
you make them notice
some spelling rules for
regular forms (silent “e”, “y”);
o Students use the verbs
to complete part 2.
Excerpt taken from Doff – Jones “Relay” Loescher / CUP 2001
STEP 1
Listening
Comprehension and
Verb detection
o You can ask your students to describe
the picture and try to make up a
suitable ending;
o Then students listen to the end of the
story; curiosity plays a big role!
o They complete the exercise;
o You help them “listen” to new past
forms (told, wrote, came) and
understand the interrogative
sentences (“Were you awake?”, “Did
you see anything?”);
Excerpt taken from Doff – Jones “Relay” Loescher / CUP 2001
STEP 2
Organizing knowledge to
learn quicker
and better
REGULAR VERBS
Prepare a few lessons in which you’ll
teach:
-spelling rules;
--ed pronunciation (suggested activity
on the right; students can work in
groups; you provide pronunciation and
help). Working on pronunciation will
make students aware that some
irregular verbs get their “rules” from
pronunciation (such as built, smelt,
spent…)
S
T
E
P
2
IRREGULAR VERBS
Now ask students to look at the irregular verbs they have met
so far and classify them into “families”:
- The ones which don’t change (we say they are a Happy
Family);
- Those ending in –ought (e.g. bring – brought –brought);
remember to include teach (tAught) and catch (cAught) in
this family (we say they are“the different twins”);
- Those with a vowel change (i.e. sing – sang – sung)
S
T
E
P
Ask students to
create and fill in
charts on paper or
on the computer
which they can keep.
Make sure they leave
some empty spaces
for new verbs.
There are some
more examples on
the right.
2
Even though you are
not going to use the
past participle form,
make students learn
it anyway; it will be
harder later.
o Each time you find a “new” verb with your students, ask
them to put it in the right file.
o Test them frequently on the verbs you meet in context.
o Their files will grow very quickly.
o You’ll be impressed when you realize how soon they learn
by themselves to detect irregular verbs and “predict” the
past forms.