Past, Present, and Future Verb Tenses

EDCI 270 Case 1: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Cathleen Capouch ~ Elena Muoz ~ Emily Wilkowski
Overview of Lesson

Students will learn about past, present, and future tenses. They will,
first, watch a video that introduces the different tenses. Afterwards,
they will work through a worksheet, together. Then, they will have
an interactive activity and, finally, they will complete an assessment.

Description of Learners,
Intended Learning
Goals, & Lesson
Content

This lesson plan is for beginning 6th grade English-language

learners. Using multimedia and an interactive activity students will
learn to differentiate the past, present, and future tenses in text and
orally.

Learning Objectives

Standards

Students will be able to differentiate between past, present,

and future verb tenses after watching an informational video
and completing a worksheet. Knowledge will be
demonstrated through performance on a review tic-tac-toe
game and correctly answering review questions.
Students will have the ability to correctly use verb tenses in
both writing and speech.
Learning About How English Works
o Understanding text structure: Apply basic
understanding of how different text types are
organized to express ideas (e.g., how a narrative is
organized sequentially with predictable stages versus
how arguments are organized around ideas) to
comprehending texts and writing basic texts.
Understanding cohesion
o Apply basic understanding of language resources for
referring the reader back or forward in text (e.g., how
pronouns refer back to nouns in text) to
comprehending texts and writing basic texts.
o Apply basic understanding of how ideas, events, or
reasons are linked throughout a text using a select set
of everyday connecting words or phrases (e.g.,
first/next, at the beginning) to comprehending texts
and writing basic texts.

From California Department of Education - English Language

Development Standards for Grade 6, Section 2, Part II

Required Materials

Procedures

Computer
Projector
E-boards
Worksheets
Writing utensils

Video
1. Play video.
2. After video, ask students what commonality they see in past
tense verbs. (-ed)
3. Then, similarly, ask about future tense verbs. (will ___)
Worksheet
1. Distribute worksheets.
2. Together as a class, work through the examples in the
worksheet.
3. Point out the -ed in past tense and will ___ in future tense. s
Tic-Tac-Toe Game
1. First, separate the class into two teams. Draw a tic-tac-toe
playing area in the middle of the e-board and randomly place
pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, they, it) in each of the boxes of
the tic-tac-toe board.
2. Next, prepare verbs written on pieces of paper and place
them in a box or hat for students to draw from. In turn, each
student selects a verb, chooses a space and then gives the
correct form of the verb for the box the student chooses. If
the student is correct, their team is awarded the box. (To
differentiate between teams and keep score throughout,
perhaps use a different highlighter color to represent taken
boxes)
3. A student may re-use a box that has been filled in by conjugating a new verb to go with the pronoun. They will steal the
space this way.
4. The first team to get three boxes in a row, wins the round.
Assessment - Powerpoint
1. Pull up Powerpoint one-board.
2. Get the students attention, so they are focused and ready to
work.
3. Click to the next slide of the Powerpoint. It has the directions
for the quick quiz, which are get out a piece of paper, number
from 1-8, and once the quiz starts the students are to pick the
best answer for each question.
4. Check to make sure all the students are ready to start.

5. Click to the next slide, which is question 1.

6. For each question, give the students enough time to read and
contemplate the answer (1-2 minutes).
7. Once all the students are done with one question move on to
the next.
8. Once you reach the Answers slide you and your students
will go through the answers and they will be able to ask any
questions that come up. Be sure to answer these as well as
you can so that your lesson will be understood.
References
&
Reference Materials

Auerbach, E. (1993). Reexamining English only in the ESL

classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 27(1), 9-32.
http://doi.org/10.2307/3586949
This source argues strongly against using English only
teaching methods in educating English Language Learners.
The sources claims that there is no evidence making it
reasonable to assume that schools are justified in using
English only curriculum. Students that are able to draw on
their native language in the classroom while being instructed
in English proves to be more effective method of teaching,
and also gives acknowledgment to the students culture.
Carlo, M., August, D., McLaughlin, B., Snow, C., Dressler, C.,
Lippman, D., ... White, C. (2004). Closing the gap:
Addressing the vocabulary needs of English-language learners
in bilingual and mainstream classrooms. Reading Research
Quarterly, 39(2), 188-215. http://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.39.2.3
This source discussed how Latino students often
underperform in language arts areas as a result of not having
an equal amount of exposure to vocabulary as other students
in the classroom. The main belief was that the students should
have access to a Spanish interpretation of the vocabulary or
reading, in order to enhance their understanding. This way,
the preexisting connection between words and meanings in
Spanish can be incorporated into comprehension of English
words and meanings. In the study, when approaches to
teaching with this focus were used, the students showed
greater progress.