Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Verbs: Simple Past

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 minutes)

The objectives stage is essential to direct the efforts of students and the teacher toward the desired learning outcomes. By clearly establishing what is expected to be achieved, students can focus their prior studies and classroom participation on the key competencies of the simple past in English. This section also serves to align expectations and ensure that all involved are aware of what will be assessed at the end of the lesson.

Main Objectives:

1. Empower students to identify and correctly use regular and irregular verbs in the simple past, highlighting their forms and usage in various contexts.

2. Develop the ability to compare the simple past with other verb tenses, allowing students to understand the temporal nuances in the English language.

Side Objectives:

1. Encourage active participation from students in discussions and practical activities to solidify acquired knowledge.

Introduction

Duration: (15 minutes)

The introduction stage serves to activate students' prior knowledge and contextualize the importance of the lesson's theme. The proposed problem situations stimulate students to think critically about the application of the simple past, while the contextualization shows the relevance of the topic in real situations, increasing engagement and motivation.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Ask students to retell a short story they have read in English, using only the simple past. This will help identify possible common mistakes and solidify the application of the verb tense.

2. Propose a fictional scenario where students need to describe a day in the life of a past celebrity, such as Marilyn Monroe, using the simple past. This will not only train the use of the verb tense but also stimulate imagination and creativity.

Contextualization

Explain the importance of the simple past in English, showing how it is employed in narratives, interviews, and descriptions of past events. Share curiosities about how verb tenses change temporal perception in different cultures and contexts of language use. For example, how the use of the simple past may be less common in some cultures that use other verb tenses to tell stories.

Development

Duration: (75 - 80 minutes)

The development stage is designed for students to practically and contextually apply their prior knowledge of the simple past. Through dynamic and interactive activities, students can explore and solidify their understanding of verb usage in the past, both in regular and irregular forms. This playful and collaborative approach aims not only to deepen learning but also to develop teamwork and creativity skills.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Verb Tenses Cinema

> Duration: (70 - 75 minutes)

- Objective: Practice the application of the simple past in a playful and creative context, reinforcing fluency and the correct use of verb tenses.

- Description: Students will be divided into groups of up to five people. Each group will be tasked with creating a short video dramatizing a story that involves the use of the simple past. They must use at least five verbs in the simple past in different forms (affirmative, negative, and interrogative). The plot can be fictional or based on historical events, but it must be entirely narrated in English.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of no more than five students.

• Distribute cards with different infinitive verbs that must be used in the simple past.

• Guide the groups to create a storyboard planning the scenes and dialogues.

• Students will have 60 minutes to film and edit the video, using any available resources such as smartphones or small cameras.

• At the end, each group will present their video to the class, followed by a brief discussion about the use of verbs in the simple past.

Activity 2 - Time Travel

> Duration: (70 - 75 minutes)

- Objective: Develop the understanding and use of the simple past in historical contexts, stimulating research and creativity.

- Description: In this activity, students will travel to different times in the past, using the simple past to describe what they would do in specific situations. Each group will choose a historical period and present a daily scene from that time, using simple past verbs to describe actions.

- Instructions:

• Organize students into groups of five.

• Each group chooses a historical period (for example, Renaissance, Cold War, etc.).

• Students must plan and act out a short scene representing daily life at that time, using the simple past.

• Allocate 30 minutes for preparation and rehearsal of the scene.

• After rehearsals, each group presents their scene to the class, followed by a small discussion about the use of the simple past in the descriptions.

Activity 3 - Temporal Detectives

> Duration: (70 - 75 minutes)

- Objective: Enhance the ability to recognize and apply verbs in the simple past in various contexts, promoting critical text analysis.

- Description: Students will become linguistic detectives, investigating the use of verbs in the simple past in provided text excerpts. They will identify the verbs, classify them as regular or irregular, and explain the context in which they were used.

- Instructions:

• Divide students into groups of up to five.

• Distribute excerpts of texts in English that contain verbs in the simple past.

• Each group must identify and list the verbs, classifying them as regular or irregular.

• Students must then explain the context in which each verb was used.

• After the analysis, each group presents their findings to the class, discussing their discoveries.

Feedback

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The purpose of this feedback stage is to allow students to reflect on the learning acquired through practical activities and group discussions. This not only reinforces knowledge of the simple past but also helps students develop self-assessment and constructive criticism skills. Group discussions allow different perspectives to be shared and enable students to learn from one another, thus enriching the collective learning process.

Group Discussion

At the end of the practical activities, organize a group discussion with all students. Start the discussion with a brief introduction about the importance of practicing and applying the simple past in various contexts. Encourage each group to share their experiences, challenges faced, and what they learned while creating and presenting their projects. Use this opportunity for students to reflect on the application of verbs in the simple past and how it influences the clarity and effectiveness of communication in English.

Key Questions

1. What were the main challenges your group faced in using the simple past in the projects and how did you overcome them?

2. How does the use of verbs in the simple past help tell stories in a clear and engaging way?

3. Was there any notable difference in the use of regular and irregular verbs in the simple past during the activities?

Conclusion

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The conclusion stage serves to consolidate the knowledge acquired during the lesson, ensuring that students have a clear and detailed view of the concepts discussed. Additionally, by revisiting key points, the teacher ensures that students can retain and apply the content learned in their future writing and speaking practices in English. This recapitulation is also essential to reinforce the link between theory and practice, demonstrating to students the utility and applicability of what has been learned.

Summary

In conclusion, the teacher should summarize the key points covered in the lesson, reiterating the importance of the simple past and highlighting the differences between regular and irregular verbs. It is essential to recap the affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms and how they are applied in different contexts, both literary and practical.

Theory Connection

During the lesson, students were able to connect previously studied theory with practice through interactive activities such as creating videos, dramatizing past eras, and text analysis. These activities not only solidified theoretical understanding but also demonstrated the applicability of the simple past in real and imaginary situations, reinforcing learning through practice.

Closing

Finally, the teacher should emphasize the relevance of the simple past in daily use of the English language, highlighting how the correct application of this verb tense is crucial for effective communication in various contexts, from academic to professional and personal.