Lesson plan of Verbs: Simple Past Regular and Irregular Verbs

Objectives (5-7 minutes)

1. Understanding simple past verbs: The teacher should explain to the students the concept of simple past verbs, highlighting their structure and how they are used in sentences.

2. Identification of regular and irregular verbs: After the initial explanation, the teacher should guide the students to identify the difference between regular and irregular verbs, emphasising that regular verbs follow a fixed pattern of formation in the simple past, while irregular verbs have specific forms.

3. Practice of conjugating verbs in the simple past tense: Once the students have understood the theory, the teacher should guide them to practise conjugating verbs in the simple past, both regular and irregular.

   • Secondary objectives: Encourage active student participation, address questions and correct errors constructively, thus promoting confidence and fluency in English.

   • Secondary objectives: Encourage individual research and autonomous study, providing students with support material (such as lists of regular and irregular verbs) for study at home.

Introduction (10-15 minutes)

1. Content review: The teacher should begin the class by briefly reviewing English verbs, reminding students about what they are, how they are used in sentences and how they are conjugated in the present simple. This review is essential so that the students can compare and contrast with the new content to be presented, the simple past.

2. Problem situations: The teacher can then propose two problem situations:

   • Situation 1: Imagine that you went to a concert last night. In your English class, you want to tell your classmates about it. How would you use the simple past tense verbs to tell your experience?

   • Situation 2: Suppose you are writing a diary in English and you want to describe what you did yesterday. How would you use the simple past tense verbs to describe your activities?

3. Contextualisation: The teacher can then explain the importance of simple past tense verbs, highlighting that they are used to describe actions that occurred and were completed in the past. It can also be mentioned that the simple past is very common in narrative texts, such as stories and news.

4. Introduction to the topic: To arouse the students' interest, the teacher can share interesting facts about simple past tense verbs:

   • Interesting fact 1: In English, many irregular verbs are common and frequently used verbs. For example, the verb "to be" is irregular in the simple past, and its forms are "was" (for I, he, she, it) and "were" (for you, we, they). This means that when learning the simple past, students will also be learning many common verbs.

   • Interesting fact 2: While most English verbs follow the pattern of adding "-ed" or "-d" at the end to form the simple past, there are many irregular verbs that do not follow this rule. For example, the verb "to go" becomes "went" in the simple past, and the verb "to do" becomes "did". This makes learning simple past tense verbs an interesting challenge.

Development (20-25 minutes)

1. Role-playing activity: The teacher can divide the class into groups of 4-5 students. Each group will receive a different situation to act out, using the simple past tense of verbs. The situations could be:

   • Situation 1: A group of friends who went to an amusement park last weekend.
   • Situation 2: A family who prepared a special dinner last night.
   • Situation 3: A student who missed the bus to school and had to ask a neighbour for a ride.

   The teacher should instruct the students to write a short script for their role play, using the simple past tense of verbs. Then, each group should present their role play to the class. After each presentation, the teacher should correct errors and reinforce the correct use of the simple past.

2. Verb memory game: The teacher should prepare cards with verbs in the infinitive and their respective forms in the simple past in advance. The verbs should be a mixture of regular and irregular verbs. Students should be divided into pairs and given a set of cards. They should play the classic memory game, matching the verbs in the infinitive with their forms in the simple past.

   • Tip: The teacher should circulate around the room, observing the students' plays and assisting them when necessary. After the game, the teacher should review the verbs that caused the students the most difficulty.

3. Writing activity: To close the Development stage, the teacher should propose a writing activity. The students, still in their groups, should write a short story in English, using as many simple past tense verbs as possible. The teacher should encourage the creativity and originality of the stories.

   • Tip: To make the task easier, the teacher can provide a list of infinitive verbs and ask the students to transform them into the simple past. In addition, the teacher can suggest a theme for the stories, such as "A day at the beach" or "An unforgettable trip".

   At the end of the activity, each group should read their story to the class. The teacher should correct errors and praise the correct answers, reinforcing the correct use of the simple past tense of verbs.

These fun and practical activities will help students understand and use the simple past tense of verbs, both regular and irregular, in a fun and engaging way. In addition, they will promote interaction between students and the active use of the English language.

Feedback (10-12 minutes)

1. Group discussion (3-4 minutes): The teacher should invite each group to share their solutions or conclusions from the role-playing and writing activities. Each group will have a maximum of 3 minutes to present. During the presentations, the teacher should ensure that all students are involved, asking questions and encouraging interaction between the groups.

2. Connection to theory (3-4 minutes): After the presentations, the teacher should lead a brief discussion about how the activities are related to the theory presented at the beginning of the class. The teacher should highlight how students applied their knowledge of simple past tense verbs, both regular and irregular, to complete the activities. In addition, the teacher should reinforce the importance of understanding and using the simple past tense of verbs correctly for effective communication in English.

3. Individual reflection (2-3 minutes): The teacher should then suggest that the students quietly reflect for a minute on the answers to the following questions:

   • What was the most important concept learned today?
   • What questions have not yet been answered?

4. Sharing reflections (2-3 minutes): After a minute of reflection, the teacher should ask some volunteers to share their answers with the class. The teacher should encourage students to be honest and to express their doubts or difficulties. This will allow the teacher to assess students' understanding and plan future lessons or activities according to the individual or collective needs of the class.

This Feedback moment is essential to consolidate learning, as it allows students to reflect on what they have learned, make connections with the theory and express their doubts or difficulties. In addition, it provides the teacher with valuable feedback on the effectiveness of the lesson and the students' understanding, which can guide the planning of future lessons.

Conclusion (5-8 minutes)

1. Lesson Summary (2-3 minutes): The teacher should begin the Conclusion stage by recalling the main points covered in the lesson. This includes the definition of simple past tense verbs, the difference between regular and irregular verbs and the practice of conjugating verbs in the simple past tense. The teacher can briefly summarise each activity carried out, highlighting how they contributed to the understanding of the topic.

2. Theory-Practice Connection (1-2 minutes): The teacher should then emphasise how the lesson connected theory to practice. He or she can mention how the role-playing, memory game and writing activities allowed students to apply theoretical knowledge in a fun and meaningful way. The teacher can also highlight how the practice of conjugating simple past tense verbs helped to consolidate learning.

3. Extra Materials (1-2 minutes): The teacher should suggest additional materials for students who wish to deepen their understanding of the topic. This could include English language learning websites, such as Duolingo and EnglishClub, which offer interactive verb conjugation exercises. The teacher can also recommend English textbooks that have sections dedicated to simple past tense verbs.

4. Relevance of the Topic (1 minute): To conclude, the teacher should emphasise the importance of the topic for the students' day-to-day lives. He or she can explain that the ability to use simple past tense verbs correctly is essential for effective communication in English, especially when telling stories or describing past events. The teacher can also mention that the simple past is a very common verb tense in written English texts, such as books, magazines and newspapers, and is therefore essential for reading and understanding these texts.

The Conclusion stage is crucial for consolidating students' learning, reinforcing the importance of the topic and providing resources for future study. In addition, by connecting theory to practice and highlighting the relevance of the topic, the teacher can help to motivate students to continue learning and practising.