Past Tense Practice for ELLs
Using Authentic Literature to Model Language Structures
The explicit practice of language structures is an important piece of acquiring a second language, but it doesn't have to be monotonous. Authentic literature helps!
Grammar is probably the most difficult and the most boring part of learning a new language, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Using authentic literature to model and practice grammar is a fun way for young students to create their own texts, use art to express their thinking, and to learn how to read, write and say words in the different tenses or with different structures.
Regular Past Tense Endings
Many new learners of English do not always hear the endings of words in the past tense, or they interpret the sounds differently, which in turn shows up in their speaking and writing. One common ending that is challenging for them is the “ed” ending for regular preterit tenses. There are two texts that can be utilized for young English Language Learners to begin to master these endings. The texts are When I Was a Girl I Dreamed [Green Pastures Publishing, Inc., 2005] and When I Was a Boy I Dreamed [Green Pastures Publishing, Inc.,2005] both written by Justin Matott and illustrated by Marc Luder. The ideas behind the stories are that children have dreams about what they want to do when they grow up, and they are told from the point of view of two elderly people who are reflecting upon their own dreams as children.
The texts consistently model the use of both regular past tense verb endings and irregular past tense verbs. The story follows fairly consistent language patterns, which is helpful in being able to identify these past tense verbs. The artwork is spectacular and helps children visualize what the verbs are and their meaning.
The Lesson
First Day/Second Day
- Pre-reading discussion. Talk about how the book will have a lot of examples of words that talk about actions in the past. Ask the students to be listening for these words as the story is read. What text to life connections can they make?
- Read aloud. Read one book the first day, another book the next day.
- Post read aloud discussion. Have children do a think-pair-share about some of the ideas they saw in the book and if there is anything in the story that they might dream about becoming. Once they are done talking, have them share out with the group.
- Practice. On a half sheet of white paper they can record their thinking following the language frame “When I Was a Girl I dreamed I _______________.” or “When I Was a Boy I dreamed I _________.” They can add their own idea in writing and do an illustration.
Third Day
- Looking for past tense verbs. Prepare lifts from the texts to make copies for each child. Make the texts have sentences that have both regular and irregular past tense verbs. Different children should have different texts to work with so that the number of verbs addressed is higher.
- Modeling. Make a blown up version of one of these papers to model how to read the text and highlight the verbs. As a whole group, read the texts and highlight with a blue highlighter words with regular past tense endings and use an orange highlighter for irregular past tense.
- Co-construct anchor chart. Once the work has been completed, pass out one sheet to each student for independent work. Give the children 15-20 minutes to work and then regroup. Have the children share out the words and begin charting them on an anchor chart. Record regular endings in one column and the irregular verbs in another column. Maintain color-coding (blue for regular endings, orange for irregular endings). This anchor chart can then be posted in the room as a reference for students to use in their future writing.
Fourth Day
The final piece of this lesson is when the children can begin practicing the use of these verbs in their own stories. Create a book with language frames that students can use to express their own dreams. Each page should look something like this:
"When I was a girl/boy I dreamed I was _______. I dreamed I _____ and _________."
Place the text at the top or the bottom of the page so the children have the rest of the page to complete their illustrations. Encourage them to fill the entire white space with drawings and color. They can use the books as samples of how some of their images might look.
Add a comment page at the back for the children to write comments to each other.
Sharing Dreams
Writing the books usually takes a couple of days. As children finish, have them share out their dreams and allow time for their peers to give oral comments followed by written comments in the back of the book. By reading their books for the class, the students are able to get good oral practice of the pronunciation of the “ed” endings, which at times can be challenging for some English learners. It allows provides an opportunity for them to share their dreams and express their identities as young children.
