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ESL forum > Ask for help > simple past for the very first time    

simple past for the very first time



Urpi
Peru

simple past for the very first time
 
Hey!
I was wondering how can I present the simple past to a group of adults for the very first time. Can anyone give some ideas I will appreciate it so much.

14 Dec 2009      





mena22
Portugal

Hi! Since it �s almost Christmas you could use the song Last Christmas by Wham (George Michael). Check the lyrics: http://www.lyrics007.com/wham!%20Lyrics/Last%20Christmas%20Lyrics.html

Have a good evening.
mena

14 Dec 2009     



darryl_cameron
Hong Kong

Yeah, funny, I heard that song just yesterday haha!!
 
Good idea. In any tense exercise I use the graph that I often see. A picture is worth a thousand words they say!!
 
 
 
Also on this site there are some great ´irregular verb´ wordsearches just to get them familiar with the words on sight after they hear them in that song.
 
 
 
 

14 Dec 2009     



cheezels
New Zealand

The first time I did past simple with a group of adults we had already done present simple and daily routines. I had them write their daily routines in simple sentences.
I get up. I eat breakfast. I take a shower. I get dressed... etc (This was done over a series of sessions as they were all international adults and there was no language in common...)

THEN
We progressed using our daily routines to then use that structure to talk about it in the past (eg: yesterday)
I GOT up. I ATE breakfast. I TOOK a shower  etc....
It was a good way to introduce the past tense with the group that I had and we were able to progress nicely from there.
EDIT: I used pictionaries from this site and they were great to use. Also lots of drama and speaking too. :-)

14 Dec 2009     



puddyd
Oman

You can start by  eliciting as you go.Draw a pic of a boy/man and start with a circle, ask what is this? Ss replies> a circle � , then put a smile in the face and carry on building the story while drawing a stick figure . When ss have guessed it�s a man/ boy ask them to give him a name.

You then drew two bags, one in each hand and draw a $ sign on each. Elicit �He is rich� Then ask �why do you think he is rich? Get them talking and thinking aloud about how he could become so rich and that way it drives home the fact that he has a lot of money and he must therefore be important. Reinforce the present simple structure now.

Erase the money bags now and draw in a guitar as it�s an example that young people can relate to - a pop singer . Now you can use flash cards and elicit what rich people do, eg: they drive fancy cars, drink champagne, have many fans/girlfriends, live in big mansions etc�

Then you tell them something happened and now����rub out everything except his face and draw a box with grills in front and change his smile to a sad face ask: where he has he gone? Elicit that he has gone to jail. Ask why ?

Tell the ss that he was brought down by the use of drugs and has lost every thing he had, a real scenario. Now you bring in �the move� from present simple to past simple by eliciting and drilling again with other flash cards flash cards.{all images easily downloaded on google images} you can do it on a PowerPoint too

�He was rich and now he is poor� �he lived in a mansion and now he lives in a jail� he drove a fancy car and now he walks in jail� �he drank champagne and now he drinks water� � he had many fans and now he is alone/he has none� etc�

 The ss are drilled and then you repeat it and they repeat it until it is perfect.It is a fun way of learning without humiliating the ss. Now you can write it up on the board and show them the new structure.

The students practice the target language by saying it over and over and over again, through constant t>ss talk and asking and answering questions, drilling and back chaining and chunking.

I hope it is clear .Enjoy, it�s fun lesson 

 

14 Dec 2009