LESSON PLAN: What did you do yesterday?

TIME: 45 50 minutes
FOCUS: Past simple LEVEL: High Beginner

MAIN
OBJECTIVES
After this lesson, students will be able to ask and answer the
question What did you do yesterday?
MATERIALS
NEEDED
Lucy and Michael worksheet, Jacks day worksheet,
Questionnaire worksheet, Correct sentence worksheet

(These are all available to download from the site.)
LANGUAGE Practice positive, negative and question forms in the past
simple.
WARM-UP
ACTIVITY
(5 mins)
On the board write:

saw bought went did

got up rode had ate

played gave ran
listened

read watched got


Divide the students into groups, standing at the back of the
classroom.
Give each group a different coloured board marker/piece of
chalk.
Tell the students that when you say a verb in its infinitive, one
person from each team must run to the board and circle the
same verb in its past simple form.
The first person to circle the correct verb gets a point for
their team. The winner is the team with the most points when
all the words have been circled.

PRESENTATION
(5-10 mins)
On the board write:

I play football
Yesterday Im playing football
I played football

Ask students which ending is correct. Explain that we use the
past simple when talking about things which we did yesterday or
in the past.

On the board write:

Yesterday
I play football. I played football.

I watch television. I _____ television.


Ask students what the missing word is.
Ask students to put two or three other sentences into the past
simple until you are sure they get the idea.
On the board write:


I played football. I didnt play football.

I watched television. I didnt watch television.


Read what is written on the board, shaking your head when
reading the negative sentences to indicate that these things
did not happen.

On the board write:


I read a book. I didnt ______ read a book.

I bought an ice cream. I ______ buy an ice cream.

I saw my friend. I ______ ______ my friend.


Ask students to fill in the blanks.
Do more examples orally until you are sure students understand.

On the board write:


you / play football / yesterday ?

Ask students to make these words into a question.
Using other prompts like the one above, ask students to form
questions in the past simple.


COMMUNICATION
PRACTICE
ACTIVITY
(10 mins)
Hand out a copy of Lucy and Michael to each student.

COMMUNICATION
PRACTICE
ACTIVITY
(10 mins)
On the board write:


do / yesterday / did / what / you ?

Ask the students to rearrange the words to form a question.

Hand out a copy of Jacks day to each student.
Show students the picture of Jack and explain that he was
asked the question What did you do yesterday? and this is his
answer.

Read the text at a normal speed and tell the students to tick
the things that Jack did yesterday.

PRODUCTION
ACTIVITY
(10mins)
Ask a strong student What did you do yesterday?
Ask another student Did you watch television yesterday?

On the board write:


Did you _______ yesterday?

Yes, I did. No, I didnt.

Ask individual students questions using Did you _______
yesterday?
Elicit Yes, I did and No, I didnt.

Hand out a copy of the Questionnaire to each student.
Tell them first to fill in the You column.
Then tell the students to find a partner and ask them questions
to fill in the Partner 1 column. Students then change partners
to complete the Partner 2 column.

WRAP-UP
ACTIVITY
(10 mins)
Hand out a copy of Correct sentence for students to complete
in pairs.