English Lesson Plan: Exercises for Level B1+ - Mastering and

Discussing Past Tenses

Objective:

To improve understanding and usage of past simple, past continuous, past perfect,
and past perfect continuous through exercises and discussions. By the end of this
session, students will be able to apply these tenses in both spoken and written
contexts effectively.

Discussion Questions (15 minutes)

After completing the exercises, engage students in a discussion to practice their
speaking skills and use of past tenses in a more dynamic context. Here are some
suggested discussion questions:

1. Personal Experiences:
o "Tell us about a memorable trip you took in the past. What happened, and
why was it memorable?"
o "Describe your first day at school or a new job. How did you feel, and what
stood out to you?"
1. Historical Events:
o "Discuss an important event in your country's history. What happened, and
what were the consequences?"
o "Have you ever witnessed a historical moment (either in person or on TV)?
Describe what you saw and how you felt at that time."
1. Changes Over Time:
o "How has your hometown changed since you were a child? Use past tenses
to describe what it was like before and what it's like now."
o "Think about a technology or trend from the past. How did it impact people's
lives at the time?"
1. Hypothetical Scenarios:
o "If you could go back in time and change one thing about your past, what
would it be and why?"
o "Imagine you had met a famous historical figure in the past. Who would it be,
and what would you have asked them?"
1. Reflections:
o "What's a valuable lesson you learned from a past mistake? Describe the
 situation and the outcome."
o "Share a story of a time when someone helped you in a significant way. How
did it affect your life?"

Instructions for Discussion:

 Break the students into small groups to discuss these questions. Each student
should try to answer at least one question using the correct past tense form.
 After the group discussion, ask a few students to share their stories with the
whole class. This not only practices speaking but also listening skills as they hear
different uses of past tenses.

Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
 Summarize key insights from the discussions and any notable uses of past
tenses.
 Provide feedback on the use of past tenses during the discussions, highlighting
particularly good usage or common errors.
 Assign a reflective writing homework where students choose one of the
discussion topics and write a short paragraph using various past tenses.

This discussion component adds a dynamic element to the grammar-focused lesson,

encouraging students to apply their skills in real-world contexts while sharing and
learning from each other’s experiences.

Exercise 1: Past Tense Transformation (15 minutes)

Instructions:

 Students receive sentences in the present tense and must rewrite them in the
past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous.
 Encourage consideration of context cues that suggest which tense is most
appropriate.

Sample Sentences:

1. Present: "She always eats breakfast at 7 AM."

2. Present: "They are watching a movie."

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks (15 minutes)

Instructions:
 Provide a short story with missing verbs. Students must fill in the blanks using
the correct form of the verb in parentheses, choosing from past simple, past
continuous, past perfect, or past perfect continuous.

Sample Story: "Last night, while I ________ (walk) home, I ________ (realize) I
________ (leave) my keys at the office. As I ________ (try) to figure out what to do,
it ________ (start) to rain. I ________ (hope) to avoid the storm, but I ________ (not
be) successful. Finally, I ________ (decide) to go back to the office and when I
________ (arrive), I ________ (see) that the lights ________ (be still on)."

Exercise 3: Error Correction (15 minutes)

Instructions:

 Hand out a paragraph containing incorrect uses of past tenses. Students identify
and correct the errors.

Sample Paragraph: "Last weekend, I go to the beach. While I swam in the ocean, I
was losing my watch. I had look everywhere for it, but I never found it."

Discussion Component: Using Past Tenses in Conversation (15 minutes)

Discussion Questions:

1. "Tell us about a memorable trip you took in the past. What happened, and why
was it memorable?"
2. "Discuss an important event in your country's history. What happened, and what
were the consequences?"
3. "If you could go back in time and change one thing about your past, what would it
be and why?"
4. "Share a story of a time when someone helped you in a significant way. How did
it affect your life?"