Subject: ESL/ELL (English Language Learning)

Lesson Length: 45 - 60 mins

Topic: Verb Tenses

Grade Level: 2, 3, 4, 5

Standards / Framework:

Brief Description: Students will use present, past, and future tenses with appropriate time markers when speaking and writing.

Know Before You Start: Students should have an understanding of past, present, and future

Comic 1

Comic 2

Hook:

  • Read and discuss the sample comic.
    • Is each caption in present, past, or future tense?
    • Point out the commonalities and differences when changing the verb between tenses. Typically when we talk about the past, we add ed, in the present we add ing.
    • Draw attention to the usage of the helping verb “will” to show future tense.

Activity:

  • Using sample Comic 2 as a guide, have students create a comic that uses captions to explain past, present, and future tenses.

  • Have the students give examples of the verb tenses inside the speech bubbles.

Closure:

  • Have students practice reading their comics aloud to a partner or small group to promote oral language skills.
  • Provide immediate feedback as students are speaking to help reinforce the proper tenses.

Differentiation:

  • Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
  • Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
  • Provide sentence stems as needed.

  • Allow students to work with a peer model.

  • Provide a list of common verbs and their conjugations.

  • Provide other examples of past, present, and future tense to extend understanding, e.g., last year, this year, next year.

Resources: