---
title: Verb Tenses
description: Students will work on using present, past, and future tenses with appropriate time markers when speaking and writing.
image: https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/1_verb_tenses-001-1.png
---

**Subject: ESL/ELL (English Language Learning)**

**Lesson Length: 45 - 60 mins**

**Topic: Verb Tenses**

**Grade Level: 2, 3, 4, 5**

**Standards / Framework: **

- [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.1](https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf)
- [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1](https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf)
- [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.B](https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf)
- [CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1](https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf)
- [WIDA: STANDARD 2](https://wida.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/resource/WIDA-ELD-Standards-Framework-2020.pdf)

**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:**

- Comics to print or display: [Comic 1](https://share.pixton.com/q86j4jj),  [Comic 2](https://share.pixton.com/q86ikef).

**Suggested Content:**

- [![](https://img.pixton.com/content-pack/1665077407356526592/thumbnail.png) Future ](https://content.pixton.com/future)
- [![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/thumbnail-farm-1.png) Farm ](https://content.pixton.com/farm)
- [![](https://img.pixton.com/content-pack/2040150577165447168/thumbnail.png) Amusement Park ](https://content.pixton.com/amusement-park)
- [![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/thumbnail-sports-1.png) Sports ](https://content.pixton.com/sports)
- [![](https://img.pixton.com/content-pack/1692653269182189568/thumbnail.png) Space Opera ](https://content.pixton.com/space-opera)
- [![](https://img.pixton.com/content-pack/2017627501623562240/thumbnail.png) Starship Adventures ](https://content.pixton.com/starship-adventures)

Assign Activity

## Related Ideas

[![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/that_s_perfect_-001%20(1).png)](https://ideas.pixton.com/thats-perfect)

### [That’s Perfect!](https://ideas.pixton.com/thats-perfect)

Students will learn about perfect verb tenses and create a comic to demonstrate their understanding of perfect verb tenses.

[![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/ready_set_action_-001.png)](https://ideas.pixton.com/ready-set-action)

### [Ready, Set, Action! Exploring Verbs](https://ideas.pixton.com/ready-set-action)

Students will practice using action verbs to describe what is happening in the present tense.

[![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/genres-001.png)](https://ideas.pixton.com/genres)

### [Genres](https://ideas.pixton.com/genres)

This lesson is intended to reinforce the language and vocabulary needed to discuss the genre of a text. Use this lesson as an informal assessment to determine the knowledge and features of genres.