At, On or In? Prepositions of Time

Student Task

• Draw the at-on-in pyramid on the board: at at the narrow top (exact times), on in the middle (days), in at the wide base (months, years, seasons).
• Teach the rules and exceptions, then do activities 1 and 2 together.
• Students complete activities 3 to 5; answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Use

• Preposition slap: write at, on and in on three cards; call out a time expression and students slap the right card.
• Birthday line: students line up by birthday month and say "My birthday is in March, on March 12th."
• Timetable interview: students ask a partner "When do you have math?" and answer with on and at.

Differentiation

Support: focus on at, on and in with clock times, days and months only. Challenge: add for, since and until and write about a past holiday.

Answer Key & Assessment

Activities 1 to 4 check the rules and exceptions (answer key included). Activity 5 checks use in writing.

Learning Objectives

• Use at with clock times, on with days and dates, and in with months, years and seasons.
• Use the fixed phrases at night, in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening correctly.
• Use before, after and during to describe when things happen.

Teacher Tips

Students often say "in Monday" or "on night". Keep the pyramid on the board all lesson and refer to it every time.

What's Included

• 6-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
• Key vocabulary list (4 words with meanings and examples)
• Student worksheet (5 activities)
• Editable Word version of the worksheet
• Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

• Editable Worksheet (Word) (DOCX)
• Answer Key (PDF) (PDF)

Teacher Reviews