Grade 5 ESL Lesson Plan: Past Simple — was/were and Regular Verbs

About This Resource

A 4-page, minute-by-minute plan for 3 lessons (3 lessons × 45 minutes) on past simple: was/were and regular verbs: objectives, vocabulary, differentiation, misconceptions and teacher tips.

Overview

Students learn to talk about finished events in the past. They start with was and were (I was at home, they were happy), then form regular past simple verbs with -ed, learn the four spelling rules and the three ways to say -ed (/t/, /d/, /ɪd/), and make questions and negatives with did / didn't + base verb. Time words (yesterday, last week, two days ago) show WHEN. Picture prompts, a weekend survey and a "What did you do?" game give lots of speaking practice.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Past Simple: was/were and Regular Verbs
Category: Grammar
File Type: PDF
File Size: 78.9 KB
Published: 19 Oct 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 5 45 Minutes Grammar Past Simple Regular Verbs

Learning Objectives

Use was / were / wasn't / weren't correctly with all subjects.
Form regular past simple verbs and spell them correctly (-ed, -d, -ied, double consonant).
Say the -ed ending as /t/, /d/ or /ɪd/.
Make questions and negatives with did / didn't + base verb.
Use past time expressions (yesterday, last…, …ago) to talk about finished events.

Lesson Procedure

Read the overview and success criteria before teaching.
Lesson 1 — was and were (45 min): follow the stage table (warm-up, teach, practice, exit ticket).
Lesson 2 — Regular -ed verbs (45 min): follow the stage table (warm-up, teach, practice, exit ticket).
Lesson 3 — Did you…? I didn't… (45 min): follow the stage table (warm-up, teach, practice, exit ticket).
Use the matching PowerPoint, worksheet and assessment from this pack — the plan refers to their slide and part numbers.

Assessment

Exit tickets in each lesson. Teacher observation during the weekend survey. Worksheet Parts A–E with the answer key. Quick Quiz (11 marks) after lesson 2. Unit Test (30 marks) at the end. Performance task (rubric): "My Weekend" — tell a partner and write 6 sentences.

Differentiation

Support: Use the was/were table card on every task. Challenge: Write a diary entry for last Saturday (8–10 sentences). English language learners: Clap the -ed sounds: /ɪd/ adds an extra beat (want-ed, paint-ed).

Classroom Activity Ideas

Where Were You? (10 minutes, Whole class): Call a time: "Yesterday at 5 pm!" Students walk to a place card.
Mime and Guess (10 minutes, Two teams): A player mimes the card. Their team guesses in the past: "You cleaned your room!"
Find the Liar (12 minutes, Groups of 4): Each student writes 3 sentences about last weekend (one is false). The group asks "Did you…?" questions to check.

Teacher Tips

Start every lesson with "What did you do yesterday?" — real news makes the grammar meaningful. Keep a big time line on the wall with "yesterday", "last week", "a year ago".