Grade 8 ESL Lesson Plan: Telling Stories in the Past Simple

Learning Objectives

• Form the past simple of regular verbs with correct spelling (walked, arrived, stopped, carried).
• Pronounce -ed endings as /t/, /d/ or /ɪd/.
• Use 16 common irregular past forms correctly.
• Make past simple negatives and questions with did / didn't.
• Use sequencing words and time expressions to organize a story.
• Plan, write and tell a 120–150-word story with a beginning, a problem and an ending.

Lesson Procedure

• Lesson 1 — Regular verbs: spelling and sounds (50 min): follow the stage table (warm-up, teach, practice, exit ticket).
• Lesson 2 — Irregular verbs, negatives and questions (50 min): follow the stage table (warm-up, teach, practice, exit ticket).
• Lesson 3 — How stories work (50 min): follow the stage table (warm-up, teach, practice, exit ticket).
• Lesson 4 — Plan, write and tell (50 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.

Differentiation

Support: Provide the verb list and the sequencing word bank on the desk. Challenge: Add the past continuous for background: "While we were eating, we heard a sound." English language learners: Pair each sequencing word with a hand signal (1 finger = first, 2 = then …).

Teacher Tips

Start each lesson with 2 minutes of "What did you do yesterday?" — real communication makes the grammar stick. Put the irregular verb list on the wall for the whole unit.

What's Included

• 5-page lesson plan (PDF + editable DOCX)
• Lesson 1 — Regular verbs: spelling and sounds (50 min)
• Lesson 2 — Irregular verbs, negatives and questions (50 min)
• Lesson 3 — How stories work (50 min)
• Lesson 4 — Plan, write and tell (50 min)
• Key vocabulary table, materials list and success criteria
• Differentiation (support, challenge, English language learners)
• Common misconceptions with fixes, and teacher tips

Additional Files

• Grade 8 ESL Lesson Plan: Telling Stories in the Past Simple (DOCX)

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