Scheme Introduction Standard English: Verbs (To Be)

Lesson 1

Scheme Introduction Standard English: verbs (to be)

Key lesson question:

What is Standard English and when should we use it?

Scheme Introduction:

Introduce idea of quest and the skills they will be focusing upon by showing them the quest trail.

In this scheme you will follow the adventures of Kenton Clarkson, a young man who is abducted by aliens one night on his way home.

At times you will write as if you are Kenton, or his friend and at other times as if you are an alien.

You will record your work in your Questors’ Handbook showing that you are able to adapt your writing to suit the audience and the purpose.

Starter:

One person imagines an alien e.g. ET, Skellig, etc.
Describe the appearance of the alien using powerful adjectives. (shape, size, colour, etc.)
The rest of the group, or your partner, draws the alien on mini whiteboards.
Compare the drawings. Which is the best match?
How could you have improved the description?

Explain:

When we write we almost always need to write in Standard English. There are some differences between Standard English and the way we speak with our family and friends. These differences can cause mistakes in writing. These mistakes are often in verbs and very often in the verb we use the most, which is the verb to be.

Demonstrate and Class Discussion:

I’m going to show you the Standard English forms of the verb to be.

Present tense

I amwe are

He/she/it isyou arethey are

Do people you know sometimes say something different to this? What is different?

Past tense

I waswe were

He/she/it isyou werethey were

Do people you know sometimes say something different to this? What is different?

Student Work:

Recently there have a number of sightings of UFOs in your local community. A recent eye witness account has been released to the public but the verb ‘to be’ has been missed out. Complete the sentences using the Standard English form.

I ___ the owner of the local pub ‘The Crossed Eyes.’ (am/is/are)

It happened last Thursday night, when ___ outside the pub sorting out the empty bottles. (was/were)

I ___ minding my own business when there was a sudden bright light directly over my head. (was/were)

I realised it ___ a spacecraft. (was/were)

I heard a strange voice say, “You ___ coming with us.” (am/is/are)

Before I knew what was happening a door opened in the side of the spacecraft and I ___ being sucked inside. (was/were)

Terrified, I asked them where they ___ taking me. (was/were)

The alien replied, “We ___ taking you to our leader.” (am/is/are)

“Oh no,” I thought, “I ___ in serious trouble.” (am/is/are)

Try:

Now it is your turn. Continue this eye witness account and underline every time you use the verb ‘to be.’ Make sure you are using the correct Standard English form.

Plenary:

Explain to the rest of the class, or to your partner, how the Standard English form of the verb to be is different from what people sometimes say.

Standard English: Verb ‘to be’

I ___ the owner of the local pub ‘The Crossed Eyes.’ (am/is/are)

It happened last Thursday night, when ___ outside the pub sorting out the empty bottles. (was/were)

I ___ minding my own business when there was a sudden bright light directly over my head. (was/were)

I realised it ___ a spacecraft. (was/were)

I heard a strange voice say, “You ___ coming with us.” (am/is/are)

Before I knew what was happening a door opened in the side of the spacecraft and I ___ being sucked inside. (was/were)

Terrified, I asked them where they ___ taking me. (was/were)

The alien replied, “We ___ taking you to our leader.” (am/is/are)

“Oh no,” I thought, “I ___ in serious trouble.” (am/is/are)

Lesson 2

Standard English: verbs in the past

Key lesson question:

How do we change irregular verbs into the past tense?

Starter:

Alien Hangman 1

The aim of this game is to get the students to guess the word and spell it correctly through a combination of blanks, and word and meaning clues.

Put up the following blanks on the board:

_ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ (outer space)

Clues:

The last letter of the first word is r for red.
This phrase concerns the universe outside the earth’s atmosphere.
The first letter of the second word is s for sandwiches.
It is where astronauts go in their space shuttles and rockets.
The first letter of the first word is o for orange.
It contains planets, stars, meteors and black holes.
The fourth letter of second word is c for crisps.

Students may record their ideas on mini whiteboards.

Teacher Introduction:

What did we learn about the verb ‘to be’ in the last lesson?

When we write we almost always need to write in Standard English. Sometimes there are differences between Standard English and the way we speak with our family and friends. These differences can cause mistakes in writing. These mistakes are often in verbs.

Most verbs in English are regular and change to show the past tense like this:

Present: I talk Past: I talked or I have talked

But there are some irregular verbs and these cause problems because people sometimes don’t use the Standard English form when they speak. We are going to look at a group of these.

Demonstrate and try:

Now we are going to see if you have a problem with some of these verbs.

Task 1:

Use a sheet of paper as a mask to cover all but the top two rows and take the pupil through the example verb to write.
Then, shift the paper to the right to reveal the left-hand column and ask the pupil to say what will be the past tense forms of the other verbs one by one.
Note the ones that cause a problem.

Present / Past
I write it. / I wrote it. / I have written it.
I break it / I broke it. / I have broken it.
I bite it. / I bit it. / I have bitten it.
I choose it. / I chose it. / I have chosen it.
I drive it. / I drove it. / I have driven it.
I eat it. / I ate it. / I have eaten it.
I fall. / I fell. / I have fallen.
I forget it. / I forgot it. / I have forgotten it.
I give it. / I gave it. / I have given it.
I hide it. / I hid it. / I have hidden it.
I shake it. / I shook it. / I have shaken it.
I speak it. / I spoke it. / I have spoken it.
I take it. / I took it. / I have taken it.
I wake up. / I woke up. / I have woken up.

What do you notice about how all these verbs end?

Task 2:

Look at another set of irregular verbs in the past tense. Show them the first example, I write it, in the table below, stage by stage.

Ask them to work out the past tense forms of the second one, I drink it.

Notice how all these verbs have the same pattern. The vowel changes from i in the present through a and finally to u in the past.

Either individually or in pairs, give students a table with the present tense example and they must complete the other columns.

Present / Past
I begin it. / I began it. / I have begun it.
I drink it. / I drank it. / I have drunk it.
I ring it. / I rang it. / I have rung it.
I sing it. / I sang it. / I have sung it.
I sink. / I sank. / I have sunk.
I spin it. / I span it. (spun is possible) / I have spun it.
I spring. / I sprang. / I have sprung.
I stink. / I stank. / I have stunk.
I swim. / I swam. / I have swum.

Go through the answers as a class.

Note the ones that cause a problem.

Extension Task:

Describe what another eye witness did when he/she was abducted using at least five of the irregular verbs in the past tense that we have looked at in the lesson.

Plenary:

Share examples of their eye witness accounts. Get students to hold up their whiteboards or exercise book when they hear an example of an irregular verb in the past tense.

Standard English: verbs in the past 1

Standard English: verbs in the past 2

Present / Past
I begin it. / I began it. / I have begun it.
I drink it.
I ring it.
I sing it.
I sink.
I spin it.
I spring.
I stink.
I swim.

Standard English: verbs in the past

Present / Past
I begin it. / I began it. / I have begun it.
I drink it.
I ring it.
I sing it.
I sink.
I spin it.
I spring.
I stink.
I swim.

Lesson 3

Style Challenge 1 – Alien Abduction!

(Standard English: verb ‘to be’ and verbs in the past)

Key lesson question:

What do we need to remember about how Standard English is sometimes different to the way we speak to family and friends?

Starter:

Alien Hangman 2

______(Martians)

Clues:

1. The fourth letter is t for Thomas.

2. They come from a planet in the solar system.

3. The seventh letter is n for necklace.

4.They are alien life forms.

5. The first letter is m for mankind.

6. They come from the red planet.

7. The second letter is a for apple.

8. The name of the planet they come from is also the name of a famous chocolate bar.

Teacher Introduction:

Hand out the Quest Trail board, Style Challenge 1 Task Card and the Questors’ Handbooks.

Remind students of the Quest Trail they are on by using the board and highlighting the skills foci for Challenge 1.

Read the introduction of the story about Kenton Clarkson on the task card.

Look at the task and example:

Task:

Recount the strange events that you have just experienced with Kenton to a member of your household.

You must:

Use the verb ‘to be’
Use verbs in the past

Demonstrate:

Show them the format of the Questor’s Handbook highlighting the space for planning and evaluation as well as their writing.

Model for students how to gather their ideas before they write up their entry e.g. brainstorm words and phrases to describe what happened and how they felt before, during and after the abduction.

dark

Model how to begin by using the example on the task card and extending. Highlight the fact they must write in the first person and in the past tense.

Student Work:

Students plan their own writing and, if necessary, draft it on a mini whiteboard.

Have you used the correct forms of the verbs? How could it be improved?

Write up in their Handbook, making any necessary corrections.

Plenary:

Share examples and comment on the effectiveness.

Lesson 4

Standard English: negatives

Key lesson question:

How do we form negative statements?

Starter:

Alien Hangman 3

______(meteors)

Clues

1. The fifth letter is o for otter.

2. It is a small body of matter from outer space.

3. The third letter is t for temperature.

4. It enters the earth’s atmosphere at great speed.

5. The last letter is s for spaghetti.

6. When it enters the earth’s atmosphere it appears as a streak of light.

7. The first letter is m for magnet.

Teacher Introduction and Demonstrate:

Give the students some examples of negatives e.g. not, never, nobody, nothing.

What do you think links these words?

Can you guess what they are called?

In Standard English, we use words like not, never, nobody, nothing to make negative statements.

What’s the opposite of a negative statement?

Here’s an example of how to make a positive statement negative:

I want some warp speed. I don’t (do not) want some warp speed.

In Standard English, it’s not right to use two of these negative words together in the same statement. Although some people say:

I don’t want no warp speed.

It’s not correct to write this (unless it’s something one of the characters says in a story).

Here’s another example:

Anybody can do it. Nobody can do it.

Not: Nobody can’t do it.

Short Student Activity:

Say which of these sentences need correcting because of the use of the negative. On a mini whiteboard, write them in Standard English.

I haven’t seen no one.
I didn’t do nothing.
I never knew nothing about it.
I never saw him looking human.
I don’t want no trouble.
I didn’t hardly survive.

Look at their answers and explain any mistakes that have been made.

Extension:

Another problem in some parts of England is the word ain’t which is used to make negatives in speech. It shouldn’t usually be used in writing.

Give them the following examples of informal speech using ain’t. On whiteboards, get students to translate what they should be in Standard English.

Informal speech:

I ain’t going. (I’m not going.)
We ain’t going. (We’re not going.)
He ain’t going. (He isn’t going.)
You/they ain’t going. (You/they aren’t going.)
I ain’t got any. (I haven’t got any.)
He ain’t been there. (He hasn’t been there.)

How many different Standard English forms can be replaced by ain’t.

Student Activity:

Someone overheard that you witnessed an alien abduction. However, when they retold the story they incorrectly used negative statements. Make the corrections to their explanation.

Plenary:

Tell me when you need to avoid using two negatives together.

Standard English: negatives

Task:

Someone overheard that you witnessed an alien abduction. However, when they retold the story they incorrectly used negative statements. Make the corrections to their explanation.

Ain’t you heard about the alien abduction?

I was in the pub earlier and I overheard this person talking about an alien abduction. He and his friend were walking home when they didn’t hardly know what was happening to them.

Apparently there was never no warning and suddenly there was a bright, flashing light and a UFO appeared overhead. He said that his mate never knew nothing about it. He was sucked into the UFO and disappeared.

The bloke said he wasn’t sure whether to tell no-one because they might think he’s mad or drunk. Nobody can’t believe it!

I’m not never going that way home again, I can tell you.

Lesson 5

Standard English: pronouns

Style Challenge 2: We Come in Peace (pronouns and negatives)

Key lesson question:

What is a pronoun and when do we use them?

Starter:

Alien Hangman 4

_ _ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ (black hole)

Clues

1.The third letter of the first word is a for Adam.

2. It exists in outer space.

3. The last letter of the second word is e for egg.

4.It is a gravitational field.

5. The fourth letter of the first word is c for cabbage.

6. Nothing can escape from it.

7. The first letter of the second word is h for honey.

8. In films space ships often run the risk of being sucked into one of these.

9. The first letter of the first word is b for blackberry.

Teacher Introduction and Demonstration:

Introduce the words I, me, we, us, he, him, they, them, who and explain they are called pronouns.

Pronouns can cause some problems when writing Standard English.

Let me show you some examples:

Informal speech /

Standard English

Pass me them spacesuits. / Pass me those spacesuits.
He was the one what said it. / He was the one who said it.
He did it hisself. / He did it himself.
Give us it back. / Give me it back.
They stole me stun gun. / They stole my stun gun.
Me and myfriend went into outer space. / My friend and I went into outer space.
They wanted it for theirselves. / They wanted it for themselves.

Short Student Activity:

On mini whiteboards, write these sentences in Standard English:

Me and Kenton ran away from the aliens.
I have lost me friend Kenton.
It was the aliens what abducted him.
The alien said it hisself.
He wanted to see them pictures from Mars.

Mini Plenary:

Tell me two common mistakes people make with pronouns.

Student Activity:

Style Challenge 2 – We Come in Peace

Hand out the Quest Trail board, Style Challenge 2 Task Card and the Questors’ Handbooks.

Highlight the skills being assessed in Challenge 2.

Read the next stage of the story about Kenton Clarkson on the task card.

Task:

Imagine you are one of the aliens. Explain to Kenton why they desperately need his help to save their planet.

In your writing remember to:

Use negative forms of verbs (not, never, nobody)
Use pronouns (I, me, we , us, he, him, they , them, who)

Plenary:

In role as Kenton give your reaction to the aliens’ story.

Lesson 6

Standard English: Adverbs

Key lesson question:

How can using adverbs improve your writing and what are the exceptions to the rule?

Starter:

Alien Hangman 5

______(galaxy)

Clues

1. The third letter is l for lemons.

2. It is part of outer space.

3. The last letter is y for yellow.

4. It is an independent system of stars.

5. The fourth letter is a for apple.

Teacher Introduction:

Put example on the board:

The space craft zoomed quickly through space.

Underline quickly and ask students how this word improves the sentence (i.e. adds detail, gives a clearer picture of what is happening, etc.)

 Introduce the term adverbif they are not already familiar with it. Explain it adds something more about the verb in terms of how, when or where the action takes place.

Short Student Activity:

Each students picks an adverb from a bag/box but is asked to keep their choice secret.

Ask a volunteer to come to the front of the class.

The rest of the class must think of things that the volunteer can be asked to perform. The tasks must be performed in the manner of the adverb they have chosen e.g: