CLASS NOTE: TELLING OUR STORIES — EXPRESSING PAST TENSE ACTIONS

Subject: English Class: Nursery Three (Ages 5–6) Topic: Expressing Past Tense Action in Sentences Theme: Our Stories and Memories

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1. WELCOME, TIME TRAVELERS! (INTRODUCTION)

Hello, wonderful storytellers! Did you know that you have a superpower? You can travel back in time! We don’t need a big metal machine to do it; we use our words.

When we talk about things that happened this morning, yesterday, or even last Christmas, we are talking about the Past. If we use the wrong words, our friends might get confused. They might think we are doing something now when we actually finished it a long time ago.

In this lesson, we are going to learn the "Secret Codes" of the past tense so we can tell our stories perfectly!

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2. COMPREHENSIVE CORE CONCEPTS

Concept 1: What is the "Past Tense"?

The Past Tense is what we use to talk about actions that are finished.

Think about a delicious plate of Jollof rice.

• If you are eating it right now, you say: "I am eating my rice."
• If the plate is empty and your tummy is full, you say: "I ate my rice."

In Nigeria, we do so many things every day. We go to the market, we play in the rain, and we pray with our families. When these things are over, they move into "The Past." Using the past tense helps us tell the truth about what has already happened.

Concept 2: The Magic "-ed" Ending (Regular Verbs)

Most action words (we call these verbs) are very easy to change. They love to wear a special "tail" to show they belong to yesterday. This tail is made of two letters: e and d.

How to use the Magic "-ed":

1. Pick your action: Let's use the word "Jump."
2. Add the tail: Jump + ed = Jumped.
3. Say the story: "Yesterday, I jumped over the puddle."

More Examples for your Daily Life:

• Brush → Brushed: "I brushed my teeth before school."
• Wash → Washed: "Mummy washed my uniform last night."
• Cook → Cooked: "We cooked tasty soup on Sunday."
• Help → Helped: "I helped Daddy wash the car."

Concept 3: The "Rule-Breakers" (Irregular Verbs)

Some words are a little bit "naughty." They don't want to wear the "-ed" tail. Instead, they like to change their whole look! Because they don't follow the "-ed" rule, we call them Irregular Verbs. We have to remember these like secret passwords.

Common Rule-Breakers to Remember:

• Go changes to Went: (We don't say "goed").
  • Example: "We went to Grandma’s house."
• Eat changes to Ate: (We don't say "eated").
  • Example: "I ate a big mango."
• Drink changes to Drank: (We don't say "drinked").
  • Example: "Tolu drank all her milk."
• See changes to Saw: (We don't say "seed").
  • Example: "I saw a colorful bird in the garden."

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3. REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES (SCENARIOS)

How do we use these words when we are not in the classroom? Here are three ways:

Scenario A: The "School Report" When you get home and your Aunty asks, "What did you do today?", you use the past tense to explain your day in order:

• "First, I arrived at school."
• "Then, I wrote in my book."
• "After that, I played with my friends."

Scenario B: Being a Helper at Home If Mommy is looking for her keys and you found them earlier, you can help her by saying:

• "I saw the keys on the table this morning!"

Scenario C: Telling a Health Story If you feel sick and go to the clinic, the Doctor needs to know what happened. You can say:

• "I tripped while running and hurt my knee."

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4. PROJECT-BASED LEARNING: "MY YESTERDAY SCRAPBOOK"

To become a master of the past tense, you are going to make your very own book!

Materials Needed:

• 3 sheets of paper (A4 or from an old notebook).
• Crayons or colored pencils.
• A pencil.
• A stapler or some glue.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. The Cover: Fold your papers in half and staple them to look like a small book. On the front, write: "MY YESTERDAY STORY."
2. Page 1 (The Morning): Draw a picture of yourself waking up or eating breakfast. Under the picture, write: "I woke up and I ate breakfast."
3. Page 2 (The Afternoon): Draw yourself at school or playing. Under the picture, write: "I learned my ABCs" or "I played with my ball."
4. Page 3 (The Evening): Draw yourself getting ready for bed. Write: "I washed my face and I slept."
5. The Share: Read your book to your Mommy, Daddy, or Teacher. Point to the "Past Tense" words as you read!

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5. HOME PRACTICE ACTIVITIES

Try these fun games at home tonight!

Activity 1: The "Action Replay" Game

• How to play: Ask a friend or sibling to do an action (like dancing, clapping, or sitting).
• The Goal: As soon as they stop, you must say what they did using the past tense.
• Example: If they dance and then stop, you shout, "You danced!" If they sit down, you say, "You sat!"

Activity 2: The Dinner Table Detective

• While eating dinner, listen to your family talk. Every time you hear a word that ends in "-ed" (like worked, walked, cleaned) or a rule-breaker (like bought, came, took), tap your nose! See how many past tense words your family uses in ten minutes.

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6. LIFE SKILLS CONNECTION

Why is learning the past tense so important for your future?

1. Honesty and Truth: To tell the truth about what happened, you must use the right words. Police officers and judges need to know exactly what happened in the past to help people.
2. Being a Doctor: Doctors need to know what a patient ate or how they felt yesterday to make them feel better.
3. Storytelling & Journalism: People who write books or report the news on TV spend all day telling stories about the past!
4. Organization: Learning the past tense helps your brain understand that things happen in a sequence (First, Next, and Last).

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7. STUDENT REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Think about these questions and share your answers with a partner:

1. What is the "tail" we add to regular words to make them talk about yesterday?
2. If I say "I go to the market yesterday," why does that sound funny? What should I say instead?
3. Can you think of one thing you finished doing this morning?
4. Why is it important to tell stories in the right order (what happened first and what happened last)?

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Teacher's Note: Encourage the children to use their physical senses during these activities. Let them feel the "ed" sound at the end of words (it sometimes sounds like a 't' or a 'd'). Celebrate every time they correctly identify a "Rule-Breaker"!