Main aim
The main aim of the lesson is to develop students’ ability to narrate a story using past simple, past continuous and past perfect and the structure “was/were about to”.
What do I need to know?
This lesson follows a Test-Teach-Test sequence.
You’ll need two short texts (100–150 words each) describing how two couples met:
- Story #1 (couple #1): recorded audio of the first half of the story (used as a listening text)
- Story #2 (couple #2): a short written text (used as a reading text)
Using one fictional couple and one real couple often increases engagement and creates strong predictions for the gist tasks.
Materials
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A set of pictures of couples
- A recording of the first half of story #1
- A gapped handout of story #1 (for restricted practice)
- A printed handout of story #2
- Pieces of paper with key verb forms from the texts (large enough to stick on the board)
The lesson
Lead in
Display several pictures of couples around the room. In pairs, students walk around, look at the pictures, and guess where each couple first met.
Choose couples that suit your context – fictional, celebrities, or light-hearted characters work well. Make sure the two couples used later in the lesson are included among the pictures.
When I do this lesson, I use myself and my wife as the couple for the reading script. This creates an engaging “surprise reveal” later.
Conduct feedback as a class, accepting realistic or humorous guesses.
“TEST 1”
Give the students a few minutes to think of a first meeting story of their own. You can give them a few suggestions or prompts:
- how they first met a teacher or colleague
- how their grandparents met
- the first time they met their boss, etc.
In pairs, students tell each other their stories.
Your aim: monitor carefully to see if students naturally use narrative tenses and how consistently they organise a past narrative.
Optionally, ask 1–2 students to retell their partner’s story to the class. We’ll be revisiting this activity in the second “Test” stage though, which is another opportunity to get feedback as a whole class.
Listening for gist (Story #1)
Return to the couple featured in the recording. If you create your own audio, fictional couples (e.g. Homer & Marge Simpson, Bert & Ernie) are easiest because you can freely adapt the storyline. Whichever coule you choose, make sure students have already seen their picture and made predictions.
Your listening text should include:
- Verbs in past simple (for the actual events in the story)
- Verbs in past perfect (for events before the story happened)
- Verbs in past continuous (for setting the scene)
- was/were about to (to describe a near future event in the story)
Here’s an example story about Marge and Homer Simpson (inspired from The Simpsons Fandom Wiki, “The Way We Was”):
I met Homer in 1974, while I was studying in my senior year at high school. I had been attending a feminist rally all day, but I climbed on top of one of the teacher’s cars and broke the windscreen, and so I got a detention. Homer had been smoking in the toilets that day and he had a detention too. I was feeling tired and angry as I walked to the detention room. Just as I was about to turn around and run out of the school, I heard two boys laughing. They were walking towards the detention room. One of them was Homer. He had a huge smile and our eyes met…
Ask learners to recall their predictions and listen to check if they were correct. Pre-teach any essential vocabulary if needed before they listen. Remember, the recording should only tell the first half of the story – your students will come up with the second half at the end of the lesson.
Conduct feedback as a class.
Reading for gist (Story #2)
Show students the second couple’s picture again, remind them of their guesses, and then hand out the reading text. Students read quickly to check their predictions. This text should again include examples of the four narrative forms. Conduct feedback as a class.
TEACH – Presentation
Put students in pairs and ask them to underline the verb forms in the reading text that carry the story.
On the board, draw four columns:
- Events before the story happened
- Setting the scene
- Main events
- Near future events in the past
Spread the verb-form papers on the floor (each paper contains a verb phrase from the story).
For example, your pieces of paper might say:
- I walked in
- I was about to go
- I met
- My boss was introducing
- I was feeling
- She’d been working
…and so on.
Students work together to stick them on the correct column according to function. Conduct feedback, check placement, and briefly clarify form and use.
Restricted practice
Now it’s time to return to Story #1. Give students the gapped script and ask them, in pairs or small groups, to complete it with the correct narrative forms.
Then play the recording again so they can check their answers.
Here’s the Homer and Marge example again, with gaps:
I __________ (meet) Homer in 1974, while I __________ (study) in my senior year at high school. I __________ (attend) a feminist rally all day, but I __________ (climb) on top of one of the teacher’s cars and __________ (break) the windscreen, and so I __________ (get) a detention. Homer __________ (smoke) in the toilets that day and he __________ (have) a detention too. I __________ (feel) tired and angry as I __________ (walk) to the detention room. Just as I __________ (turn around) and run out of the school, I __________ (hear) two boys laughing. They
_________ (walk) towards the detention room. One of them was Homer. He __________ (have) a huge smile and our eyes __________ (meet).
Less restricted practice
Students now continue Story #1 in any way they like. Ask them to imagine they are the storyteller (Marge, or the character you chose) and give them a few minutes to think about how the story continues. They then take turns to tell their partner their version of the end of the story. Afterwards, play or read the real ending to compare.
TEST 2 – Fluency
Return to the “first meeting” stories from the lead-in. Students now retell the same story to a new partner – but this time using the narrative tenses they’ve practised.
Monitor for successful and appropriate use of narrative tenses, and then conduct final class feedback, asking a few students to share their partner’s story, then highlighting good use of language / recurring errors.
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That’s it. Feel free to download a printable version of the lesson plan.
If you have alternative ideas or variations for teaching narrative tenses, share them in the comments below.
