Tense Picture Sentences

Overview

Students use a daily image prompt to identify familiar Gagana Sāmoa vocabulary, then construct and write sentences in the past, present and future tense. The lesson builds on previous learning by reusing known words and applying three consistently modelled sentence patterns.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify and use familiar Gagana Sāmoa vocabulary from an image.
• WALT construct oral and written sentences in the past, present and future tense.
• WALT listen to a partner and give helpful feedback about sentence meaning and tense.

Success criteria

• I can name or describe at least three things I see in the image.
• I can say a sentence using each target tense.
• I can write three understandable Gagana Sāmoa sentences that match the image.
• I can identify whether a sentence is past, present or future.

Curriculum links

• Gagana Sāmoa detailed year-by-year teaching sequence: developing meaning through familiar topics and classroom interaction.
• Learning Languages — Novice 1 and Novice 2: using cognate and familiar language knowledge to support comprehension and communication.
• Te Mātaiaho Learning Languages: building communicative competence through listening, speaking, reading and writing for meaningful purposes.
• Key competencies: managing self, relating to others, and participating and contributing through paired language practice.

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Review previous learning. Teacher displays the previous lesson’s sentence examples and asks students to identify the tense and orally repeat one sentence; use the review and learning intention slides. Students turn and talk, then volunteer the tense markers they remember.

2. 5–11 min · Explore the image. Teacher reveals the new image and invites students to name people, places, objects and actions in Gagana Sāmoa, recording only familiar vocabulary; use the image prompt and vocabulary discussion slide. Students first observe silently, then share words and short descriptions with a partner.

3. 11–18 min · Explicitly model the three tenses. Teacher models one image-based verb and explains that the sentence frame changes to show time:

• Past: Na + verb + subject/object. Example: Na tamo'e le tama. — The boy ran.
• Present: O lo'o + verb + subject/object. Example: O lo'o tamo'e le tama. — The boy is running.
• Future: O le a + verb + subject/object. Example: O le a tamo'e le tama. — The boy will run. Teacher substitutes a second familiar verb from the image, checks pronunciation, and highlights that the time phrase comes before the verb. Students echo each model, identify the tense marker and help transform the sentence from one tense to another.

4. 18–26 min · Partner speaking practice. Teacher displays the oral practice instructions and assigns pairs: Speaker A chooses a person and action from the image and says the sentence in one tense; Speaker B identifies the tense and asks for the same sentence in another tense; swap roles; use the partner-practice instruction slide. Students practise all three patterns, using the image and the board as support, then rehearse the three sentences they will write.

5. 26–35 min · Independent writing. Teacher distributes the three-tense picture sentence worksheet and reminds students to write one sentence for each tense, checking that each sentence matches the image. Students complete the worksheet independently, using the vocabulary bank and sentence frames where needed.

6. 35–40 min · Share and formative feedback. Teacher invites two or three students to read a sentence, asks the class to show or say the tense, and gives feedback using the prompts “Is the tense clear?” and “Does the sentence match the image?”; use the sharing and reflection slide. Students read one sentence to a partner, identify one strength and make one correction or improvement.

Resources

• the Gagana Sāmoa picture-prompt lesson deck
• the three-tense picture sentence worksheet
• A suitable age-appropriate image prompt
• Whiteboard and markers
• Tense labels: past, present and future
• Classroom Gagana Sāmoa vocabulary display
• Pencils and coloured pens

Assessment

• Listen during image discussion and partner practice for accurate vocabulary, intelligible pronunciation and appropriate tense markers.
• Check whether students can transform one orally modelled sentence into all three tenses.
• Collect the worksheet or photograph it for evidence: students should produce three image-matched sentences, with the intended tense clearly signalled.

Differentiation

• Support: provide a small vocabulary bank with pictures, colour-code each tense marker, and leave the three sentence frames visible. Allow students to rehearse with a confident partner before writing.
• Support for EAL and learning needs: use gesture and a simple timeline for past, present and future; read the models aloud, chunk the sentences and accept dictated or scribed responses where handwriting is a barrier.
• Teacher support: work with a small group during writing, jointly selecting a person, action and object before students complete each frame.
• Extension: students use two different image-based verbs and write an additional set of three sentences, changing the subject while keeping the tense pattern accurate.