Past Simple vs. Participle

Overview

In this second lesson of the "Building Confidence in English" unit, the student explores the distinction between past simple and past participle forms, building grammatical accuracy for both spoken and written English tasks aligned with the IB MYP English Language Acquisition framework.

Learning intentions

• Students will understand the structural difference between past simple and past participle verb forms.
• Students will recognise how each form functions within a sentence.
• Students will practise converting sentences accurately between the two forms.
• Students will apply correct usage in short written responses.

Success criteria

• I can explain the difference between past simple and past participle with an example.
• I can identify which verb form is being used in a given sentence.
• I can convert sentences between past simple and past participle forms accurately.
• I can use both forms correctly in my own writing.

Curriculum links

• MYP Language Acquisition: developing understanding of language systems and conventions.
• MYP key concept of Communication: using language accurately to express meaning across contexts.
• MYP related concept of Structure: understanding how grammatical forms shape meaning.
• MYP Approaches to Learning: thinking skills and self-management through reflective grammar practice.

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Lesson structure (60 minutes)

0–5 mins — Activate prior knowledge Begin with a quick verbal warm-up. Ask the student to say three things they did last weekend using "I…" sentences. Jot their responses on paper without correcting yet; these will be revisited later in the lesson to check accuracy.

5–20 mins — Direct teaching: Explain the concepts Using a prepared reference sheet, walk through the key distinctions:

• Past simple: used to describe a completed action at a specific time in the past (e.g. "She walked to school yesterday.").
• Past participle: used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses and passive constructions (e.g. "She has walked that route before." / "The letter was written by him.").

Introduce a table of common regular and irregular verbs showing base form, past simple, and past participle side by side (e.g. write / wrote / written; eat / ate / eaten; walk / walked / walked). Spend time on irregular verbs, as these are typically the source of most errors. Encourage the student to note which verbs have different past simple and past participle forms versus those that are identical.

20–35 mins — Guided practice: Identification exercises Provide a prepared worksheet with 12–15 sentences. The student must:

1. Underline the verb in each sentence.
2. Label it as past simple (PS) or past participle (PP).
3. Explain in one word or phrase what clues them in (e.g. "has" before the verb signals present perfect with past participle).

Work through the first two or three together, then allow the student to attempt the rest independently. Offer prompts, not answers, if they become stuck. Review responses together verbally, discussing any errors and the reasoning behind corrections.

35–48 mins — Conversion task: Sentence transformation Present 8 sentences in either past simple or past participle form. The student must rewrite each sentence in the other form, adjusting auxiliary verbs as necessary.

Example:

• Given: "They completed the project." → Convert to: "The project has been completed." or "The project was completed by them."
• Given: "The book has been read by everyone." → Convert to: "Everyone read the book."

Encourage the student to say each sentence aloud before writing it, as this often helps them notice whether it sounds natural. Debrief together, focusing on any patterns in the errors made.

48–55 mins — Independent writing application Return to the warm-up sentences recorded at the start of the lesson. The student reviews them for accuracy, corrects any verb form errors, then writes four additional sentences of their own: two using past simple and two using the present perfect (incorporating the past participle). These should relate to a personal experience or a book/film they know well, connecting language use to real context.

55–60 mins — Reflection and review Ask the student to verbally summarise the key difference between past simple and past participle in their own words. Together, identify one area of strength and one area to continue practising. Record this in a short learning log or notebook entry for reference in future lessons.

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Resources

• Prepared verb reference table (base / past simple / past participle) — teacher-created
• Printed or written identification worksheet (12–15 sentences)
• Sentence conversion task sheet (8 sentences)
• Student notebook or learning log
• Pen and paper or whiteboard for warm-up recording

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Assessment

• Formative: review of identification worksheet responses and verbal explanations during guided practice.
• Formative: accuracy of sentence conversion task, with attention to irregular verb forms and correct auxiliary verb use.
• Self-assessment: the student's verbal summary and learning log entry at the close of the lesson.

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Differentiation

• Support: provide a colour-coded verb reference sheet where past simple and past participle are highlighted in different colours; allow verbal responses in place of written ones where confidence is low.
• Extension: challenge the student to write a short paragraph (5–6 sentences) about a past event using both past simple and present perfect tenses naturally and accurately within a single piece of writing.
• EAL/SEN: reduce the number of sentences in each task to avoid cognitive overload; focus initially on high-frequency irregular verbs (go, have, see, write) before expanding to a wider set.
• Confidence building: frame all corrections as "let's explore why" rather than marking responses as wrong, reinforcing the unit's overarching goal of building confidence in English.