Past Tense Foundations

Overview

Lesson 1 of 4 in “Narrating in Spanish Tenses.” Students use timelines, visuals, audio, and contextual examples to distinguish the Spanish preterite from the imperfect and explain why a speaker chooses each tense.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify the communicative purpose of the preterite and imperfect.
• Students will recognize common contextual signals for each past tense.
• Students will compare how each tense shapes a past narration.
• Students will communicate and reflect using appropriate grammatical terminology.

Success criteria

• I can identify whether a sentence describes a completed event or an ongoing/background situation.
• I can place preterite and imperfect examples on a timeline.
• I can explain a tense choice using terms such as completed action, habitual action, background, and interruption.
• I can reflect on one tense distinction I understand and one question I still have.

Curriculum links

• IB communication: students interpret and produce meaning in spoken and written Spanish.
• IB language development: students understand how language choices shape meaning and audience impact.
• IB reflection: students evaluate their learning strategies and identify next steps.
• IB approaches to teaching: inquiry, contextual learning, and purposeful communication.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes — Hook and prior knowledge Open with the visual hook and lesson question. Display two images: a person walking through a park and a sudden phone call. Ask: “How would Spanish show the difference between what was happening and what happened?” Students make a quick prediction individually, then share with a partner.

2. 5–12 minutes — Build the timeline concept Use the color-coded timeline explanation to introduce the preterite as a completed, bounded event and the imperfect as an ongoing, repeated, or descriptive situation. Model: “Ayer estudié” and “Cuando era niño, estudiaba mucho.” Students annotate the timeline in blue for preterite and green for imperfect on the tense foundations worksheet.

3. 12–20 minutes — Notice meaning in context Play the short audio reading from the audio-supported mini-story twice while students follow the dyslexia-friendly transcript on the tense foundations worksheet. The story should include a background action, a habitual action, a completed event, and an interruption. Students underline preterite verbs in blue and imperfect verbs in green, then identify what each verb contributes to the story.

4. 20–29 minutes — Guided classification Display the sentence sorting instructions. In pairs, students classify eight contextual sentences on the worksheet as preterite or imperfect and place each on a simple timeline. They must discuss the meaning before choosing a tense. Provide frames such as “The speaker uses the ___ because the action is ___” and “This verb gives background information about ___.”

5. 29–37 minutes — Communicative reconstruction Use the image sequence and partner speaking prompt. Partners describe a three-image scene involving a setting, an ongoing action, and a completed interruption. Student A narrates the first image; Student B adds what happened next. Partners then switch roles and use at least one preterite and one imperfect form. Encourage students to focus first on meaning, then accuracy.

6. 37–42 minutes — Advanced explanation and feedback Invite pairs to share one sentence and explain the tense choice. Advanced learners should use grammatical terminology, including aspect, background, foreground, habitual action, and completed event. Address misconceptions with the contrast: imperfect often answers “What was happening?” or “What used to happen?”; preterite often answers “What happened?”

7. 42–45 minutes — Reflection and exit check Return to the plenary and reflection prompt. Students complete the final section of the tense foundations worksheet: write one original sentence with each tense and explain the contrast in one or two sentences. Collect responses to plan the next lesson on form and accuracy.

Resources

• the Past Tense Foundations slide deck
• the tense foundations worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Speakers or headphones for the audio reading
• Pens or highlighters in blue and green
• Timer
• Optional board space for a class timeline

Assessment

• Monitor pair classification and listen for accurate explanations of completed, ongoing, habitual, and background meanings.
• Use the worksheet annotations and partner narration as formative evidence of interpretation and communication.
• Review exit responses for correct tense purpose, meaningful examples, and reflective next steps.

Differentiation

• Provide a dyslexia-friendly sans-serif transcript with increased spacing, short lines, clear color coding, and audio replay; allow students to listen while reading.
• Give sentence frames, a visible glossary of grammatical terms, and partially completed timelines to students who need language or processing support.
• Allow students to rehearse orally before writing and accept annotated timelines or recorded responses when extended writing is a barrier.
• Extend advanced learners by asking them to explain how changing the tense changes the listener’s perspective, or to narrate one scene using both tenses accurately.