Week 32 – Stories & narratives

Week 32 – Stories & narratives (Past Simple vs Past Continuous, A2)

Theme: Telling simple stories about past events; setting background vs main actions.

Main grammar & functions:

• Past Simple for finished actions in the past (story events):
  • I walked into the room., She answered the phone.
• Past Continuous (was/were + verb-ing) for background actions or actions in progress:
  • I was watching TV when he called., They were walking in the park when it started to rain.
• Using when and while to connect actions.

CEFR link:

A2 → A2+: Can tell a short, simple story about past events, using a sequence of Past Simple sentences and some Past Continuous for background (CEFR: “Can narrate a story or describe events in a simple list of points.”)

1. Lesson objectives (for students)

By the end of the week, students can:

1. Use Past Simple to describe the main events in a story.
2. Use Past Continuous to describe background actions or actions in progress.
3. Join actions with when / while in simple narrative sentences.
4. Tell or write a short anecdote (strange/funny/scary event) using both tenses.

2. Grammar focus (with Ukrainian‑speaker notes)

a) Past Simple – main events (review)

Use:

• Finished actions, one after another (the "story line"):
  • I got up, had breakfast, and went to work.
  • I heard a noise, then I opened the door.

Form (review):

• Regular: verb + -ed (worked, watched, opened).
• Irregular: went, saw, heard, came, did, had, etc.

b) Past Continuous – background / actions in progress

Form:

• was / were + verb-ing
  • I / he / she / it was watching.
  • You / we / they were walking.

Use:

1. Background action (longer) + Past Simple (shorter event that interrupts):
   • I was watching TV when he called.
   • They were walking in the park when it started to rain.

2. Two actions in progress at the same time:
   • I was cooking while she was talking on the phone.

Ukrainian issues:

• Ukrainian often uses simple past for both functions; Past Continuous may be new conceptually.
  • Emphasise meaning with timelines and pictures – what was already happening vs what "arrived".
• Form errors with was/were and -ing:
  • I were watching → I was watching.
  • They was talk → They were talking.

c) when vs while (simple use)

Patterns (keep simple at A2):

• Past Continuous + when + Past Simple
  • I was walking home when I saw an accident.
  • She was cooking when the phone rang.

• Past Simple + while + Past Continuous
  • I hurt my leg while I was playing football.
  • He fell asleep while he was watching TV.

Explain in simple terms rather than rules:

• When – something happened (short action).
• While – something was happening (longer action).

Don’t over‑complicate with many patterns; 2–3 clear examples are enough.

3. Vocabulary sets

Story contexts:

• at home: watching TV, cooking, reading, sleeping, having dinner
• in the street: walking, driving, waiting for a bus, talking on the phone
• in a park / on holiday: walking, swimming, taking photos, playing football

Common story verbs:

• hear, see, meet, fall, break, lose, find, crash, start, stop, shout, laugh

Useful time markers:

• yesterday, last night, last weekend, two days ago
• when I was a child
• suddenly, then, after that, later

4. Lesson skeleton (60–90 minutes)

1) Warm‑up – Strange/funny events (10–15 min)

• Ask students: "Have you ever had a funny or strange thing happen to you?" (they can answer very briefly).
• Write 1–2 simple examples from students on the board in Past Simple only – you’ll later expand with Past Continuous.

2) Presentation – Picture story & two tenses (15–20 min)

1. Show a picture sequence (e.g., a man watching TV, then a cat jumping, something falling, etc.) or tell a very short story.

2. Present a model text:

Example:

Last night I was watching TV in my living room. My cat was sleeping next to me. Suddenly, I heard a strange noise. I got up and went to the kitchen. The window was open and it was raining.

3. Underline:
   • Past Continuous verbs: was watching, was sleeping, was open, was raining.
   • Past Simple verbs: heard, got up, went.

4. Ask: Which verbs describe the background / situation? (Past Continuous)

Which verbs describe the main events? (Past Simple)

3) Form & controlled practice – Past Continuous (15–20 min)

1. On the board, show the structure table:

• • I / he / she / it was + verb‑ing
  • you / we / they were + verb‑ing

2. Write base verbs (watch, walk, read, talk, play, drive). Students make Past Continuous forms.
3. Controlled exercise:
   • Complete sentences:
     • "I _ (watch) TV when my friend called." → was watching
     • "They _ (walk) in the park when it started to rain." → were walking

4) Practice – when / while sentences (15–20 min)

1. Board a few patterns:

• • I was _ when _.
  • While I was _, I _.

2. Give prompts:
   • watch TV / phone ring
   • walk in the street / see an accident
   • drive to work / have an accident
   • cook dinner / the lights go off

3. Students make sentences in pairs:
   • "I was watching TV when the phone rang."
   • "While I was driving to work, I saw an accident."

4. Quick speaking drill: each student says 2–3 sentences.

5) Freer practice – My small story (15–20 min)

Students write and tell a short anecdote using both tenses.

1. Give prompts to help idea generation ("a strange thing on the bus", "a funny thing at home", etc.).
2. Students plan and write 6–8 sentences:
   • 2–3 background sentences using Past Continuous.
   • 3–5 main event sentences using Past Simple.
3. In small groups, students tell their stories.
4. Option: each group chooses one favourite story to tell to the whole class.

5. Homework / revision ideas

Choose 1–2:

1. Story writing
   • Students write a short story (8–10 sentences) about a past event, including:
     • at least 3 Past Continuous sentences,
     • at least 5 Past Simple sentences,
     • some linking with when / while / then / suddenly.

2. Picture sequence
   • Give a 3–4‑picture sequence (or ask students to find one).
   • At home, they write a narrative using both Past Simple and Past Continuous.

3. Transformation exercise
   • Provide 5–6 Past Simple sentences.
   • Homework: students add a Past Continuous background:
     • "The phone rang." → "I was cooking when the phone rang."