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E7 G - Story pictures – Vergangenes erzählen

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E7 G - Story pictures – Vergangenes erzählen

Mini-Beschreibung: Tell a short picture story mainly in the simple past. Notice when the past progressive gives background information. This course is for English, Klasse 7, G-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg.

Learning path: notice → understand → try → use → communicate → feedback → improve → use again.

Language mode: English first. Try first. Use the picture or context. Then use a hint. German help comes only if you still need it.

Look first. What story could start with a school bag?

Try: Say one short sentence in English.

Hint: Start with: After school, Alex ...

Deutsch-Hilfe nur bei Bedarf: Du brauchst noch keine perfekte Geschichte. Ein verständlicher Satz reicht.

I can ...

I can put pictures into a simple story order.
I can tell the main events in the simple past.
I can notice a past-progressive background action.
I can use story words such as then, suddenly and finally.
I can write and tell a short picture story with connected sentences.

What you already know

You already know many everyday verbs and some simple-past forms.

Try: Complete the three mini-lines.

Today I go to school. Yesterday I ... to school.
Today it starts to rain. Yesterday it ... to rain.
Today I call a friend. Yesterday I ... a friend.

Hint: went – started – called

Deutsch-Hilfe nur bei Bedarf: Bei regelmäßigen Verben hilft oft -ed. Manche häufigen Verben sind unregelmäßig: go → went.

Media starter: A rainy ride

The photos below are story prompts. They do not show one real event and they do not tell the real story of one person. For this lesson, we imagine a fictional student called Alex.

Picture 1 – leaving school

Picture 2 – riding in the rain

Picture 3 – a puddle on the road

Picture 4 – a problem with the bike

Picture 5 – waiting for transport

Picture 6 – calling home

Try before reading: Put the pictures into your own order. Tell the story with only five chunks:

After school ... → Then ... → Suddenly ... → So ... → Finally ...

Hint: You may point at the pictures while you speak.

Listening and Viewing

This BBC Learning English video compares the past simple and the past continuous.

First viewing – no transcript, no notes. Watch a short part from the beginning. Listen for the two tense names.

Second viewing. Write down one past-simple form and one past-continuous form you hear.

Hint: Listen for a short finished action and for was/were + verb-ing.

Deutsch-Hilfe nur bei Bedarf: Im ersten Durchgang nur grob verstehen. Im zweiten Durchgang gezielt auf Formen achten.

Mini listening story

Ask a teacher or partner to read this story slowly once. Do not look at the transcript yet.

Task 1: Which three things happened? Choose: left school – rode home – called home – played football – cooked dinner.

Task 2: What was happening when the bike broke?

Hint: Listen for was riding.

Transcript after your listening attempt

Alex left school at four. It started to rain. Alex was riding home when the bike broke. Alex called home and waited at a bus stop. Finally, a family member arrived.

Check: Main story steps are mostly in the simple past. The longer background action is was riding.

Reading: The picture story

Read once for the main idea.

After school, Alex left the school building and got on a bike. It was raining, but Alex started to ride home. While Alex was riding along the road, the bike hit a puddle. Suddenly, the bike broke. Alex called home, walked to a bus stop and waited there. Finally, help arrived.

Try: Find five verbs that move the story forward.

Hint: Look for short finished events.

Check: Possible answers: left, got, started, hit, broke, called, walked, waited, arrived.

Vocabulary in context

You do not need many new words. Reuse these chunks:

after school: a clear starting point
ride home: go home by bike
hit a puddle: move into a wet patch on the road
the bike broke: the bike stopped working correctly
call home: phone someone at home
wait at a bus stop: stay there until transport or help comes
suddenly: an unexpected event starts
finally: the last important step

Mini-transfer: Replace only one detail: puddle → branch, bike → scooter or bus stop → shop.

Pronunciation for clear storytelling

Your goal is easy-to-understand speech, not accent-free speech.

Notice: Regular past forms often end in -ed, but the ending does not always sound the same.

Say these chunks slowly, then at normal speed:

started to rain – called home – waited there

Try: Stress the important story word: SUDdenly, FI-nally.

Feedback: If your listener can follow the order of events, your pronunciation is doing its job.

Functional grammar

Simple past: the story steps

Use the simple past for finished events that move the story forward.

Alex left school. The rain started. The bike broke. Alex called home.

Form: regular verb + -ed or an irregular past form.

Useful irregular forms: go → went, get → got, see → saw, have → had, come → came.

Questions and negatives: use did + base form.

Did Alex call home? – Alex did not call a friend.

Past progressive: the background

Use the past progressive for an action that was in progress at that past moment.

Alex was riding home when the bike broke.

Form: was/were + verb-ing

Story job: background first, short event second.

While Alex was riding home, it started to rain harder.

Remember: Your story is still mainly in the simple past. Use the past progressive only when it helps the listener see what was already happening.

Notice the difference

Story step: The bike broke.

Background: Alex was riding home.

Together: Alex was riding home when the bike broke.

Try: Complete: I was walking home when ...

Hint: Add one short event in the simple past.

Optional E-look ahead: past perfect

This is not a production target here. Only notice the time order in this example:

When Alex reached the bus stop, the bus had already left.

Controlled check: Which happened first? The bus left first.

Do not use the past perfect in your own G-level picture story unless your teacher asks you to.

Speaking: Tell the story

Round 1 – supported. Use the pictures and the frame.

After school, Alex ...

Then ...

While Alex was ..., ...

Suddenly, ...

So Alex ...

Finally, ...

Word bank: left – rode – was raining – was riding – hit – broke – called – walked – waited – arrived

Partner feedback: Tick three things: clear order – mostly simple past – one useful background form.

Improve: Repeat the story once and improve only one point.

Privacy: Recording your voice is optional. Keep recordings private unless you actively choose to share them. No upload is required.

Writing: A short picture story

Write 5–7 connected sentences. Keep the story easy to follow.

Writing frame:

After school, ...

First, ...

Then, ...

While ... was ..., ...

Suddenly, ...

So ...

Finally, ...

Self-check before feedback:

Did I use the simple past for most story steps?
Did I use only one or two past-progressive forms for background?
Did I use at least two linking words?
Can a classmate understand the story without asking many questions?

AI note: If you use an AI tool, ask it for feedback on one point, for example: Check my simple-past forms. Check the feedback yourself. Do not let AI replace your own text, and do not send private data or recordings to an external AI service without permission.

Mediation mini-task

Your German-speaking classmate missed the story. Give the key information in simple English. Do not translate every word.

German note: Nach der Schule fuhr Alex im Regen nach Hause. Das Fahrrad ging kaputt. Alex rief zu Hause an und wartete an einer Bushaltestelle.

Start: After school, Alex ...

Hint: Four short English sentences are enough.

Direct feedback: repair one sentence

Sentence A: Alex was rode home when the bike broke.

Try: Repair only the background form.

Feedback: Alex was riding home when the bike broke.

Sentence B: Did Alex called home?

Try: Repair only the main verb.

Feedback: Did Alex call home?

Use again: Say one new sentence with was/were + -ing ... when ... simple past.

Self-check: Can do

Choose one for each statement: yes – almost – not yet.

I can tell the main events of a picture story in the simple past.
I can use was/were + -ing for a background action.
I can connect my sentences with then, suddenly, so and finally.
I can tell or write a short story that another learner can follow.
I can use feedback to improve one part and try again.

If you choose not yet: Go back to the picture sequence and use the writing frame once more.

Folgekurs: Personal experiences – Erlebnisse erzählen

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which tense is the main tense for finished story steps in this course? (Simple past) (!Present progressive) (!Past perfect) (!Future with will)

Which sentence gives background information? (Alex was riding home.) (!Alex called home.) (!The bike broke.) (!Help arrived.)

What is the simple past of go? (went) (!goed) (!going) (!gone)

Which sentence correctly combines background and event? (While Alex was riding home, the bike broke.) (!While Alex rode home, the bike was break.) (!While Alex riding home, the bike broke.) (!While Alex was ride home, the bike break.)

Which word is useful for an unexpected story event? (suddenly) (!usually) (!tomorrow) (!never)

Which question is correct? (Did Alex call home?) (!Did Alex called home?) (!Does Alex called home?) (!Was Alex call home?)

Which form is past progressive? (was waiting) (!waited) (!did wait) (!has waited)

What should a G-level picture story mainly use here? (Simple past with a few clear linking words) (!Past perfect in every sentence) (!Reported speech in every sentence) (!Passive forms in every sentence)

In the sentence The bike broke while Alex was riding, which event is the short finished event? (The bike broke.) (!Alex was riding.) (!Both actions are future actions.) (!There is no past event.)

Which word often introduces the last important step of a short story? (finally) (!because) (!always) (!tomorrow)

Memory

Simple past	finished story step
Past progressive	background action in progress
suddenly	unexpected event
while	background connection
finally	last important step
broke	past form of break

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Story-Funktion
left school	story start
was riding home	background action
hit a puddle	sudden event
called home	reaction
waited at a bus stop	ending phase

...

Kreuzworträtsel

started	Which past form completes: It ... to rain?
riding	Which ing-form completes: Alex was ... home?
puddle	What wet patch on a road can a bike hit?
broke	What is the past form of break?
called	Which past form means phoned?
finally	Which story word can introduce the last step?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Bilder ordnen: Put the six story pictures into a clear order and say one English chunk for each picture.
Wortbank nutzen: Choose six verbs from the word bank and write their simple-past forms.
Story links: Make four short sentences with then, suddenly, so and finally.
Ein Bild – zwei Sätze: Choose one picture. Write one background sentence and one finished event.

Standard

Bildergeschichte erzählen: Tell the rainy-ride story in 5–7 connected sentences with the speaking frame.
Bildergeschichte schreiben: Write a new 5–7 sentence version. Change two details but keep a clear order.
Partnerfeedback Englisch: Exchange stories. Give feedback on only three points: order, simple past, one useful past-progressive form.
Mediation Englisch: Read a short German note about a small problem on the way home and pass only the key information on in simple English.

Schwer

Perspektivwechsel: Retell the same picture sequence from another fictional person's point of view without adding private real-life information.
Alternative Wendung: Change the problem after picture 3 and write a new ending in 7–8 short sentences.
Mini-Storyboard: Draw four new story pictures and add one English sentence under each picture. Use mostly simple past.
Feedback verbessern: Write a first version, use teacher or peer feedback to improve only two points, then mark exactly what you changed.

Lernkontrolle

Neue Bildergeschichte strukturieren: You get four new pictures. Decide on a logical order and explain in English why one event must come before another.
Zeitformen funktional einsetzen: Write five sentences for a new picture story. Use the simple past for the main steps and one past-progressive sentence for background. Explain which sentence has which function.
Fehler gezielt überarbeiten: Correct a short picture story with three tense mistakes and explain each correction in simple German or English.
Transfer auf Alltagssituation: Tell a fictional story about missing a bus, losing a key or forgetting a bag. Keep the language simple and show a clear beginning, problem and ending.
Feedback anwenden: Improve a short draft after two pieces of feedback. Show the original sentence and your improved sentence, then state what became clearer.

Lernnachweis

For a successful Lernnachweis, show that you can:

tell or write a short, understandable picture story with a clear order;
use the simple past for most finished events;
recognize and use a small number of past-progressive background forms;
connect ideas with a few useful story words;
use a writing frame or word bank independently when needed;
react to feedback and improve one or two language points;
keep invented profiles fictional and protect private data;
check AI feedback critically instead of replacing your own work.

OERs zum Thema

Weitere freie Medien im Kurs: Die eingebundenen Bilddateien stammen aus Wikimedia Commons. Lizenz- und Urheberangaben findest Du auf den jeweiligen Dateiseiten. Die Fotos dienen hier als Lernimpulse und werden nicht als reale zusammenhängende Geschichte dargestellt.

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