E6 G - Talk about past events

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E6 G - Talk about past events

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Einleitung

E6 G - Talk about past events is a short speaking course for English in class 6, G-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg.

Mini description: Tell a real or fictional past event in a few simple sentences.

Your learning path: Notice → understand → practise → use → feedback → use again.

All names and learning dates in the model stories are fictional. You do not need to upload a photo, video or voice recording. Recording yourself is optional and should stay private.

Quick media start: Look at the picture for ten seconds. Then say one easy sentence: I saw a cake. or There was a cake.

Try English first: What happened? Hint: Use yesterday, last Saturday or then. German help: Berichte kurz über etwas, das vorbei ist. Example: Last Saturday, I visited my cousin. Solution idea: We played a game and ate cake.

= I can ...

1. I can name a past time: yesterday, last Saturday, two days ago.
2. I can use a few simple past verbs: played, visited, went, saw, had, ate.
3. I can tell a short event in 3–5 clear sentences.
4. I can use first, then and finally.
5. I can speak clearly. Being understandable is more important than sounding accent-free.

= Before you start: quick check

Say these aloud. Do not translate everything.

1. Yesterday, I played football.
2. We went to the zoo.
3. Then we had a picnic.

If this is hard, use the word bank below. That is okay.

= Picture sequence: a school trip

The pictures are prompts. They do not show one real trip. The short story below is fictional.

Picture 1: We went by bus.

Picture 2: We visited a zoo.

Picture 3: We had a picnic.

Listen first. A teacher, partner or text-to-speech tool in your school system can read this slowly two times:

Last Saturday, Mia went on a school trip. First, the class went by bus. Then they visited a zoo. Mia saw monkeys. At lunch, the class had a picnic. Finally, they went home. Mia was tired but happy.

Try English first: What did Mia do? Hint: Find the verbs after Mia and the class. German help: Suche die Tätigkeiten in der Vergangenheit. Example: Mia saw monkeys. Solution: She went on a school trip, visited a zoo, saw monkeys and had a picnic.

= Video input: easy simple past

Watch only a short part if the full video is too long. First listen. Then watch again and repeat one easy sentence.

Video laden

YouTube

YouTube sammelt möglicherweise persönliche Daten. Datenschutzrichtlinie

Fortfahren Ausblenden

Second option for slow listening and speaking practice:

Video laden

YouTube

YouTube sammelt möglicherweise persönliche Daten. Datenschutzrichtlinie

Fortfahren Ausblenden

Media rule: Use the embedded players. Do not copy or re-upload videos. Wikimedia Commons images link to their licence information.

= One simple job

Use the simple past when you talk about a finished event in the past.

Yesterday, I played football.

Last Saturday, we went to the zoo.

Do not learn many rules at once. For this course, focus on a few useful verbs.

Base verb	Simple past	Easy example
play	played	We played football.
visit	visited	We visited the zoo.
go	went	We went by bus.
see	saw	I saw monkeys.
have	had	We had a picnic.
eat	ate	I ate a sandwich.

Important: After did or didn't, use the base verb.

Did you go?

I didn't go.

= Time words and story words

Use only a few:

1. yesterday: one day before today
2. last Saturday: a finished past time
3. first: the start
4. then: the next step
5. finally: the last step

= Pronunciation: clear, not perfect

Repeat slowly:

played – the ending is short.

watched – the ending is short.

wanted – you hear an extra syllable.

Do not worry about having a German accent. Speak clearly and stress the important words: LAST Saturday, we WENT to the ZOO.

= Small word bank

Event	People	Actions	Feelings
school trip	my class	went	happy
birthday	my friends	played	excited
football game	my team	watched	tired
picnic	my family	ate	great

Use only the words you need.

= Sentence starters

1. Yesterday, I ...
2. Last Saturday, we ...
3. First, we ...
4. Then, I ...
5. Finally, we ...
6. It was ...

= Mini dialogue

A: What did you do last Saturday?

B: I visited my cousin.

A: What did you do then?

B: We played a game.

A: Was it fun?

B: Yes, it was great.

Try English first: Change visited my cousin and played a game. Hint: Use the word bank. German help: Tausche nur zwei Informationen aus. Example: I went to the park. We played football. Solution idea: Any clear past event with simple past is possible.

= Speaking task: 3–5 sentences

Choose a real or fictional event. Keep private things private.

Use this plan:

1. Last ... , I/we ...
2. First, ...
3. Then, ...
4. Finally, ...
5. It was ...

Example: Last Sunday, I went to the park. First, I met my friend. Then we played football. Finally, we went home. It was fun.

Your turn: Speak without reading every word. You may look at 3–5 keywords.

= Picture speaking: one new story

Look at the picture. Invent a short past event.

Try English first: Say three sentences. Hint: Last ..., we ... / Then ... / It was ... German help: Du darfst die Geschichte erfinden. Example: Last Friday, we watched a football game. Solution idea: Last Friday, we watched a football game. Then we talked to our friends. It was exciting.

= Reading: Leo's short report

Yesterday, Leo visited his grandma. First, they made sandwiches. Then they walked to a park. Leo saw a dog and played with it. Finally, he went home at five. He was happy.

Check:

1. Who did Leo visit?
2. What did they make?
3. Where did they walk?
4. What did Leo see?
5. How did he feel?

Hint: The answers are in the text. German help: Suche Namen, Ort, Essen, Tier und Gefühl. Solution: grandma; sandwiches; a park; a dog; happy.

= Short writing output

Write 3–5 sentences about a real or fictional event.

Frame:

Last __________, I __________.

First, __________.

Then, __________.

Finally, __________.

It was __________.

Do not add lots of new vocabulary. Simple and clear is good.

= Optional mediation

A new student understands German better than English. Read this message:

Last Saturday, our class went to a sports day. We played two games and ate lunch outside. It was fun.

Tell the student the two most important facts in German. Do not translate every word.

= Two stars and one next step

A partner listens once.

Give two stars:

1. One sentence was easy to understand.
2. One past verb was correct.

Give one next step:

1. Add a time word, a story word or one correct past verb.

Focus on only three common goals:

1. Use a past form: went, not go, when the event is finished.
2. After did or didn't, use the base verb: Did you go?
3. Speak in short sentences and pause between ideas.

Be kind. Do not correct every small mistake.

= Second try

Tell the same event again. Change only one thing:

1. add first / then / finally, or
2. correct one past verb, or
3. speak a little more clearly.

You can make a private voice recording for yourself, but only if you want to. Do not upload it without permission.

= Can-do check

Mark what you can do now:

1. □ I can say when the event happened.
2. □ I can use 3–5 simple past verbs.
3. □ I can tell events in an easy order.
4. □ I can speak in short, clear sentences.
5. □ I can improve my story after feedback.

If you have 3 or more ticks, try the follow-up course: E6 G - Ask about past events.

= Safe use of AI

If you use an AI tool in class, use it only when your teacher allows it. Check suggestions. Change the text and say it in your own words. Do not enter private names, photos, recordings or personal data into an external tool.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which sentence tells a finished past event? (I visited my cousin yesterday.) (!I visit my cousin every Sunday.) (!I am visiting my cousin now.) (!I visit my cousin tomorrow.)

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

What is the simple past of see? (saw) (!seed) (!see) (!seeing)

Which sentence is correct after did? (Did you play football?) (!Did you played football?) (!Did you plays football?) (!Did you playing football?)

Which word can start the first step of a story? (First) (!Blue) (!Maybe) (!Because)

Which sentence is a good short report? (Then we had a picnic.) (!Then we have a picnic yesterday.) (!Then we having a picnic.) (!Then picnic we.)

What is the simple past of have? (had) (!haved) (!has) (!having)

Which time phrase fits a past event? (last Saturday) (!every Saturday) (!right now) (!next Saturday)

Which sentence is clear and simple? (We played a game and went home.) (!We game home play and.) (!We did played a game.) (!We are went home.)

What should you do after feedback? (Tell the event again with one improvement.) (!Add ten new words.) (!Change to a difficult grammar tense.) (!Correct every tiny accent detail.)

Memory

yesterday	past time
went	simple past of go
saw	simple past of see
had	simple past of have
first	story start
finally	story end

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
First	story start
Then	next action
Finally	last action
Went	past of go
Saw	past of see

Kreuzworträtsel

yesterday	Which word means the day before today?
picnic	What outdoor meal can a class have?
watched	What is the simple past of watch?
went	What is the simple past of go?
story	What can you tell about an event?
clearly	How should you speak so people understand you?

Lückentext

Vervollständige den Text.

Last Saturday, Mia on a school trip.

First, the class by bus.

Then they a zoo.

Mia monkeys.

At lunch, the class a picnic.

Finally, they home.

Mia was after the trip.

She thought the day was .

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

1. One picture, one sentence: Choose one course picture and say one simple past sentence.
2. Three starters: Complete Yesterday I ..., Then I ... and It was ....
3. Mini word bank: Choose five useful words from the course and make a personal word bank.
4. Find the verbs: Copy Leo's report and underline only the past verbs.

Standard

1. Mini report: Tell a real or fictional event in four clear sentences.
2. Partner dialogue: Ask and answer three easy questions about last weekend.
3. Picture sequence: Put three suitable images in an order and tell the story with first, then and finally.
4. Mediation: Read a short English event report and tell a German-speaking partner the two main facts in German.

Schwer

1. Two versions: Tell the same event once in three sentences and once in five sentences.
2. Feedback round: Record yourself privately or speak to a partner, get one next step and tell the event again.
3. Event interview: Interview a partner about a past event and write five keywords, not full sentences.
4. Mini comic: Draw four frames of a fictional past event and add one short English sentence to each frame.

Lernkontrolle

1. New picture sequence: You get three new pictures. Tell a short event with a clear beginning, middle and end.
2. Make it clearer: Improve Yesterday I go to park. Then I played. It fun. so it is easy to understand.
3. Choose useful words: From a longer word list, choose only six words you need for a short report and explain your choice.
4. Listen and retell: Listen to a short teacher-read event twice and retell the three main actions in your own simple English.
5. Use feedback: Tell an event, use one feedback point and tell it again. Explain what you changed.
6. Mediation transfer: Give a German classmate the main facts from a short English event report without translating every sentence.

Lernnachweis

For a good learning record, show that you can:

1. tell a real or fictional past event in 3–5 understandable sentences;
2. use a small set of simple past verbs correctly;
3. use at least two story words such as first, then or finally;
4. use a past time phrase such as yesterday or last Saturday;
5. react to one feedback point and improve your second try;
6. keep recordings private unless sharing is clearly agreed.

OERs zum Thema

Wikipedia gives extra grammar information. You do not need to learn everything on that page for this course.

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

E6 G - Talk about past events Simple Past Speaking Listening Reading Writing Mediation