E7 G - Talk about a personal experience

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E7 G - Talk about a personal experience

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E7 G - Talk about a personal experience

Mini-Beschreibung: Talk about a real or fictional experience in several connected sentences. Use notes, pictures and simple story chunks. This course is for English as a first foreign language, Klasse 7, G-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg.

Time: about 45–60 minutes. Optional extra: 10 minutes.

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

Look first. No dictionary yet.

What could have happened here?

1. Say one word you know.
2. Say one short sentence.
3. Then try: Maybe they went hiking.

I can ...

At the end, you can say:

1. I can understand the main idea of a short story about an experience.
2. I can use simple past verbs to tell what happened.
3. I can connect sentences with first, then, after that, but, because, finally.
4. I can speak or write about a real or fictional experience with notes and pictures.

Important: Your story does not have to be private. You may invent it. Recordings are voluntary and should stay private unless you clearly agree to share them.

Before you start: quick check

Try in English first.

1. What did you do last weekend?
2. Where were you?
3. How did you feel?

Hint: Start with one chunk: Last weekend, I ...

Deutsch nur wenn nötig: Du brauchst noch keine lange Geschichte. Ein kurzer Satz reicht.

Notice: pictures tell stories

Look at the picture for 20 seconds.

Try:

1. Where is the person?
2. What could happen next?
3. Which feeling fits: excited, tired, nervous, happy?

Use a model:

Last Friday, I was on a bus. I took a photo. I felt excited.

Now change only two parts:

Last Saturday, I was at __________. I __________. I felt __________.

Understand: a short model story

A day at the funfair

Last Saturday, Mia went to a funfair with her cousin. First, they bought two tickets. Then they went on a fast ride. Mia was nervous, but she laughed a lot. After that, they ate chips because they were hungry. Finally, they took the bus home. Mia was tired and happy.

Read once for the big idea.

What is the story mainly about?

Hint: Look for where, what happened and how Mia felt.

German help if needed: Suche nicht jedes Wort. Finde zuerst Ort, wichtigste Handlung und Gefühl.

Story map

Use this simple plan:

1. When? Last Saturday
2. Where? at a funfair
3. Who? Mia and her cousin
4. What happened? tickets → ride → food → bus
5. Feeling? nervous → happy

A good short story is not a list of single words. Connect your ideas.

First ... Then ... After that ... Finally ...

Listening and viewing

Watch or listen before you use a transcript or subtitles.

Video laden

YouTube

YouTube sammelt möglicherweise persönliche Daten. Datenschutzrichtlinie

Fortfahren Ausblenden

This British Council LearnEnglish Teens video shows a short past-time situation and uses irregular past forms.

First viewing: no transcript.

Choose only the main idea:

1. Is the speaker talking about a normal school day, a past problem on a trip, or a future plan?

Second viewing: Listen for three past verbs you know.

Hint: You may hear forms such as saw, took, got.

After your listening attempt: Use subtitles or the transcript only to check what you understood.

Mini listening: teacher or partner voice

One person reads the text slowly twice. Do not show the text during the first listening.

Task 1: Listen for the place.

Task 2: Listen again. Note three key words.

Transcript – only after your listening attempt:

Last Sunday, Jay went to the lake with his family. First, they walked near the water. Then it started to rain. Jay forgot his jacket, so he got wet. They went back to the car and laughed. Later, the sun came out.

Quick check: Where did Jay go? What problem happened? How did the story end?

Reading: find the story steps

Read this short fictional story:

Our night by the lake

Last summer, Sam and Alex camped by a lake. First, they put up their tent. Then they made sandwiches. In the evening, they heard a strange sound outside. Sam felt nervous, but Alex looked out of the tent. It was only a small animal. They laughed and went back to sleep.

Try: Find one sentence for each part:

1. Start
2. Next event
3. Small problem
4. Feeling
5. Ending

Hint: Look for First, Then, but and the last sentence.

Words in context

You do not need many new words. Reuse useful chunks.

Chunk	Use it for	Example
Last Saturday ...	time	Last Saturday, I went to town.
First ...	first event	First, we met at the station.
Then ...	next event	Then we took the bus.
After that ...	another event	After that, we ate pizza.
but ...	contrast	I was tired, but I was happy.
because ...	reason	I laughed because it was funny.
Finally ...	ending	Finally, we went home.

Small word bank:

went – saw – had – got – took – ate – played – watched – visited – walked – laughed – felt – was – were

Feelings: happy – excited – tired – nervous – surprised – scared – proud

Pronunciation: clear before perfect

You do not need an accent like a native speaker. The goal is easy to understand.

Try these chunks slowly:

Last Saturday ...

First, we went ...

Then we saw ...

Finally, I felt ...

For regular past verbs, notice the ending:

played – watched – wanted

Do not stop your story to make every sound perfect. Keep a clear rhythm and stress the important words.

Video laden

YouTube

YouTube sammelt möglicherweise persönliche Daten. Datenschutzrichtlinie

Fortfahren Ausblenden

Use the video as a short check for regular past forms and pronunciation. First listen. Then repeat one useful sentence pattern.

Grammar for the job: Simple Past

Use the simple past for finished events in the past.

Regular: walk → walked

play → played

Irregular: go → went

see → saw

take → took

have → had

feel → felt

Questions: What did you do?

Where did you go?

Negative: I didn't go by bus.

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

Correct: Did you go?

Not: Did you went?

Connect, do not only list

Less useful:

I went to the park. I saw my friend. I ate ice cream. I went home.

Better:

First, I went to the park. Then I saw my friend. After that, we ate ice cream. Finally, I went home.

Use only a few connectors. Repeating good chunks is useful.

Try: build a four-sentence story

Choose one picture from this course.

Use this frame:

Last __________, I went to __________.

First, I __________.

Then, I __________ because/but __________.

Finally, I __________. I felt __________.

Hint 1: Use the word bank.

Hint 2: If you need more help, copy the frame and change only the gaps.

German help if needed: Erzähle nur vier verbundene Sätze. Ort + zwei Ereignisse + Ende reichen.

Speaking: tell it to a partner

Talk for about 30–45 seconds.

Your notes may look like this:

Saturday – lake – friend – rain – bus – funny – tired

Do not write every sentence before speaking.

Use:

Last ...

First ...

Then ...

After that ...

Finally ...

Your partner asks one easy question:

What happened next?

or

How did you feel?

Speaking feedback

Partner check:

1. I understood the place.
2. I understood at least two events.
3. I heard one connector.
4. I understood the ending or feeling.

Give short feedback:

Good: I understood ...

Next step: Add one connector / one feeling / one clear past verb.

Then tell the story again. Change one thing to make it clearer.

Recording option: You may record yourself privately to listen again. Recording is voluntary. Do not upload a recording without clear permission.

Writing: notes → sentences → short text

Step 1: Notes

When? __________

Where? __________

Who? __________

What happened? __________ → __________ → __________

Feeling? __________

Step 2: Writing frame

Last __________, I went to __________ with __________.

First, we __________.

Then, we __________.

After that, __________.

Finally, __________.

I felt __________ because __________.

Step 3: Check

1. Do I have several connected sentences?
2. Did I use simple past forms?
3. Did I use at least two connectors?
4. Is my story easy to understand?

Do not replace your own text with an AI text. If your school allows AI feedback, first write your own version. Then check only a small part, compare the suggestion and decide yourself what to improve. Do not enter private information.

Mediation mini-task

Your English-speaking partner does not understand this German note:

„Am Samstag waren wir am See. Erst war das Wetter gut. Dann fing es an zu regnen. Wir warteten in einem Café und fuhren später nach Hause.“

Do not translate every word.

Explain the important information in simple English.

Start:

On Saturday, they were at ... First ... Then ... Finally ...

Mini-transfer: a new picture, a new story

Now use the same skill with a new context.

Make a fictional story in four to six sentences.

You may use:

hike – hill – backpack – weather – tired – view – laugh – home

Challenge: Add one reason with because.

Improve: second version

Compare version 1 and version 2.

Improve only two things:

1. one clearer past verb
2. one connector
3. one useful feeling
4. one reason with because

Then use the story again: tell it or read it to a partner.

Optional E-look ahead: Past Perfect

This is only a controlled preview. You do not need it for the G-level task.

I was tired because I had walked for two hours.

had walked shows that the walking happened before the feeling in the past.

Stop here. Do not use passive voice or reported speech for this task.

Self-check: Can do

Choose: yes – almost – not yet

1. I can tell where and when something happened.
2. I can use at least three simple past verbs.
3. I can connect events with first, then, after that or finally.
4. I can add a feeling.
5. I can tell the story again after feedback.

If you chose almost or not yet, go back to the writing frame or word bank and try one shorter story.

Follow-up course

Next step:

E7 G - Ask follow-up questions about a personal experience

There you can practise questions such as:

What happened next?

Who were you with?

How did you feel?

Media note

The pictures in this course are embedded from Wikimedia Commons. Check the individual file page for licence and attribution details. The videos are embedded from the official British Council LearnEnglish Teens YouTube channel; they are linked and not copied.

No private social-media data are needed. Use fictional profiles if a profile is useful for a task.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which sentence starts a simple past experience clearly? (Last Saturday, I went to the park.) (!Tomorrow, I go to the park.) (!Every Saturday, I go to the park.) (!I am going to the park now.)

Which connector is useful for the first event? (First) (!Maybe) (!Always) (!Never)

Which is the correct past form of go? (went) (!goed) (!goes) (!going)

Which sentence is correct? (Did you go to the lake?) (!Did you went to the lake?) (!Did you goes to the lake?) (!Did you going to the lake?)

Which word gives a reason? (because) (!finally) (!yesterday) (!first)

What should you do before using a transcript in this course? (Listen or watch once first) (!Read the transcript first) (!Translate every word first) (!Skip the listening)

Which sentence connects two ideas with contrast? (I was nervous, but I laughed.) (!I was nervous first first.) (!I nervous because.) (!I was but nervous laughed.)

What is a useful ending chunk? (Finally, we went home.) (!First, tomorrow is Monday.) (!Because finally yesterday.) (!Went home is finally.)

What is the safest choice for a speaking story? (Use a fictional story if you do not want to share a real one) (!Share private social-media messages) (!Upload a recording automatically) (!Use another person's private story)

What is a good way to improve your second version? (Change one or two clear points after feedback) (!Replace your whole text with an AI text) (!Add many difficult words) (!Remove all connectors)

Memory

First	start of the story
Then	next event
because	reason
but	contrast
finally	ending
felt	past form for a feeling

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Last Saturday	time
at the lake	place
went hiking	action
because it rained	reason
felt happy	feeling

...

Kreuzworträtsel

experience	What is the English word for Erlebnis?
finally	Which connector often introduces the ending?
because	Which word gives a reason?
excited	Which feeling word can mean very happy and full of energy?
weekend	What do we call Saturday and Sunday together?
notebook	Where can you write short story notes by hand?

Lückentext

Vervollständige den Text.

Last Saturday, I to a funfair with my friend.

we bought tickets.

Then we a big ride.

I was nervous it was very fast.

After that, we some chips.

We laughed, and I much better.

we took the bus home.

A short personal experience should have connected .

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

1. Picture story: Choose one picture from this course and say four connected English sentences with the speaking frame.
2. Five-note plan: Write only five notes for when, where, action, problem and feeling. Then speak without writing a full script.
3. Word bank remix: Choose six words from the word bank and make a short fictional experience.
4. Chunk practice: Practise Last Saturday, First, Then and Finally. Record yourself only if you want to and keep the file private.

Standard

1. Partner story: Tell a 30–45 second story. Your partner asks one follow-up question. Improve and tell it again.
2. Six-sentence text: Write six connected sentences about a real or fictional experience. Use at least two connectors and one feeling.
3. Three-picture storyboard: Draw three simple pictures for start, problem and ending. Use them as speaking support.
4. Mediation card: Write a short German note about a class-trip event and let a partner explain only the important information in simple English.

Schwer

1. Change one detail: Tell the same fictional event again but change the place, problem or feeling. Keep the language simple.
2. Mini interview: Prepare four safe questions about an invented experience. Interview a partner using a fictional profile if preferred.
3. Two-version challenge: Create version 1, get feedback on clarity, connectors and past verbs, then produce a clearer version 2.
4. Private mini video: Create a 30–45 second video with drawings or objects, not private social-media content. No upload is required.

Lernkontrolle

1. New-picture story: You receive a new image. Create a four- to six-sentence story with a clear beginning, event sequence and ending. Explain which words help the listener follow the order.
2. Meaning before words: Explain a short German event note in simple English without translating word for word. Decide which information is essential.
3. Improve a weak text: A story has correct facts but no connectors. Rewrite it so the events are easier to follow and justify two changes.
4. Use feedback: Listen to a partner story and give one positive point and one clear next step. The speaker then improves the story.
5. Compare two versions: Compare a list-like story and a connected story. Explain which version is easier to understand and identify the language features that make the difference.
6. Follow-up question: After hearing a short story, ask one suitable question and respond to the answer with a connected sentence.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, show that you can:

1. tell a real or fictional experience in several connected sentences
2. use simple past forms that make the time clear
3. use a small set of connectors such as first, then, after that and finally
4. add at least one feeling or reason
5. use notes, pictures or a writing frame independently
6. react to feedback and improve a second version
7. keep personal information private and choose fictional content when needed
8. focus on understandable communication rather than accent-free speech

A short spoken or written product is enough. A recording is optional and does not need to be uploaded.

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

E7 G - Talk about a personal experience Simple Past Speaking Listening Reading Writing Mediation Wortschatz Aussprache Storytelling Feedback