Shake it Up with Irregular Verbs

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling

• Share examples of changing verbs to the past tense form on the board, such as jump → jumped, call → called, and fix → fixed.
• Explain that these are all examples of regular verbs. Regular verbs form their past tense by adding -ed. Most verbs follow these rules.
• Connect back to the lesson introduction and explain that there are verbs that do not stick to the rules and they shake things up. Irregular verbs are verbs that do not form their past tense by adding -ed. Irregular verbs change when they move from present to past tense.
• List examples on the board, such as write → wrote, bite → bit, and run → ran. Point out that these verbs changed from present to past tense, but they do not have the -ed at the end.
• Write a sentence on the board with an irregular verb, and model conjugating the verb to best complete the sentence. For example, "The dump truck (drive) ____ down my street this morning and woke me up."

Guided Practice

• Divide students into groups of three to four and instruct each individual to have a whiteboard and whiteboard marker. Give each group a baggie or envelope with index cards that have irregular present tense verbs written on them.
• Display sentences on the board and have groups choose a verb to conjugate into the past tense to best complete the sentence. Have each student write their answer on a whiteboard to display.
• Use the following sentences for the activity, and display them one by one:
  • I (say) ____ that we should go inside until the rain stops.
  • My mom (make) ____ the best cookies for my birthday!
  • The class (take) ____ a quiz in class this morning.
  • I never (know) ____ how much I would like sushi.
  • The team (feel) ____ disappointed when they lost the championship game.
  • The puppy (hide) ____ under the bed during the storm.
  • Have I (tell) ____ you how much I love you?
  • The birds (sit) ____ on the top of the bridge.
• Give the class more examples if they need more practice before moving to independent practice.
• Call on a nonvolunteer and ask, “What rules do irregular verbs follow?” Call on another nonvolunteer to ask, “How do irregular verbs shake things up?” Look for answers that include the fact that they do not follow simple rules, and that we just need to memorize them.

Independent working time

• Distribute a copy of the Irregular Past-Tense Verbs: I Knew It! worksheet.
• Instruct students to conjugate the verb from the present to past tense and write it on the line. Then, they should complete the crossword puzzle.