Where have all the verbs gone?Lesson plan

Where have all the verbs gone? - A lesson plan

Aim:	for students to practise narrative (past) tenses by completing a text which has had all the verbs taken out
Resources:	one copy of text on a Word document for projection in class, one paper copy for each student in the class
Level:	Any depending on difficulty of text

Stages

1. Select a text of no more than 100 words and put into a Word document, removing all verbs. 
2. Adjust the text size so that it will be readable once projected in the class.
3. In class, project the Word document and set a general question so students get the gist of the story.
4. Ask students if they have spotted anything strange about the text.
5. Ask students to work in small groups and verbally reconstruct the text.
6. Nominate one student to control the keyboard and elicit suggestions from the rest of the class for the missing verbs giving time for the student at the keyboard to enter the new words.
7. If there are any instances where two or more words would be appropriate, discuss any differences in meaning with the students.
8. Once the text is complete, turn off the projector and hand out individual copies of the text.
9. Ask students to work through the text. Now they have seen the text once this should act as a reinforcement activity.
10. Turn on the projector and ask students to compare their texts.

Tip - Most projectors have a Mute button. Use this whenever you do not need the projector on. This will prolong the life of the bulb and stop the students being distracted. Tip - So students can see the projection easily, view the Word document in Full Screen view. (View > Full Screen) Tip - If you have a mouse with a scroller wheel, you can easily adjust the text size in a Word document by holding down Ctrl on the keyboard and scrolling on the mouse.

Where have all the verbs gone?

All the verbs have been taken out of this text.  Work with a partner to put them back in again.

These friends of mine a new carpet, so they to the shop and one and the carpet-fitter round to fit it while they out at work. When he, he that there a bump right in the middle. He that this be a pack of cigarettes that he absent-mindedly, so he up and down on the bump until it flat. The family home and the carpet. Then they the man if he their pet canary[1] which missing. It then that he his cigarettes on the hall table!

 Where have all the verbs gone? – Possible answer

All the verbs have been taken out of this text.  Work with a partner to put them back in again.

These friends of mine needed/wanted a new carpet, so they went to the shop and chose/bought one and the carpet-fitter came round to fit it while they were out at work. When he finished, he realised/saw/noticed that there was a bump right in the middle. He thought that this must be a pack of cigarettes that he absent-mindedly misplaced/lost, so he jumped up and down on the bump until it was flat. The family came home and saw/ looked at/inspected the carpet. Then they asked the man if he had seen their pet canary which was missing. It was then that he saw/noticed his cigarettes on the hall table!

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[1] A canary is a small yellow bird.