Irregular Verb Memory & Bingo
Materials?
- Read aloud book or short passage told in the past tense that contains both regular and irregular verbs
- Whiteboard and two color markers
- 24 index cards for each student pair
- Sentence stems posted for students to see such as "Yesterday, I _______" or "I usually _________." (optional)
- Blank bingo board for each student (5 x 5)
- 25 bingo chips for each student
Why?
Overgeneralization to add the -ed ending to past tense verbs is a common error made by intermediate and advanced EL's. In many ways, this student error is a positive step as it implies understanding of the grammatical function of -ed on regular verbs. Research shows that internalizing irregular verbs is a particular challenge for intermediate EL's. Raising awareness that not all past tense verbs are formed by adding -ed is crucial providing ELs with a framework to discuss their grammar through a metacognitive lens. Although this is not appropriate for younger EL's, developing a shared language and experience around past tense creates a shared experience that teachers and students can refer back to.