ALEX Learning Activity

This learning activity will assess students' understanding of verb tenses and is meant to be utilized after an instructional unit on verbs and verb tenses. In addition, students will be required to demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, and spelling when writing. 

This resource was created as a part of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

Students will form and use the perfect verb tenses. 

Students will use verb tense to convey various times and states. 

Students will demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing.  

1. Give students the Verb Tenses Foldable Project Instructions. Review the instructions with students. If needed, review the verb tenses required by the project with students. Give students examples of how to change one verb into the different tenses (i.e. I walked, I walk, I will walk, I had walked, I have walked, I will have walked). 

2. Give students a white sheet of paper to create foldable. You can provide students with a template, or students can fold and cut a white sheet of paper as seen in this video (the first minute and thirty seconds explains the folding and cutting procedures).

3. Students will complete the project as directed by the instructions. Students will need art supplies, such as colored pencils, crayons, or markers for their illustrations. 

The teacher will assess student mastery of the standards and learning objective using the checklist provided by the instruction sheet. The teacher may assign point values to each criterion if desired. 

This learning activity is designed to be implemented after an instructional unit on verbs and verb tenses. Students will need prior knowledge of the standard verb tenses as well as perfect verb tenses. 

The teacher will need to make a copy of the instruction sheet for each student or give students digital access to the instruction sheet. 

Each student will need a white piece of paper to create foldable, or the teacher can make copies of a template.

Each student will need a pair of scissors and art supplies, such as colored pencils, crayons, or markers, to create the foldable.

This learning activity will review and assess the third-grade standard: 

37e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses. [L.3.1e]

This learning activity could be modified to review and assess this fourth-grade standard:

38b. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. [L.4.1b]

For example, on the fourth flap of the foldable, students could write the progressive forms of the verb, rather than the perfect tenses.