Lesson start ideas	Give a creative idea how to begin a lesson
Which subject	English
What age group	Year or Grade 6
What topic	simple past / ^laying in the playground
Quantity	1
Any other preferences

Introduction

Welcome back, class! Today, we're going to be exploring an exciting topic in English - the simple past tense. To help us get started, we're going to think back to a time when most of us loved nothing more than running around outside with our friends - playtime in the playground!

Brainstorming

Before we dive into the lesson, let's do a quick brainstorming activity to get our minds thinking about all the different activities we used to enjoy in the playground. On a piece of paper or in your notebook, jot down as many ideas as you can think of. Here are a few to get you started:

• Swinging on the swings
• Sliding down the slide
• Playing tag
• Building sandcastles in the sandbox
• Kicking a ball around

Once you've finished your list, share your ideas with a partner or in a small group. Did anyone think of something you hadn't considered before?

Simple Past Tense

Now that we've got some fun memories of playtime in the playground fresh in our minds, it's time to talk about how we can talk about those experiences in English. We use the simple past tense to talk about things that happened in the past, and we often form it by adding '-ed' to the end of a regular verb. For example:

• I walked to the playground.
• She played on the swing.
• They slid down the slide together.

Let's try it out with our own playground memories. In pairs or groups, take turns sharing a sentence about something you used to do in the playground, using the simple past tense. For example:

• I jumped off the monkey bars.
• He climbed to the top of the jungle gym.
• We dug a giant hole in the sandbox.

Practice

To test our understanding of the simple past tense, let's work through a few different activities together.

Activity 1: Fill in the Blank

Use the simple past form of the verb in parentheses to complete each sentence.

1. She ___ (swing) on the swings for hours.
2. They ___ (play) tag with their friends.
3. I ___ (build) a sandcastle with my little sister.

Activity 2: Match the Two Halves

Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the correct simple past verb form on the right.

1. I walked down the...
2. They played soccer on...
3. We climbed to the top of...

a. ...the slide.
b. ...the jungle gym.
c. ...the field.

Conclusion

Great work today, everyone! We've explored the simple past tense and talked about our favorite memories of playtime in the playground. As you continue to learn and practice English, remember to use the simple past tense when talking about things that happened in the past. See you next time!