• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Perfect tenses (past, present, future)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Choose the correct perfect tense. When I got to the station, the train ___ (leave). (has left / will have left / had left / leaves) → had leftPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?
2. Choose the correct perfect tense. By tonight, I ___ (read) the whole book. (am reading / will have read / have read / had read) → will have readPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?
3. Choose the correct perfect tense. We ___ (visit) the museum twice this year. (will have visited / have visited / visiting / had visited) → have visitedPrompt: Is the action finished before a past time, before now, or before a future time?

• Show a sentence with the grammar point used wrongly and ask what sounds odd.
• Share the objective: Irregular past tense and past participles (swam/swum, began/begun). Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets. The pond has ___ solid. (freeze)
• Step 1: Irregular verbs have special past forms. Use the simple past alone and the past participle after has, have or had.
• Step 2: Past participle of freeze = frozen.
• Step 3: Put it back into the sentence and read it aloud: "The pond has frozen solid."
• Step 4: So the answer is: frozen
• Answer: frozen
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets. The balloon ___ when it hit the cactus. (burst) (burst / busted / bursted / brust) → burstPrompt: Is there a helping verb (has, have, had) before the gap?
2. Type the form of the verb that completes the phrase. choose → yesterday I ___ → chosePrompt: Say the phrase in brackets aloud with each possible form.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Type the form of the verb that completes the phrase. lead → yesterday I ___ → ledPrompt: Say the phrase in brackets aloud with each possible form.
2. Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets. I ___ two glasses of water after the race. (drink) (drunk / drank / drinken / drinked) → drankPrompt: Is there a helping verb (has, have, had) before the gap?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-6.