ELT Network Lesson Plans

Used to - PPP
Speaking, Listening
Created by: BCHK ELT Network Team
Class Type
Secondary
Aim(s)
To introduce used to to talk about past habits.
To tell a partner about your own childhood using the different
structures.
Time
50 minutes
Assumed Knowledge
Past simple
Materials/Preparation
Teachers need to write a text about their own childhood using a
mixture of used to didnt used to and past simple ! this can either be
read out in class or recorded beforehand and played in class.
"andouts as below
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Procedure
#. +enerate your students interest in the topic by showing them a photo of you as a child. +et
them to guess the age you were in the photo and ask them what they think you were like as
a child. ,o they think you were well beha-ed or naughty. &hat sort of naughty things do
they think you did.
/. 0ead a pre-iously prepared text that describes you as a child. 'nsure your text includes
plenty of examples of used to as well as the past simple. *o-er topics that the students
might be interested in and find amusing to know about you such as your beha-iour and
your attitude to school1homework. 2See the example text below.3
4. 5sk your students how they know you are talking about the past. They are likely to say
because you are using the past simple. 'licit an example sentence 2from your text3 from
your students and write good examples onto the board.
6. 5sk if the students heard you use any other ways of talking about the past and try and elicit
a used to sentence from them and write it on the board.
5. "a-e the text prepared on an 7"T and show it to the class. 5sk them for more examples of
past sentences and underline them on the text.
8. +et students to think about why you used used to in some sentences and past simple in
the other sentences and ask some concept 9uestions to check their understanding for
example
a. are you talking about something that happened once or se-eral times. 2se-eral
times3 :past simple can be used for something that happened once or se-eral times
but used to cant;
b. do you 2the teacher3 still ha-e this habit. 2no3 :so its a habit she had when she was
young but now she doesnt ha-e it;
c. can we use used to to talk about habits we ha-e now. 2no3
d. what happens to used to when we make it negati-e. 2we use didnt < bare
infiniti-e use < to3
=. >ocus on the pronunciation of used 1?u@st1 and use 1?u@s1. ,rill a number of sentences to
practice the pronunciation e.g.
A used to read comics A didnt use to read my school text books.
+et some similar examples from the students that contrast a positi-e and negati-e sentence
and write them on the board.
A used to play football after school A didnt use to re-iew my classwork.
A used to fall asleep at the back of the class A didnt use to listen to the teacher.
,rill as much as necessary to ensure correct pronunciation and awareness of form.
B. 'licit the 9uestion form from the students ,id you use to play football at school. and the
short answers Ces A did. Do A didnt.
E. Fuickly write a few topics on the board e.g. practice the -iolin do your homework go to
bed late and ask a few 9uestions to students e.g. ,id you use to go to bed late.. 5fter a
few examples ask indi-idual students to ask another student one 9uestion. ,o this a
number of times until students are using the structure comfortably.
#0. +i-e handout one to the students. +et them to complete the sentences about you using !
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used to didnt use to and past simple. +et students to compare their answers.
##. *heck the sentences with the whole class. *heck any mix ups with the use of use toand
past simple.
#/. +roup students into groups of four and ask them to think of something naughty they did
when they were younger and tell each other the story.
#4. Students then decide whose story is the naughtiest and write it down. 5ll students need to
write the story in their own notebooks as they will later be presenting it to different groups.
0emind them to use a mixture of used to didnt use to and the past simple.
#6. Gonitor the groups as they are writing and help with any language 9uestions they ha-e also
check for errors with the target language and highlight these to students whilst they are
working.
#5. 0e%organise the groups so that there are now new groups of four each comprised of four
people from different groups. 'ach person presents their story to their new group.
#8. Take in the stories at the end of the lesson to correct. Cou can use any mistakes for an error
correction exercise at the beginning of the next lesson.
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ELT Network Lesson Plans
sed to ! PPP ! E"ample Te"t
#$en % was &i'e years old % li'ed in Nort$ Point( % li'ed wit$ my mum) dad and *rot$er(
#$en % was &i'e my *rot$er was +(
% went to t$e local primary sc$ool and % wasn,t a 'ery good pupil( E'ery day % used to &all
asleep in class( T$is was *ecause % used to stay up late reading e'ery nig$t a&ter my mum
$ad told me to go to *ed( % used to $ide under my co'ers and read wit$ a torc$ until 'ery
late at nig$t(
% used to $ate doing $omework( %t was always so *oring( % wanted to play more and work
less so instead o& doing my $omework % used to $ide my comic *ooks inside my te"t*ooks
and read t$e comics instead(
% didn,t like sport eit$er( -o) w$en % $ad PE lessons) % used to take a long time to get
c$anged into my sports clot$es so t$at t$e lesson was nearly o'er( #$en t$e $ead teac$er
taug$t t$e PE class one time % got into trou*le &or *eing so slow(
% wasn,t allowed to eat c$ocolate during t$e week) only on -aturday a&ternoons) and my
mum used to $ide t$e c$ocolate in t$e $ig$est cup*oard so t$at % couldn,t get it( -o) one
time) w$en % really) really) really wanted some c$ocolate) % got a c$air and stood on it and
tried to reac$ t$e c$ocolate( My mum came into t$e kitc$en and it made me .ump so muc$
t$at % &ell o&& t$e c$air and *roke my arm/ %t $urt so muc$ 0 % ne'er tried to steal c$ocolate
again/
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ELT Network Lesson Plans
sed to ! PPP ! E"ample 1andout
1ow muc$ can you remem*er a*out w$at your teac$er told you2

Complete t$e sentences *elow wit$ eit$er used to + verb) didnt use to + verb or t$e past
simple(
3( My teac$er 4444444444444(( wit$ $er mum) dad and *rot$er( (li'e)
5( E'ery day s/$e 444444444444444 in class( (&all asleep)
6( -/$e 444444444444444(late reading e'ery nig$t( (stay up)
7( -/$e 444444444444444((under t$e co'ers and read wit$ a torc$( ($ide)
8( -/$e 444444444444444((doing $omework( ($ate)
9( -/$e 444444444444444(into trou*le w$en t$e $ead teac$er taug$t t$e
PE class( (get)
+( My teac$er,s mum 44444444444444((c$ocolate in t$e $ig$est cup*oard(
($ide)
:( My teac$er 444444444444444(t$e c$air w$en s$e was trying to get t$e
c$ocolate( (&all o&&)
nderline t$e correct language in t$e &ollowing sentences( -ometimes more t$e one
answer is possi*le(
3( % used to watc!watced cartoons a&ter sc$ool(
5( % used to wa"k!wa"ked to sc$ool e'ery day wit$ my *rot$er(
6( % used to go!went to t$e t$eatre &or my 3;
t$
*irt$day(
7( % used to p"a#!p"a#ed &oot*all once *ut didn,t like it(
8( % used to $igt!$ougt wit$ my *rot$er all t$e time(
9( % used to be!was sent to t$e $ead teac$er,s o&&ice w$en % played truant one day(
+( % didnt use to "ike!didnt "ike mat$s at sc$ool(
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:( % used to go!went on a -cout camp w$en % was +(
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