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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A2

Reported Statements in the Past ESL Lesson Plan (A2, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A2 lesson on Reported Statements in the Past, built round the theme "Celebrity Interviews".

  • CEFR A2
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Reported Speech
  • Reported Statements in the Past

About this lesson

Who it is for. Elementary students who can report messages in the present (She says she's tired). When they report what someone said earlier, they don't change the tense (He said he is tired) and they confuse said and told (He said me).

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level
CEFR A2 (Elementary)
Learners
Teenagers and adults
Length
60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run only "Report" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking
Language focus
Grammar: Reported Statements in the Past (said that, told me that)
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Handout 1 (magazine interview with a young cricketer), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (interview questions and report sheet).
Preparation
About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 3, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

Aims

Main aim. To present and practise reported statements with said (that) and told + person (that), with the main tense changes (present → past, will → would, can → could) and pronoun changes.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can report what a classmate said in an interview, e.g. Nimal said he was a good swimmer. He told me he would visit Japan next year.

  • Subsidiary aim. To read an interview for specific information.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a "class interview" activity.

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Form: the tense moves back

Direct speechReported speech
"I am tired."She said (that) she was tired.
"I like cricket."He said he liked cricket.
"I'm playing tomorrow."He said he was playing the next day.
"I will win."She said she would win.
"I can swim."He said he could swim.

Form: the tense moves back: notes

  • said + (that) + clause. told + person + (that) + clause.
  • Pronouns and possessives change: I → he / she, my → his / her, we → they.
  • Time words often change: today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, now → then.

Meaning and use

  • We use said / told + past forms to report what someone said at an earlier time.

Pronunciation

  • said /sed/, told /təʊld/. that is weak /ðət/ or left out.

Concept-checking questions

  • Interview: "I'm very nervous." → She said she was very nervous. When did she speak: now or before? (Before, in the interview.) · Is was about the past? (It shows the words were said before; she was nervous at the time of the interview.)
  • He told me he could swim. Who did he speak to? (Me.) · Can I say He said me? (No.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
No tense change (He said he is tired).Board a "step back" arrow: am → was, like → liked.
said meBoard: say + what; tell + who + what.
Forgetting pronoun changes.Colour-code I → she.
Students find time words confusing.Teach only tomorrow → the next day and today → that day.

Board plan

Left: changesCentre: grammarRight: pronunciation
am / is → was · are → were · like → liked · 'm playing → was playing · will → would · can → could · I → he / she · my → his / her · tomorrow → the next day
"I'm nervous." → She said (that) she was nervous. · "I can swim." → He told me (that) he could swim. · said + (that) + message · told + PERSON + (that) + message · not: He said me ✗
said /sed/ · told /təʊld/ · that /ðət/

CEFR A2 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Reported Statements in the Past, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · Whole class, pairs

Aim: To create interest in the topic.

Ask: "Which famous sports stars do you like? If you met one, what would you ask?" Pairs list three questions (2 minutes).

Take a few questions and board two.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present reported statements in context and clarify meaning, form and pronunciation.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read the interview with Shenali, a young cricketer. Then read the magazine report. Answer the questions." (4 minutes.)

ICQs: "How many texts?" (Two: the interview and the report.)

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Part B: Noticing (4 minutes)

Say: "Find the same information in the interview and in the report. What changes?" Pairs compare three sentences.

Part C: Clarification (10 minutes)

Meaning. Board "I'm very nervous." → She said she was very nervous. Ask the CCQs.

Tense changes. Elicit the changes from the handout and build the list on the left of the board. Draw a "step back" arrow.

Pronouns and time. Highlight I → she, my → her, tomorrow → the next day.

said and told. Board She told the reporter she could bowl fast. Ask: "After told, what comes?" (A person.) Board She said me ✗.

Pronunciation. Drill: She said she was nervous. He told me he could swim.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To practise the form accurately.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: report the sentences. Exercise B: said or told? Seven minutes."

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Pairs, then new pairs, then whole class

Aim: To report what classmates said in a personalised interview.

Give out Handout 3. Interview (7 minutes). Students interview a partner with the questions and write the exact answers in the "Answer" column.

ICQs: "Do you write the exact words or a report?" (The exact words.)

Report (7 minutes). Students change partners and report what their first partner said: "Nimal said he was a good swimmer. He told me he would visit Japan next year."

Writing (4 minutes). Students write four sentences in the report section of Handout 3.

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Two students report the most surprising thing their partner said.

Board four sentences from Stage 4 (two with errors). Students correct them.

Set the homework.

Homework Ask a family member five questions about their childhood. Write what they said, using said and told me.

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students the "step back" list on a card. Let them report only present simple and be sentences.
Stretch
Stronger students report past simple sentences with the past perfect (preview): She said she had played for three years. They use more time changes: yesterday → the day before, next week → the following week.

Adapting the lesson

ForWhat to change
A large class (40 or more)Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Run "Report" once, with two pairs reporting, rather than hearing every pair. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopierPut the exercises from Handout 2: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online classSend Handouts 1 to 3 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Report" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age groupWith young learners, cut the writing at the end and give that time to the speaking task; keep the drilling short, and let them draw or mime where the plan allows it. With adults, keep the writing and ask for a short spoken summary in place of anything drawn or mimed.

Checking learning

6 out of 8 or better on Handout 2, Exercise A. In the report, students change the tense and pronoun correctly in most sentences. Students use told + person and said without a person.

Teacher's reflection

Did students remember to change the tense? Was the interview personal and interesting?

Handout 1: Interview with a Young Cricketer

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

The interview

Reporter: How old are you, Shenali? Shenali: I'm 16. Reporter: How do you feel about your first big match? Shenali: I'm very nervous, but I'm excited too. Reporter: What can you do well? Shenali: I can bowl very fast. My coach is my father. Reporter: What are your plans? Shenali: I'm playing in Galle tomorrow. One day I will play for Sri Lanka!

The magazine report

Shenali Perera said she was 16. She said she was very nervous about her first big match, but she was excited too. She told our reporter she could bowl very fast, and she said her coach was her father. She said she was playing in Galle the next day, and she told us she would play for Sri Lanka one day.

Answer the questions.

  • How old did Shenali say she was? ______________________________
  • How did she feel? ______________________________
  • Who did she say her coach was? ______________________________
  • Where did she say she was playing the next day? ______________________________

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Report the sentences.

B. Write said or told.

  • Kamal: "I'm hungry." → Kamal said ______________________________
  • Hasini: "I like dancing." → Hasini said ______________________________
  • The children: "We are tired." → The children said ______________________________
  • Ravi: "I can speak three languages." → Ravi told me ______________________________
  • Amma: "I will be home at 6." → Amma said ______________________________
  • Dilan: "My brother is a doctor." → Dilan told us ______________________________
  • Nimmi: "I'm studying for a test." → Nimmi said ______________________________
  • Sanduni: "I'm going to the dentist tomorrow." → Sanduni said ______________________________
  • She ______________ me she was busy.
  • He ______________ he could swim.
  • They ______________ us they were from Jaffna.
  • My teacher ______________ that the test was easy.

Handout 3: Class Interview

Name: ______________________________ Partner: ______________________________

Part 1: Ask your partner. Write the exact answer.

Part 2: Report. Write four sentences about your partner.

Example: Nimal said he could swim very well. He told me his favourite food was kottu.

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

QuestionAnswer (exact words)
What can you do well?
What is your favourite food?
Where will you go next holiday?
What are you doing this weekend?
What is your dream job?
Who is your hero?

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

  • She said she was 16. · 2. Very nervous, but excited too. · 3. Her father. · 4. In Galle.
  • (that) he was hungry. · 2. (that) she liked dancing. · 3. (that) they were tired. · 4. (that) he could speak three languages. · 5. (that) she would be home at 6. · 6. (that) his brother was a doctor. · 7. (that) she was studying for a test. · 8. (that) she was going to the dentist the next day.
  • told · 2. said · 3. told · 4. said
ErrorCorrection
He said he is tired.He said he was tired.
She said me she was busy.She told me she was busy. / She said she was busy.
He told he could swim.He told me he could swim. / He said he could swim.
She said she will come.She said she would come.

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About this lesson plan

Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

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