Past Simple Passive ESL Lesson Plan (A2, 60 Minutes)

Who it is for. Elementary students who know the present simple passive and the past simple. They want to talk about history but say Sigiriya built in the 5th century or The telephone was invent by Bell.

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.

Main aim. To present and practise the past simple passive (was / were + past participle), with and without by + agent, to talk about famous places and inventions.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can write and ask quiz questions such as When was the telephone invented? Who was Sigiriya built by? and answer them in full sentences.

• Subsidiary aim. To review irregular past participles.
• Subsidiary aim. To read short fact files for specific information.
• Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a history quiz.

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

• was / were + past participle.
• by + agent when we want to say who did it: The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
• Question about the agent: Who was it invented by?

• We use the passive when the place or object is the topic, and the person is less important, unknown or obvious: The temple was built in 1592.
• We add by + agent only when the person is important or interesting.

• Weak was /wəz/ and were /wə/: It was built /ɪt wəz bɪlt/.
• -ed endings: invented /ɪd/, discovered /d/, painted /ɪd/.

• Sigiriya was built in the 5th century. Is this about the past or now? (The past.) · Did Sigiriya build itself? (No, people built it.) · What is the topic of the sentence: Sigiriya or the builders? (Sigiriya.)
• The telephone was invented by Bell. Who invented it? (Bell.) · Why do we say by Bell? (Because the person is important.)

8 out of 10 or better on Handout 2, Exercise A. Students form past passive questions correctly in the quiz. Students use by + agent only when the agent is important.

Did students use the past participle, not the past simple form? Did the quiz motivate accurate questions?

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Sigiriya The rock fortress of Sigiriya was built in the 5th century by King Kashyapa. Beautiful paintings were made on the rock walls. Today, it is visited by thousands of tourists every year.

The Telephone The telephone was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. The first words on the phone were spoken to his assistant: "Come here, I want to see you."

The Light Bulb The first electric lights were made in the early 1800s, but the first useful light bulb was designed by Thomas Edison in 1879.

The Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal was built in India between 1632 and 1653. It was made of white marble, and it was designed as a tomb for the emperor's wife.

Answer the questions.

• Who was Sigiriya built by? ______________________________
• When was the telephone invented? ______________________________
• Who was the first useful light bulb designed by? ______________________________
• What was the Taj Mahal made of? ______________________________

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Complete with was or were and the past participle.

B. Rewrite the sentences in the passive. Use by only if the person is important.

• The Temple of the Tooth ______ ______________ (build) in the 16th century.
• The first cars ______ ______________ (make) in Germany.
• The book Harry Potter ______ ______________ (write) by J. K. Rowling.
• Penicillin ______ ______________ (discover) in 1928.
• These photos ______ ______________ (take) in 1950.
• Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. → ______________________________
• Someone stole my bike yesterday. → ______________________________
• The Wright brothers built the first plane. → ______________________________

Student A

Ask Student B:

Answer Student B's questions:

Student B

Ask Student A:

Answer Student A's questions:

• When / the first photograph / take? ______________
• Who / the first computer program / write by? ______________
• When / Galle Fort / build? ______________
• The radio was invented by Guglielmo Marconi.
• Pluto was discovered in 1930.
• The first World Cup was played in Uruguay.
• Who / the radio / invent by? ______________
• When / Pluto / discover? ______________
• Where / the first World Cup / play? ______________
• The first photograph was taken in 1826.
• The first computer program was written by Ada Lovelace.
• Galle Fort was built in the 16th century by the Portuguese (and later rebuilt by the Dutch).

Write five quiz questions about famous places and inventions. Write the answers too.

Useful verbs: build · invent · discover · paint · write · design · make · find · win · open

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Handout 3 (questions)

Common errors to watch for

• King Kashyapa · 2. In 1876 · 3. Thomas Edison · 4. White marble
• was built · 2. were made · 3. was written · 4. was discovered · 5. were taken
• The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. · 2. My bike was stolen yesterday. · 3. The first plane was built by the Wright brothers.
• A: When was the first photograph taken? · Who was the first computer program written by? · When was Galle Fort built?
• B: Who was the radio invented by? · When was Pluto discovered? · Where was the first World Cup played?