Irregular Past Tense Flashcards
Cards for common irregular past tense verbs.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Read the whole sentence and let the time marker do the work. Yesterday and last night are what signal the past tense, and pointing at them is more useful than telling the student the sentence is past. When a verb is regularised — falled, throwed — say the correct form in a sentence back rather than asking for a repetition, since recasting is what changes this in speech. Eight minutes covers the twelve.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- HintStress the part of the sentence that changes, or point to the word ending.Log as cued
- Sentence starterSay the first half of the sentence and let the student finish it.Log as cued
- ModelSay the correct form in the whole sentence; the student repeats it.Log as cued
Adjust it
Give a sentence starter every time, and do fewer cards.
Ask for a new sentence of the student's own with the same form, with no card to lean on.
Matching IEP goal
Given sentence cards, Student will produce irregular past-tense verbs in sentences in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve sentences with the verb removed: Yesterday I ___ to the store (went). She ___ a whole sandwich (ate). He ___ off his bike (fell). We ___ a movie last night (saw). The baby ___ all night (slept). He ___ his name on the paper (wrote). Unlike a paired list, these require the student to choose the verb as well as its form, which is closer to what speech demands.
What to listen for
Listen for the pattern of errors. A student who regularises every irregular verb has the rule and no exceptions; one who gets went and not threw has learned the frequent ones individually. Watch did in I ___ my homework already, which is the most irregular verb in English and the one most often produced as doed.
Carrying it home
Past tense comes up every time a child is asked what they did today. Recasting the irregular ones without stopping the story gives more practice than any card set, and it does not feel like practice.
What's in this activity
- He ___ off his bike. (fell)
- She ___ me a present. (gave)
- +10 more
Questions
- How is this different from the paired list board?
- That gives both forms and asks for recognition. This gives a sentence and asks the student to supply the verb, which requires choosing the word as well as its form.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all twelve sentences play free.
- What grades is it for?
- First through fourth grade.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.