Teaching verb tenses can sometimes feel like teaching a whole new language. There are many different rules to know and follow, which can be complicated for students to understand. But helping students master verb tenses is essential for building strong communication skills and fluency in both speaking and writing. Below, I’ll share my tried-and-true tips for teaching verb tenses.
What are Verb Tenses?
We use different tenses of verbs to tell when the action takes place. There are three basic verb tenses (past, present, and future tense).
- The past tense tells us that an action has already taken place.
- The present tense can tell us actions that are happening right now, facts or things that are always true, or routines, habits, or things that happen regularly.
- And finally, the future tense tells us an action that will happen later.
Verb Tenses Spelling Rules & Examples
- Past Tense: The past tense tells that an action has already happened. Regular past tense verbs end in -ed.
| Verb Tense | Rule 1 | Rule 2 | Rule 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | For most verbs that end in a consonant or vowel, add -d or -ed ex: danced | For verbs that end in CVC patterns, double the last consonant before adding -ed ex: stopped | For most verbs that end in a consonant or vowel, add -d or -ed ex: carried |
- Present Tense: We use the present tense to tell about actions that are happening now, facts that are always true, and routines, habits, or things that happen regularly.
| Verb Tense | Rule 1 | Rule 2 | Rule 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | For most verbs that end in a consonant or vowel, add-s ex: sleeps | For verbs that end in o, s, sh, ch, or x, add -es ex: catches | For verbs that end in consonant + y, change the y to an i and add -es ex: cries |
- Future Tense: The future tense tells that an action will happen later.
| Verb Tense | Rule 1 |
|---|---|
| Future | To form the future tense of a verb, we write the word will before the verb. ex: We will make smoothies tonight. |
How to Teach Verb Tenses
Your students are likely able to identify verbs, but are still struggling when using the correct tense when speaking and writing. The key to mastery is to break the tenses down into manageable chunks and make the lessons engaging and relatable. Here’s how I do so!
Develop a Weekly Routine
After many years of trial and error, I have developed the perfect weekly routine to teach all grammar skills in a 15-minute block of time over the course of 5 days. No matter which grammar skill I am teaching, I always follow the same weekly routine.
And teaching verb tenses is no different. Mondays feature a guided and interactive PowerPoint. Tuesday’s students are able to work with a partner to apply the lesson. Wednesdays are for centers, and Thursdays we apply the skill in our writing. Every Friday, students are given a quick assessment to ensure they are ready to move on!
Keep Practice Activities Consistent
The not-so-secret tip to squeezing each lesson into a 15-minute daily block is to keep the practice activities consistent. This way, students know what to expect and can simply switch out the skill vs. learning a whole new set of directions or steps.
Below you’ll find my favorite activities I use when teaching verb tenses.
Use Visuals and Teaching Slides
Students retain more information when seeing AND hearing it. When I first introduce verb tenses, I do so with the help of an interactive PowerPoint. The PowerPoint explicitly lays out the different rules (noted above) and shows the verb tenses in sentences.
There are also opportunities for my students to interact and apply the new skill in a whole group setting.
Complete Word Sorts
Verb Tenses and word sorts can go hand-in-hand. All you need are cards with different tenses of verbs listed. Students can then sort the cards into three categories: past, present, and future! It’s a great way to meet the needs of your kinesthetic learners and is low prep for you!
Play Grammar Games with Task Cards
My favorite task card game to use when teaching verb tenses (and most other grammar skills) is Roam the Room. I simply place task cards around the room and students get to walk around to answer each one. It gets your kiddos up and moving, and then you have an easy way to quickly check for understanding once they are finished.
For verb tenses, the task cards include a mixture of sentences with an underlined verb to identify and fill-in-the-blank sentences for students to choose the correct verb tense.
Read and Write in Context
Every Thursday, students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned in their own reading and writing using the Grammar Gazette. When teaching verb tenses, I give each student their own copy of a kid-friendly news article. They then read it and circle all the verbs they find. After identifying the verbs, they sort them into the proper tense.
After reading the news article, students then use the same words and create their own news article! My students always love this part as they can be creative and usually come up with some really funny articles!
Books and Videos to Help Teach Verb Tenses
As you know, books and videos can be powerful supplements to any new skill. Here are some of the best books and videos to help teach verb tenses to your 2nd and 3rd-graders!
1. Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs
by Ruth Heller
Kites Sail High is a simple yet powerful tool to help teach students about verbs and their tenses. Each page has a bolded verb in its root form. You can then work together to change it into different tenses.
2. It’s Hard To Be A Verb: A Picture Book to Help Kids with ADHD
by Julia Cook
I love books that can double as an academic and social-emotional lesson! Julia Cook compares verbs to having ADHD. It’s a great conversation starter and also provides many opportunities to discuss different verbs.
3. Slide and Slurp, Scratch and Burp: More about Verbs
by Brian P. Clearly
Another book from the Words are CATegorical series, this one gives plenty of examples of both action verbs and linking verbs. My students are always fighting over this one after we are done reading it.
Past, Present, and Future Verb Tenses
by Margaret Stewart
Aliens always do a great job of keeping engagement at an all-time high. This video is just over 5 minutes and does a fabulous job explaining each tense.
The Tenses Song
by Anchor Creative Education
As always, I love including a fun song in my lessons! This one uses a variety of examples to show the different tenses. And, it’s kind of catchy!
Nessy Reading Strategy | The -ed song | Learn Past Tense
by Nessy
This is great to really reinforce past tense verbs. It’s a fun animated song that my students always want to watch again (it’s less than 1 minute long, so completely doable!)
2nd and 3rd Grade Grammar Unit: Verb Tenses
Save precious planning time with the help of this complete 5-day verb tense unit! Inside the unit, you’ll find done-for-you lesson plans, activities, task cards, a PowerPoint, and an assessment.
Find them here in the ATK shop:
- 2nd Grade Verb Tenses Unit
- 3rd Grade Verb Tenses Unit
- Year-long 2nd Grade Grammar Bundle
- Year-long 3rd Grade Grammar Bundle
Find them here in my TPT shop:
- 2nd Grade Verb Tenses Unit
- 3rd Grade Verb Tenses Unit
- Year-long 2nd Grade Grammar Bundle
- Year-long 3rd Grade Grammar Bundle
Be sure to save this post so you have it when you plan! For more grammar activities and no prep lessons visit these teaching grammar posts.
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