AAC Language Lab

Target Vocabulary:

1.I was 4. It was
2.He was 5. You were
3.She was 6. We were
7. They were

Target Language Skill: Using the past tense of the verb "to be" to indicate a past action, activity or perception.

Suggested Objectives:

1. The person will use the correct past tense singular form of the verb "to be" phrase to describe how things were in the past, for example, "I was playing" or "he was tired"..
2. The person will use the correct past tense plural form of the verb "to be" phrase to describe how things were in the past, for example, "we were playing" or "they were tired"..

Teaching Activities:

A. Speaking

1. Model an action followed by a verbal model using the pronoun "I" followed "was". For example model the action of walking as you head for the door, stop and model "I was walking".
2. Show a photo of an activity that you were engaged in while modeling a phrase that demonstrates what you did in the past and how you felt in the past "I was swimming" and "I was happy". Follow up by showing a photo of the individual engaged in an activity and asking questions about the activity and how they felt, for example, "what were you doing?" and "how did you feel". If the individual answers in a single word answer such as "swimming" you may model the entire sentence with a verbal prompt, for example, "the complete sentence is, I was swimming".

B. Reading

1. Present shared background knowledge to the individual regarding the story. Some examples: "this is a story about missing bananas, remember when we couldn't find (shoes, glasses, book...) and I asked "who saw my (shoes, glasses, book...). Explain that in this story Mike and Mickey will be telling the monkey that they did not take the banana because they were busy doing something else.
2. Present purpose of the story that will be read to the child so they have knowledge of what to listen for. For example, "listen to find out what everyone was doing when monkey asks who took the bananas from the banana tree".
3. Download the teaching materials at the end of this lesson. Read the story. Focus on the pronouns, "was" and "were".
4. Reread the story together. Wait for the individual to read out loud the pronouns, "was" and "were".
5. If he/she has difficulty producing the correct past tense form of the verb "to be", was and were, in sentences you may model a sentence. Allow the individual to try again.

C. Writing

1. Connect the device to a computer with a USB cable or Blue Tooth module. Let the person practice writing the target words into a word document using the Unity icon sequences.
2. Read the story again, and have the person write target phrase on the computer using the Unity icon sequences.
3. Use this book as a template for the person to write their own story using their favorite animal, photos of classmates or themselves.
4. Talk about past actions that the person may have been engaged in. Ask the person to write a story about what he or she was doing as well as how they felt about their experiences.

D. Generalization

1. Model using the correct past tense form of the verb "to be", was and were, in sentences during "teachable moments". For example after you complete an activity state what action had just occurred and how you felt about it, for example "I was playing outside", "I was happy".
2. Use favorite toy activities such as fisher price people and a school bus to elicit phrases after an action. For example put the boy in the driver's seat, push the bus and state "he was driving", "what was he doing?"

© 2009 Prentke Romich Company
©Prentke Romich Co. 2009 mcp 10/01/09