English Language Arts · 2nd Grade · Word Power and Collaborative Talk · Weeks 28-36

Past Tense Irregular Verbs

Using frequently occurring irregular verbs in the past tense.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1.d

About This Topic

Irregular past tense verbs are among the most commonly used words in spoken and written English, which makes second grade an important time to build fluency with them. Verbs like go/went, come/came, say/said, see/saw, and make/made appear in virtually every story students read and tell. Unlike regular past tense verbs that take -ed, these verbs change form in unpredictable ways -- and because they are so frequent, errors with them are immediately noticeable in student writing and speech.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1.d calls for students to use frequently occurring irregular verbs in the past tense. The key word is "frequently occurring" -- this is not an exhaustive list but a set of high-use verbs students need for real communication. Instruction is most effective when it centers on verbs students already use in conversation, connecting the spoken form they likely already know ("I went") to the written form they are still learning.

Active learning approaches are well-suited to this topic because tense is fundamentally about storytelling and sequence. When students act out events, retell partner stories, or change a present-tense narrative to past tense, they are using irregular verbs in context -- exactly the kind of practice that builds the automaticity the standard requires.

Key Questions

1. How can changing the verb tense change when a story takes place?
2. Construct sentences using irregular past tense verbs correctly.
3. Compare the regular and irregular forms of past tense verbs.

Learning Objectives

• Identify frequently occurring irregular past tense verbs in written and spoken narratives.
• Construct grammatically correct sentences using at least five different irregular past tense verbs.
• Compare and contrast the past tense forms of regular verbs (e.g., walked) with irregular verbs (e.g., went).
• Retell a short story or event, accurately incorporating at least three irregular past tense verbs.

Before You Start

Present Tense Verbs

Why: Students need a foundational understanding of verbs and their function before learning about past tense forms.

Regular Past Tense Verbs

Why: Understanding how regular verbs form the past tense provides a contrast for learning the unpredictable nature of irregular verbs.

Key Vocabulary

past tense	The form of a verb that tells about an action that has already happened.
irregular verb	A verb that does not form its past tense by adding -ed or -d. Its past tense form is often unpredictable.
frequently occurring	Words that are used very often in speaking and writing.
verb tense	The time when an action takes place, such as past, present, or future.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Students add -ed to irregular verbs, producing forms like "goed," "comed," or "sayed."

What to Teach Instead

This is a sign that students understand the -ed rule and are applying it broadly -- a normal stage of language development. The fix is not to mark the error and move on, but to give high-frequency irregular verbs repeated exposure in context. Story retell activities are especially effective because the verbs appear in meaningful sequences rather than isolated lists.

Common Misconception

Students believe that once they know the spoken form, they already know the verb.

What to Teach Instead

Many second graders use "went" and "saw" correctly in speech but write "goed" and "sawed" because they have not yet linked the spoken and written forms. Writing practice -- even brief sentence-level tasks -- is essential for connecting oral competence to written accuracy.

Common Misconception

Students think past tense only matters for writing, not for speaking.

What to Teach Instead

The standard explicitly includes speaking. Oral story retells, partner sharing, and classroom discussions are all valid contexts for assessing and developing past tense accuracy. Making the spoken form visible ("I noticed you used 'went' perfectly just now") reinforces both skills simultaneously.

Active Learning Ideas

Think-Pair-Share: Tense Transformation

Read aloud three sentences written in present tense that include irregular verbs (e.g., "She goes to school." "He makes a sandwich."). Students think about the past tense form, share with a partner, then the pair writes one transformed sentence. Pairs share out and the class verifies each form together.

15 min·Pairs

Act It Out: Story Retell with Past Tense

Pairs choose a familiar short story and retell it in the past tense, taking turns saying sentences. The listening partner holds a card that says "past tense?" and gives a thumbs up or thumbs down after each sentence. Partners switch roles after two minutes. Debrief by collecting examples of irregular verbs used correctly.

20 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Irregular Verb Timeline

Post six large cards around the room, each showing a present-tense sentence with a blank for the irregular past tense verb. Small groups rotate, writing the correct past tense form on a sticky note at each station. Reconvene and review as a class, discussing any stations where groups disagreed.

25 min·Small Groups

Collaborative Writing: Yesterday Story

The whole class co-writes a short narrative about what happened "yesterday," with each student contributing one sentence. Project a verb bank of irregular verbs on the board. Each sentence must use at least one verb from the bank in the past tense. The teacher acts as scribe and pauses when the class needs to decide on a form together.

20 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Authors of children's books, like Dav Pilkey for the 'Dog Man' series, use common irregular verbs to create engaging past-tense stories that young readers enjoy.
• Journalists reporting on local events, such as a school play or a community fair, must accurately use irregular past tense verbs like 'said,' 'came,' and 'saw' to convey what happened.
• When telling friends or family about a recent trip to the zoo or a birthday party, children naturally use irregular past tense verbs to share their experiences.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a sentence frame: 'Yesterday, I ______ (verb).' Offer a word bank of irregular past tense verbs (e.g., went, saw, ate, made, said). Ask students to choose one verb and complete the sentence correctly. Collect and check for accurate verb usage.

Quick Check

Present students with pairs of sentences, one using a regular past tense verb and one using an irregular past tense verb (e.g., 'She walked to the park.' vs. 'She ran to the park.'). Ask students to circle the irregular verb in the second sentence and then write a new sentence using a different irregular verb from a provided list.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you are telling a friend about your favorite book. What is one thing that happened in the story? Use a past tense verb to tell me.' Listen for correct use of irregular past tense verbs. Prompt further by asking: 'How would you say that differently if it happened today?'

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most important irregular past tense verbs for 2nd graders?

Focus on the highest-frequency verbs students use in storytelling: go/went, come/came, say/said, see/saw, make/made, take/took, give/gave, run/ran, eat/ate, and write/wrote. These appear in almost every narrative students read or produce at this level, so fluency with them pays off immediately in reading and writing.

How do I teach irregular past tense verbs without just drilling lists?

Connect the verbs to stories and sequences students already know. Story retell activities, tense transformation exercises, and partner timelines all require students to use the verbs in context rather than recall them from a list. Repeated meaningful use builds the automaticity that isolated drill does not.

What active learning activities work for irregular past tense verbs?

Act-it-out retells, tense transformation challenges, and collaborative story writing are all highly effective. These activities require students to produce the irregular form in a communicative context -- they cannot just passively recognize it. The feedback loop (partner checks, class votes, teacher scribing) also gives students immediate correction without singling anyone out.

How does CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1.d define mastery for irregular verbs?

The standard asks students to "form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs" in speaking and writing. Mastery is demonstrated through correct use in authentic contexts -- stories, conversations, written responses -- not just identification on worksheets. Look for accurate use in student writing conferences and oral sharing as the primary evidence.