Story Time Flash Cards 2 -
Thanks, But No Thanks!
Pronunciation of the "-ed" Ending of Past Tense Verbs
This set of hand-held visuals has been designed for the following types of language activities:
• practice the pronunciation of the -ed ending in the context of stories
• take part in an activity in which students help correct one another’s pronunciation
• provide an interesting and amusing group activity
• encourage group interaction and discussions
• increase individual student’s speaking time during class
• expose students to new vocabulary and expressions
On the back of each visual, the basic story is given at two different proficiency levels. Both versions present regular verbs in the past tense. The first version is a simpler one. The second version includes additional sentence structures, expressions, and vocabulary. It focuses on slightly different structures such as the separation of two-word verbs. For example, the first version may have a sentence such as “Amir picked up the can.” The second version shows “Amir picked the can up.” A corresponding set of comprehension questions accompanies each version of the story.
DESIGN AND FORMAT
This comprehensive set of instructional materials includes the following components:
• 46 attractively illustrated, hand-held visuals
• 3 reproducible stories that can be used together or separately
• 2 complete story lines on each flash card with corresponding comprehensive questions
• 3 reproducible reading passages for follow-up and reinforcement
• A set of 57 cards for student small-group practice
• A quiz to check for understanding
• A list of 104 sentences that can be used for pronunciation practice
Step 1: Select the version of the story most appropriate to your students’ proficiency level.
Step 2: Have students put away all unnecessary material. Explain that you are going to tell
them a story and that they should not write anything during this activity.
Step 3: Inform the students that they will be expected to retell the story.
Step 4: For maximum effectiveness, present the story into several logical episodes using six
to eight cards at any one time. Depending on the level of the class, the episodes
can be presented progressively over several class sessions or together as one unit.
Step 5: Hold up each card and read the appropriate text on the back of each picture. Read
slowly. Repeat each sentence several times.
Step 6: After completing each episode, check the students’ understanding of the story by
asking the questions that are listed below the stories on the back of the cards.
Step 7: Repeat the story a second time. Then, have the students repeat after you stressing
the pronunciation of the -ed ending.
Step 8: Hold up each picture card and have an individual student retell the story. Allow the
student to retell the story in his or her own words. Accept variations in wording and
structure as long as the factual content remains the same. Each student should tell
the portion of the story corresponding to three or four pictures.
Step 9: Signal the first student to stop by saying, “Thank you.” Call on each subsequent
student by name and say, “Please continue.” Follow this procedure until the entire
story or episode has been retold.
Step 10: Following the sequential story line, hold up a card and have one student pose an
appropriate question to another student.
1. Select, reproduce, and distribute the appropriate version of the reading passage. Have
the students read the text silently. Review by asking appropriate comprehension
2. From the reading passage, prepare a short list of spelling words for a future quiz.
3. Choose a paragraph from one of the reading passages and give it as a dictation.
4. Select, reproduce, and distribute one of the three contextual exercise (i.e., cloze
passage). Have the students read the stories aloud as a small group activity.
5. Have the students write a story about a typical or particular day in the past using as
many regular verbs as possible. Let the students refer to the reading passage as a