Two truths and a lie, past tense: a 15-minute speaking activity, 6–8

1. Model it. Tell your own three: "I broke my arm when I was seven. I cooked dinner for my family last Sunday. I met a famous singer at the airport." Let the class guess, then reveal.
2. Students write three short sentences about themselves: two true and one false. Everyday topics are best: something they cooked, lost, found, broke, learned, saw or won. No one needs to share anything private.
3. In groups of four, one student reads their three sentences.
4. The group asks up to three follow-up questions, all in the past tense: "When did it happen? Who were you with? What did you do next?" The speaker answers in the past tense too, keeping the lie believable.
5. The group votes, and the speaker reveals the lie. Rotate until everyone has had a turn.
6. Close with a language check. Ask groups for one regular verb and one irregular verb they heard, and list them on the board.

For English learners, point out that the -ed ending has three sounds: /t/ in walked, /d/ in played, and /ɪd/ in wanted. For Spanish and Portuguese learners, many first-person preterite forms look alike: fui and fui (I went, I was), vi and vi (I saw), comí and comi (I ate), tuve and tive (I had). Ask students which ones are the same in both languages.

Differentiation: for newer learners, give a verb bank and the frame "I ___ last ___." Allow one follow-up question. For advanced learners, require one sentence in the past continuous ("I was walking when...") and one with "used to". For students who share a home language, let them help each other check verb forms before speaking. For students who find speaking in groups hard, let them play in a pair first or write their sentences on the board for the class to vote on.

Quick check: each student writes one true past-tense sentence and one past-tense question they could ask a classmate.

If you try it, share the most believable lie your class heard (keep it kind and anonymous).