Unit 4: Reading to Write – Writing about the Past
Unit 4 combines the lessons in units 1, 2, and 3. In this unit, you'll read about events in the past and see how timelines are used to write about events. Then you'll write about an event in your own past and share it in the class discussion forum.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- recognize past and present tense; and
- write a cohesive series of sentences on a familiar topic demonstrating the difference between past and present tense.
4.1: Reading About the Past
When reading, keep an eye out for clues that tell you when things happen. The verb conjugations you learned in Unit 1 and certain phrases like "last week" and "yesterday" will tell you if an event happened in the past or is happening now. Using these tools will help you follow an article's timeline and the order of its events. Listen to the lesson on using a timeline when reading about the past, then complete the exercise.
4.2: Writing About the Past
The story of Nellie McClure uses past tense and phrases about time to tell the reader when things occur. It is clear to the reader from the story's beginning that it is not taking place today. You can use these same tools to write about your past. Read this presentation and complete the activity to write five sentences about what you did last week. Don't worry about errors yet, you'll review your sentences and make corrections later.
4.3: Review Your Writing
Any time you write something for school or work, you need to take time to check it for errors. This can be hard to do, so many people find it helpful to use checklists and go one step at a time. Now that you have five sentences about what you did last week, it's time to check your work. Read this article on proofreading your writing. When you're done, use the checklist to review the sentences your wrote about what you did last week, then share your sentences in the discussion forum and see what daily activities your classmates complete. If you wish, reply to your classmates' daily activities.
You wrote five sentences about things you did last week using the past tense skills from Unit 1, adjectives and adverbs from Unit 3, and timelines from earlier in Unit 4. Good work! The next step is to edit your writing so that you can share it with others. Use the checklist below to review each sentence for errors. Correct any errors you find. When you're done, post your sentences in the class discussion forum. If you wish. Be sure to print or download the checklist so that you can save it for future use.
Share your edited writing in the discussion forum and see what daily activities your classmates complete. Make sure to review and respond to one or two other students' posts as well.
Unit 4 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.