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Lesson planA245 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
When I Was a Child: used to
Students learn to use used to for past habits and states to talk about childhood, then write about their own childhood.
Used to · Childhood · Places in town
Or download everything as a ZIP (2 PDFs)This lesson plan and its PDFs are free.
Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use used to accurately
- Learn and use 14 words and phrases in 2 sets: Places, Growing up
- Read for detail: My town then and now
- Writing task: When I was a child
Stages · 45 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about childhood and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 15 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–4
- 5 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
used to + verb
- It was true in the past, but it isn't true now: I used to live in a village. (Now I live in a city.)
- used to + verb: We used to play in the park (not used to playing).
- The same for everybody: he used to, they used to.
Negative and questions
- I didn't use to like fish. (not didn't used to)
- Did you use to ride a bike to school?
used to or past simple?
- used to = many times, or for a long time: I used to go to the beach every summer.
- past simple = one time: I went to the beach last Sunday.
Study tips
- Think of then and now: I used to have long hair. Now my hair is short.
- Ask an older person: What did you use to do at the weekend?
Glossary
- Places8 items
- Growing up6 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Places and things
Choose the correct word or phrase.
- a
I ___ in a small village, but now I live in London.
- b
Paris is a big ___. Millions of people live there.
- c
We used to go to the ___ every summer and swim in the sea.
- d
We used to ___ horses on my uncle's farm.
- e
There was a small ___ behind our house. We used to walk to the top in ten minutes.
- f
Football was my ___ sport.
- g
Let's play a ___ of cards.
- h
My grandparents ___ in a small house near the sea.
2
used to
Choose the correct words.
- a
I ___ in Madrid, but now I live in Rome.
- b
We ___ to the beach every summer.
- c
My dad ___ a big moustache.
- d
I ___ like fish, but now I love it.
- e
___ you use to ride a bike to school?
- f
There ___ be a cinema in our town, but now it's a supermarket.
- g
She ___ play the piano, but she stopped when she was twelve.
- h
My brother didn't ___ like school.
3
Then and now
Choose the best answer.
- a
'I used to have long hair.' This means:
- b
'We used to live in a village.' This means:
- c
'My brother didn't use to like fish.' This means that in the past he ___.
- d
'There used to be a cinema here.' This means:
- e
Yesterday I ___ my grandmother.
- f
In 2015 we ___ a new car.
4
Find the mistake
One sentence has a mistake. Choose the correct sentence.
- a
Choose the correct sentence.
- b
Choose the correct sentence.
- c
Choose the correct sentence.
- d
Choose the correct sentence.
- e
Choose the correct sentence.
- f
Choose the correct sentence.
- g
Choose the correct sentence.
- h
Choose the correct sentence.
- i
Choose the correct sentence.
5
Read: My town then and now
Read the text. Then choose the correct answer.
I grew up in a small town by the sea. There used to be a lot of fishing boats on the beach, and my father used to sell fish in the market. We didn't use to have a car. We used to ride our bikes everywhere. My favourite place was the hill behind our school. My friends and I used to climb it after school and play games at the top. Now the town is a big city. There aren't any boats on the beach now, and there is a big hotel on the hill. But the sea is still beautiful. Tom, 75
- a
Tom's father used to ___.
- b
How did Tom's family use to travel?
- c
After school, Tom and his friends used to ___.
- d
What is on the hill now?
- e
Is the town the same now?
6
Write: When I was a child
Write about your childhood.
Write about your life when you were a child (6–8 sentences). What did you use to do? What didn't you use to do? Word box: grow up · live · town · city · beach · game · bike · ride · favourite · hill Example: I grew up in a small town. I used to ride my bike to school. I didn't use to like vegetables, but now I love them.
Suggested minimum: 40 words
0 words · aim for at least 40
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 14 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 2 sets.
Places
- town
- a place with houses and shops; it is bigger than a village and smaller than a city
- city
- a very big town
- beach
- sand or small stones next to the sea
- hill
- high land, but not as high as a mountain
- village
- a very small town in the country
- farm
- land where people grow food and keep animals
- coast
- the land next to the sea
- mountain
- a very high hill
Growing up
- grow up
- to change from a child into an adult
- live
- to have your home in a place
- game
- something you play, with rules
- bike
- a bicycle
- ride
- to travel on a bike or a horse
- favourite
- the one you like most
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