D-08.08 Get & Use a 54 Card Deck of Basic-Level, Base + Past-Form Verbs

3 Pages of Base Verbs with Definitions on Backs + 3 Pages of Matching Past Forms with Examples in Illustrated Contexts   

12 pages to print out (2-sided) & cut into 9ths

Who They’re For: Novice English Speakers & New Readers Ready to Reinforce Grammar Learning with One– or Two-Sided Verb Cards & Card Play

Why You Need Them: Nearly everyone enjoys “playing cards”—even if materials  users unintentionally improve their language skills without being aware of it. These 54 double-sided (or 108 one-sided) cards build grammatical verb-usage vocabulary. Recognizing 27 of the most frequent (a few regular, but mostly irregular) base verbs of English, learners get to match them with corresponding definitions, simple-past forms, and/or illustrated fill-in-examples. The Deck has many (simpler or higher-challenge) uses, of course, including as stimuli (cues) in lessons that target verb-phrasing in simple-past and other verb-tense patterns. 

What You’ll Do: 

[1] From the Basic Verb-Forms Cards file, print out all 12 pages back-to-back, flipped horizontally.  (Alternatively or additionally, you can print out the pages one sided: the 108 card faces—two verbs, a definition, and an example ] can be arranged into 27 sets-of-four and used in other kinds of educational activities.) Cut apart the 54 double-sided (or 108 single-sided) cards so that they’re all the same size and shape.

[2] Experienced, creative card users might automatically devise procedures and “rules” for using the Deck(s) in ways that entertain as well as “teach.” Also, you can try some of the cooperative or competitive learning activities suggested in Download D-08.07, Basic (Regular & Irregular) Verb Forms Activity & Idea Book.