CLARIFICATION

Stage 4 of 7 — Clarification

Time: 10 minutes
Source: SB p. 4, Exercise C grammar box; TB T4 C adapted
Interaction: Elicitation → pair concept checks → short pair examples

Use the students’ timeline — do not read the complete grammar box aloud

Form	Main meaning in this lesson
Simple past	A completed event at a finished past time.
Past continuous	An action in progress at a past moment.
Past perfect	An action completed before another past event.
Past perfect continuous	An activity continuing for a period before another past event.

Clarify in four short cycles

Ask students which event came first and which happened later.
Elicit the form from the timeline.
Confirm the meaning and form briefly.
Pairs answer one concept-check question and create one short example.

Time expressions to keep visible

before · while · when · by the time · for · since

Useful concept-check questions

Did both actions happen in the past?
Which action happened first?
Was the earlier action complete, or was it still in progress?
Does the sentence show duration?
Can the listener understand the sequence without the timeline?

Teacher guardrail

Keep explanation selective. If pairs already explain the contrast accurately, move on. The aim is an accurate working model, not a full lecture on every possible past-time use.

Planned balance: 6 minutes student talk / 4 minutes teacher talk.

Stage complete when: pairs can explain the four contrasts and produce one meaningful example. Continue to Controlled Practice.