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Past and Future- Opposites Reversi Memory Game

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Students play a fun card game based on Othello to learn similar past time expressions and future time expressions like "two days ago" and "in two days" and past and future tenses.

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Lesson Plan Content:


Past and future opposites reversi memory game

Instructions for teachers

Make one copy per group of two to four students. Cut up the worksheet so that the two sides of each card are still connected, i.e. don’t cut between “tomorrow” and “yesterday” etc. Discard any cards which are too difficult to be useful for your students. Give out one pack of cards per group of students. Ask students to fold them and put the cards in a line on table, either side up. If they like, student can look at the two sides as they fold the cards.

Students work together to try to guess which on the other side of the cards by thinking about whether the half they can see is past or future and converting it into the opposite form. They then turn the card over to check. If they are correct, they can take away that card. If they are wrong, they turn the card over and leave it there the other way up.

When they get to the end of the line of cards, they then go through the ones which are still there (because they got them wrong the first time) in the same way. Again, any which they get wrong stay in the line to try again next time. This continues until all the cards are gone, with the cards having to be guessed in a different direction each time (e.g. “tomorrow” to “yesterday”, then “yesterday” to “tomorrow”) until they get them right.

After they finish the game, give out un-cut-up copies of the worksheet and answer any questions.

They can then test each by:

  • Reading out a pair of opposite expressions and seeing if their partner can say which is future
  • Reading out one side and seeing if their partner can say the opposite
  • Saying all but one expression on two sides of a card (that has more than two expressions in total) and seeing if their partner can come up with the missing one
  • Helping their partner brainstorm as many different opposite forms as they can (giving them key words etc to help)

The gapfill task below can be done before or after they test each other.

 

Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers

 

tomorrow

 

 

 

yesterday

 

the day after tomorrow

 

the day before yesterday

 

in three days

 

 

 

three days ago

 

last week

 

next week

 

the week after next

 

 

 

the week before last

 

a year ago

 

in a year

 

a few minutes ago

 

 

in a few minutes

 

a long time ago

 

in the distant future/ one day/ some day

 

 

in the near future/ soon

 

 

not long ago/ recently

 

 

ASAP/ immediately/ straightaway

 

just

 

I (have) just…

 

 

 

I’m about to/ I’ll… ASAP/ immediately/ straightaway

 

the last meeting

 

the next meeting

 

the meeting after next

 

 

the meeting before last

 

after this meeting

 

before this meeting

 

there was a…

 

 

there will be a/ is going to be a…

 

 

earlier (today)

 

later (today)

 

at this time tomorrow I will be …ing

 

at this time yesterday I was …ing

 

I finished it on Friday.

 

 

I will finish it on Friday.

 

I have never been to…

 

 

I will never go to…

 

I have been here since June.

 

I will/ I’m going to be here until June.

 

I’ll tell him when I see him.

 

I told him when I saw him.

 

 

I didn’t…

 

 

I’m not going to/ won’t/ not …ing…

 


Write one word in each gap below, looking at the opposites to help. Then check above.

 

tomorrow

 

 

 

________

 

the ______ after tomorrow

 

the _______ before yesterday

 

in three days

 

 

 

three days __

 

_________ week

 

next week

 

the week _________ next

 

 

the week before last

 

a year ago

 

________________ a year

 

a few minutes ________________

 

 

_______________

a few minutes

 

_______________ long time ago

____________ the distant future/ one day/ some day

 

 

in ______________ near future/ soon

 

 

not _____________ ago/ recently

 

 

ASAP/ immediately/ straightaway

 

________________

 

I (have) just…

I’ll… ASA__/ immediately/ straightaway

 

 

________________ last meeting

 

________________ next meeting

 

the meeting after ________________

 

 

the meeting before ______________

 

________________ this meeting

 

before this meeting

 

there was a…

 

 

there will ______/ is going to _____ a…

 

 

earlier (today)

 

________________ (today)

__________ this time tomorrow I will be …ing

_____________ this time yesterday I was …ing

 

 

I finished it _________ Friday.

I will finish it ________________ Friday.

 

I ______________ never been to…

 

 

I will never ____________ to…

I have been here ________________ June.

 

I will/ I’m going to be here until June.

 

I’ll tell him when I see him.

 

I _________ him when I ______ him.

 

 

I didn’t…

 

 

I’m not going to/ ____n’t/ not …ing…

 

 

Write opposites in each space below (e.g. the past if the sentence given is about the future).  

 

_______________

_______________

 

 

yesterday

 

_______________

_______________

 

the day before yesterday

 

_______________

_______________

 

 

three days ago

 

last week

 

_______________

_______________

 

the week after next

 

 

 

_______________

_______________

 

_______________

_______________

 

in a year

 

a few minutes ago

 

 

in a few minutes

 

a long time ago

 

________________

___________

 

 

in the near future/ soon

 

 

_______________

_______________

 

ASAP/ immediately/ straightaway

 

just

 

I (have) just…

 

_________________

_________________

 

 

after this meeting

 

________________

_______________

 

_______________

_______________

 

there will be a/ is going to be a…

 

 

earlier (today)

 

_______________

_______________

at this time tomorrow I will be …ing

 

 

_________________

_________________

 

earlier

 

________________

________________

 

_______________

_______________

 

 

I will never go to…

 

________________

________________

 

I will be here until June.

Check with a complete version of the worksheet or as a class.

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