three women walking

Lesson 12

Past Experiences

Objective: I will learn to ask and answer questions about where someone was.

Personal Study

Prepare for your conversation group by completing activities A through E.

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Study the Principle of Learning: Take Responsibility

I have the power to choose, and I am responsible for my own learning.

You are an agent; you have the power to act for yourself. Often our tendency is to wait for leaders, teachers, or others to tell us what to do. We want them to give us step-by-step instructions. God wants us to understand that as His children, we have the power within us to make good choices and to move forward.

He explains that His children “should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27–28).

The power is in you. You can take responsibility for your learning. If the teacher is sick and can’t come, you can choose to practice with other learners. If you don’t understand something, you can ask for help. If you need ideas for how to study better, you can ask other learners in your group what works for them. You have the power to choose and act. With God, you decide what you will learn and become.

man studying at his desk

Ponder

• What do you believe is your responsibility as a learner?

• What can you do to take responsibility for your own learning?

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Memorize Vocabulary

Learn the meaning and pronunciation of each word before your conversation group. Try creating flashcards to help you memorize new words. You can use paper or an app.

Times

at 10:00 p.m.
last night
on Monday
two days ago
yesterday morning

Nouns

home
school
the store
work

Verbs Present/Verbs Past

arrive/arrived late
call/called my friend
message/messaged my friend
miss/missed class
need/needed bread
shop/shopped
want/wanted to play soccer

feel/felt sick
leave/left the party
take/took a nap
take/took the bus

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Practice Pattern 1

Practice using the patterns until you can confidently ask and answer questions. You can replace the underlined words with words in the “Memorize Vocabulary” section.

Q: Where were you (time)?A: I was at (noun).

Questions

pattern 1 question where were you time

Answers

pattern 1 answer I was at noun

Examples

Q: Where were you last night?A: I was at home.

female teenager studying

Q: Where was she on Tuesday?A: She was at school.

Q: Where were you at 10:00 a.m.?A: We were at work.

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Practice Pattern 2

Practice using the patterns until you can confidently ask and answer questions. Try noticing these patterns during your daily practice.

Q: Why did you (verb present) (time)?A: We (verb past) because we (verb past).

Questions

pattern 2 question why did you verb present time

Answers

pattern 2 answer we verb past because we verb past

Examples

sick girl in bed

Q: Why did you leave the party last night?A: I left the party because I felt sick.

Q: Why didn’t she message me yesterday?A: She didn’t message you because she was tired.

tired woman

Q: Why did they go to the store?A: They went to the store because they needed bread.

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Use the Patterns

Write four questions you can ask someone. Write an answer to each question. Read them aloud.

Additional Activities

Complete the lesson activities and assessments online at englishconnect.org/learner/resources or in the EnglishConnect 2 Workbook.

Act in Faith to Practice English Daily

Continue to practice English daily. Use your “Personal Study Tracker.” Review your study goal and evaluate your efforts.

Conversation Group

Discuss the Principle of Learning: Take Responsibility

(20–30 minutes)

man studying at his desk

• Read the principle of learning for this lesson aloud.

• Discuss the questions.

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Activity 1: Practice the Patterns

(10–15 minutes)

Review the vocabulary list with a partner.

Practice pattern 1 with a partner:

• Practice asking questions.

• Practice answering questions.

• Practice a conversation using the patterns.

Repeat for pattern 2.

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Activity 2: Create Your Own Sentences

(10–15 minutes)

Part 1

Look at the pictures. Ask and answer questions about what Raul and Janet did yesterday. Take turns.

Example: Raul, 1:00 p.m.

boy kicking soccer ball

• A: Where was Raul yesterday at 1:00 p.m.?

• B: He was at the park.

• A: Why did Raul go to the park?

• B: Because he wanted to play soccer.

Raul

Image 1: 5:00 p.m.

cooking sausage on outdoor grill

Image 2: 7:00 p.m.

man sleeping

Image 3: 9:00 p.m.

people riding bus

Image 4: 10:00 p.m.

concert at night

Janet

Image 1: 11:00 a.m.

person reading book next to a lake

Image 2: 2:00 p.m.

woman sitting on sofa looking at phone

Image 3: 4:00 p.m.

woman with shopping bags

Image 4: 8:00 p.m.

woman eating dinner

Part 2

Ask and answer questions about what you did yesterday at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. Talk about where you were and why. Say as much as you can. Take turns.

New Vocabulary

Why were you at home?

• A: Where were you yesterday at 11:00 a.m.?

• B: I was at home.

• A: Why were you at home at 11:00 a.m.?

• B: Because I didn’t have any plans.

• A: Where were you yesterday at 10:00 p.m.?

• B: I was at home.

• A: Why were you at home?

• B: Because I went to bed.

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Activity 3: Create Your Own Conversations

(15–20 minutes)

Ask and answer questions about activities you did recently. Talk about where you were and why you did those activities. Say as much as you can. Take turns.

Example

• A: Where were you last Wednesday?

• B: I was at the park.

• A: Why were you at the park?

• B: Because I wanted to play basketball.

• A: Where were you yesterday?

• B: I was at home.

• A: Why were you at home?

• B: I was at home because I felt sick.

Evaluate

(5–10 minutes)

Evaluate your progress on the objectives and your efforts to practice English daily.

Evaluate Your Progress

I can:

• Ask where others were and why they did things in the past.

  neutral face, content face, happy face

• Talk about where I and others were and why we did things in the past.

  neutral face, content face, happy face

Evaluate Your Efforts

Evaluate your efforts to:

1. Study the principle of learning.

2. Memorize Vocabulary.

3. Practice the patterns.

4. Practice daily.

Set a goal. Consider the study suggestions in the “Personal Study Tracker.”

Share your goal with a partner.

Act in Faith to Practice English Daily

“The power to choose is within each of us, and nothing can take it from us. We have the power to choose our course in life” (Harold C. Brown, “The Marvelous Gift of Choice,” Ensign, Dec. 2001, 49).