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.
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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