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Polish Past Tense

Ninth graders learn the Polish past tense (czas przeszły) — with a feature English doesn’t have: the verb ending marks the speaker’s gender! A boy says robiłem (I did), a girl says robiłam. Now they can narrate the past.

Grade 9Past Tense50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Form the past tense.
  • ✓Use -łem / -łam endings.
  • ✓Narrate the past.
  • ✓Tell about yesterday.
Essential Question

What did you do yesterday? How does the Polish past tense show gender?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Polish Past Tense Check

Project each item and have students answer about the Polish past tense.

⏱️ Understand the Polish past tenseTry it
Answer each question about the Polish past tense.
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Yesterday

6 min

What did you do yesterday, and how do you say it in Polish?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask “co robiłeś wczoraj?”
  • Point to “yesterday.”
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Past Tense

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Past Tense Check.
  • Note -łem (m) / -łam (f).
  • Show robiłem & poszedłem.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make 3 verbs past.
  • Say your own -łem/-łam form.
  • Say what you did.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Change.
  • Say it.
  • Say it.
4

Speak — Speak

13 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “wczoraj poszedłem/poszłam do szkoły”.
  • Tell 2 past actions.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Tell.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make a verb past.
  • Say one past action.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Change one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-Low).

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: narrate past events.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand past forms.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare gendered verb systems.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: talk about the past.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Verb cards with -łem/-łam.
  • Frame: “wczoraj ___łem/łam.”
  • Highlight the ending.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with byłem/byłam (I was).
  • One verb at a time.
  • Use examples.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add plural past forms.
  • Write 3 past sentences.
  • Tell a short past story.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ⏱️Verb (past) cards
  • 💻Polish Past Tense Check
  • 🗓️“Yesterday” prompts
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

czas przeszłypast tensewczorajyesterdaybyłem / byłamI was (m / f)robiłemI did (m)poszedłemI went (m)widziałemI saw (m)-łem / -łampast ending (m / f)rodzajgender
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How does a boy say “I did” in Polish?
robiłem (a girl: robiłam).
QUESTION 2
What do Polish past-tense endings mark?
The speaker’s gender (-łem m / -łam f).
QUESTION 3
What does “poszedłem” mean?
I went (male speaker).

Reflect: past tense.

Have students write one thing they did yesterday in Polish (using -łem or -łam). A printable Polish past-tense sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Polish Past TenseFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Polish Past TenseQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Polish Past TensePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: -łem / -łam, byłem / byłam, czas przeszły, poszedłem, robiłem, rodzaj, wczoraj, widziałem
  1. I saw (m)
  2. I did (m)
  3. yesterday
  4. past ending (m / f)
  5. gender
  6. I was (m / f)
  7. past tense
  8. I went (m)

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How does a boy say “I did” in Polish?
  2. What do Polish past-tense endings mark?
  3. What does “poszedłem” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) widziałem · 2) robiłem · 3) wczoraj · 4) -łem / -łam · 5) rodzaj · 6) byłem / byłam · 7) czas przeszły · 8) poszedłem
Part B: 1) robiłem (a girl: robiłam). 2) The speaker’s gender (-łem m / -łam f). 3) I went (male speaker).