KIDNAPPED

FINAL TASK : To be able to give an excuse for being late

EE : rdiger un court pome, un texte la manire de A2/B1
EOC : expliquer et exprimer (justifier) A2/B1

I.

Why

Brainstorming (5min) : Excuses and Apologies

Why we apologize:

To explain why its

not our fault !

1.
2.
3.
4.

When Many different situations (list a few)

What . For

Lots of different reasons

(list a few)

re-establishes that you know what the "rules" are

re-establish dignity for those you hurt
helps you to repair relationships
allows you to let people know you're not proud of
what you did, and won't be repeating the behavior

II.

Matching exercise (10 minutes) 7 9 10 1 11 6 4 2 3 8 5

III.

Ways to express regret apologize

Expressing Regret Saying

Sorry
I am (really / so) sorry
I dont know what to say.
I apologize
I regret
Please accept my/our apologies

Accepting Responsibility Admitting

Repenting Promising

Requesting Forgiveness Asking

...is/was my fault
I was wrong
I take (all) the blame

(I promise) I wont do that again

Please forgive me
I hope you can forgive me
(Please) don't be angry
Please excuse my behavior

Give the example below to explain the preterit.

Ex) I did nt do my homework because I got home late from football practice.
get the students to ask the question for my answer. Why did nt
you do your homework?

IV.

Grammar Simple Past Tense (handout)

Formation
ALL sentences NOT just preterit
Positive
S+V+Complment.
Negative
S+Aux+not+V+Complement.
Interrogative
(MI) Aux+S+V+Complment?
Negative Interogative
(MI) Aux+not+S+V+Complment?

VI.

Be

All other verbs

He was angry because

He forgot to set his alarm.

We werent on the bus because

We didnt have any money for

tickets.
What time did you leave the
restaurant?
Why didnt they go to the
concert?

Who was she with last night ?

Why werent you at the concert?

Homework : Write the question and the excuse for 5 daily happenings
Use at least 2 adjectives we saw in an earlier lesson
(loud, rude, selfish, absent-minded, messy, lazy, disrespectful, impatient, tidy)

HELP - Word box

School - Work (chores) - Homework - messy room English notebook - dishes - lamp Doctor
Friends home Tired -TV movie - My dog Party sports concert etc

Questions
Why did you miss that goal?

Excuse
Sorry, the sun was in my eyes.

Describing an image EOC (5min)

I.

Drawing from directions (comprendre un message oral pour raliser une tache)
Give half of the students the following image, give nothing to the others then have students
with the image describe what they see. The others could try drawing it. You could also send
the artist of the class outside of the room and have him/her do it last in front of the group at
the end.

blindfold

ropes

chains

II.

Title
Now tell the students that this picture goes with a text.
What do you think happens in the text? What is the text about?
What could be a title for this text?
Hopefully theyll come up with something like KIDNAPPED. Then try to get a
definition from what they say.
How : Take someone
Where : from a home, a park, a school
Why : money revenge - ransom
kidnap (kdnp)
vb, -naps, -napping or -napped, -naps, -naping or naped
1. (tr) to carry off and hold (a person), usually for
ransom

Understanding a text (chronological order)

III.

Reading
Have the students read the poem. Have them cut out the different pieces and put the parts in
the correct order (4 2 - 5 1 3) Last 4 words are missing (10-15min)
remind them beforehand how to approach a written document
1. Look at pictures that accompany text.
2. Read the title
3. Look at the form (text, poem, recipe, article, advertisement, etc)
4. Read the text take your time
5. Reread the text.
6. Eventually underline all the words you know already (rather than ones you dont know
youre reading for a global understanding in the beginning)
7. Look up any words that you dont know that block your understanding the text

Kidnapped!!!
By Shel Silverstein
This morning I was kidnapped
By three masked men.
They stopped me on the side walk,
And offered me some candy,
And when I wouldn't take it
They grabbed me by the collar,
And pinned my arms behind me,
And shoved me in a backseat
Of this big black limousine and
Tied my hands behind my back
With sharp and rusty wire.
Then they put a blindfold on me
So I couldn't see where they took
me,
And plugged up my ears with
cotton
So I couldn't hear their voices.
And drove for 20 miles or
At least for 20 minutes, and then
Dragged me from the car down to
Some cold and moldy basement,
Where they stuck me in a corner
And went off to get the ransom
Leaving one of them to guard me
With a shotgun pointed at me,
Tied up sitting on a stool...
That's why I'm late for

school!!!

1.

2.

3.

4.
5.

Dragged me from the car down to

Some cold and moldy basement,
Where they stuck me in a corner
And went off to get the ransom
They stopped me on the sidewalk,
And offered me some candy,
And when I wouldn't take it
They grabbed me by the collar,
And pinned my arms behind me,
And shoved me in a backseat
Of this big black limousine and
Tied my hands behind my back
With sharp and rusty wire.
Leaving one of them to guard me
With a shotgun pointed at me,
Tied up sitting on a stool...
That's why_____________________
This morning I was kidnapped
By three masked men.
Then they put a blindfold on me
So I couldn't see where they took me,
And plugged up my ears with cotton
So I couldn't hear their voices.
And drove for 20 miles or
At least for 20 minutes, and then

IV.

Listen to the poem http://www.deezer.com/track/2466574

V.

Miming global comprehension

In groups of 4 or 5 have the students work on roughly 5 lines each and mime their part
to the group (the whole poem can be read and mimed and filmed by a group for extra credit)

VI.

Grammar : compound nouns

What are they? Examples : can be separated (high school) or hyphenated (mother-in-law)
noun + noun
noun + verb
verb + noun
adjective + noun
adverb + noun
adverb + verb
preposition + verb

policeman
sunrise
breakfast
blackboard
on-looker
input
output

Have students look at words that are outlined (sidewalk backseat blindfold shotgun kidnapped) and try translating them.
Have students look for some

VII.

Grammar : Preterit pronunciation (-ed)

Have students pick out the regular verbs give the 3 different pronunciations (t/d/Id) and listen
to the poem again.
Worksheet on ed pronunciation

VIII.

Final task

Remind the students of their final task:

To be able to give an excuse for being late

EE : rdiger un court texte (pome) la manire de A2/B1

EOC : expliquer et exprimer (justifier) A2/B1
This could be done over the period of 2 or 3 weeks, at the beginning of each class period.
Little by little you could ask each student why he/she was late to class. They wouldnt
have to recite their poem, but they would have to use a an expression of regret /
responsibility or repenting and be original.

IX.

CE : All my Great Excuses by Kenn Nesbitt

Test to check if students can :
-

Conjugate and pronounce verbs in the Simple Past

Understand a text (poem) globally and in detail
Write an excuse

Why didnt you clean your room?

Why didnt you clean your room?

Why didnt you come to my party on

Saturday night?
Why do you always eat the last ice cream
bar?
Why did you eat all of the chocolate
cake?

Why didnt you come to my party on

Saturday night?
Why do you always eat the last ice cream
bar?
Why did you eat all of the chocolate
cake?

Tom is having a party on Saturday. Are

you coming?
You broke moms vase!

Tom is having a party on Saturday. Are

you coming?
You broke moms vase!

Be quiet!

Be quiet!

Can I use your pen?

Can I use your pen?

Do you want to go to a movie at 10 p.m.?

Do you want to go to a movie at 10 p.m.?

Why are you crying?

Why are you crying?

Why did you hit him?

Why did you hit him?

Im sorry. I was hungry!

Im sorry. I was hungry!

No, the last time you broke it.

No, the last time you broke it.

Id like to, but I dont finish work until

midnight.
Why me? Everyone is making noise.

Id like to, but I dont finish work until

midnight.
Why me? Everyone is making noise.

I didnt. He is lying.

I didnt. He is lying.

It wasnt my fault, you missed my football

pass!
I couldnt find the vacuum.

It wasnt my fault, you missed my football

pass!
I couldnt find the vacuum.

He hit me!

He hit me!

Im sorry; I slept over at my grandmas

house this weekend.
Because Im always hungry!

Im sorry; I slept over at my grandmas

house this weekend.
Because Im always hungry!

10
11

Im sorry; I am going to sleep over at my

grandmas house this weekend.

10
11

Im sorry; I am going to sleep over at my

grandmas house this weekend.

Grammar Simple Past

Formation
ALL sentences NOT just preterit
Positive
S+V+Complment.
Negative
S+Aux+not+V+Complement.
Interrogative
(MI) Aux+S+V+Complment?
Negative Interogative
(MI) Aux+not+S+V+Complment?

Be

ALL other verbs

He was angry because

He forgot to set his alarm.

We werent on the bus because

We didnt have any money for

tickets.
What time did you leave the
restaurant?
Why didnt they go to the
concert?

Who was she with last night ?

Why werent you at the concert?

Grammar Simple Past

Formation
ALL sentences NOT just preterit
Positive
S+V+Complment.
Negative
S+Aux+not+V+Complement.
Interrogative
(MI) Aux+S+V+Complment?
Negative Interogative
(MI) Aux+not+S+V+Complment?

Be

ALL other verbs

He was angry because

He forgot to set his alarm.

We werent on the bus because

We didnt have any money for

tickets.
What time did you leave the
restaurant?
Why didnt they go to the
concert?

Who was she with last night ?

Why werent you at the concert?

Grammar Simple Past

Formation
ALL sentences NOT just preterit
Positive
S+V+Complment.
Negative
S+Aux+not+V+Complement.
Interrogative
(MI) Aux+S+V+Complment?
Negative Interogative
(MI) Aux+not+S+V+Complment?

Be

ALL other verbs

He was angry because

He forgot to set his alarm.

We werent on the bus because

We didnt have any money for

tickets.
What time did you leave the
restaurant?
Why didnt they go to the
concert?

Who was she with last night ?

Why werent you at the concert?

Grammar Simple Past

Formation
ALL sentences NOT just preterit
Positive
S+V+Complment.
Negative
S+Aux+not+V+Complement.
Interrogative
(MI) Aux+S+V+Complment?
Negative Interogative
(MI) Aux+not+S+V+Complment?

Be

ALL other verbs

He was angry because

He forgot to set his alarm.

We werent on the bus because

We didnt have any money for

tickets.
What time did you leave the
restaurant?
Why didnt they go to the
concert?

Who was she with last night ?

Why werent you at the concert?

1. Dragged me from the car down to

Some cold and moldy basement,
Where they stuck me in a corner
And went off to get the ransom
2. They stopped me on the sidewalk,
And offered me some candy,
And when I wouldn't take it
They grabbed me by the collar,
And pinned my arms behind me,
And shoved me in a backseat
Of this big black limousine and
Tied my hands behind my back
With sharp and rusty wire.
3. Leaving one of them to guard me
With a shotgun pointed at me,
Tied up sitting on a stool...
That's why_____________________
4. This morning I was kidnapped
By three masked men.
5. Then they put a blindfold on me
So I couldn't see where they took me,
And plugged up my ears with cotton
So I couldn't hear their voices.
And drove for 20 miles or
At least for 20 minutes, and then

1. Dragged me from the car down to

Some cold and moldy basement,
Where they stuck me in a corner
And went off to get the ransom
2. They stopped me on the sidewalk,
And offered me some candy,
And when I wouldn't take it
They grabbed me by the collar,
And pinned my arms behind me,
And shoved me in a backseat
Of this big black limousine and
Tied my hands behind my back
With sharp and rusty wire.
3. Leaving one of them to guard me
With a shotgun pointed at me,
Tied up sitting on a stool...
That's why_____________________
4. This morning I was kidnapped
By three masked men.
5. Then they put a blindfold on me
So I couldn't see where they took me,
And plugged up my ears with cotton
So I couldn't hear their voices.
And drove for 20 miles or
At least for 20 minutes, and then

1. Dragged me from the car down to

Some cold and moldy basement,
Where they stuck me in a corner
And went off to get the ransom
2. They stopped me on the sidewalk,
And offered me some candy,
And when I wouldn't take it
They grabbed me by the collar,
And pinned my arms behind me,
And shoved me in a backseat
Of this big black limousine and
Tied my hands behind my back
With sharp and rusty wire.
3. Leaving one of them to guard me
With a shotgun pointed at me,
Tied up sitting on a stool...
That's why_____________________
4. This morning I was kidnapped
By three masked men.
5. Then they put a blindfold on me
So I couldn't see where they took me,
And plugged up my ears with cotton
So I couldn't hear their voices.
And drove for 20 miles or
At least for 20 minutes, and then

1. Dragged me from the car down to

Some cold and moldy basement,
Where they stuck me in a corner
And went off to get the ransom
2. They stopped me on the sidewalk,
And offered me some candy,
And when I wouldn't take it
They grabbed me by the collar,
And pinned my arms behind me,
And shoved me in a backseat
Of this big black limousine and
Tied my hands behind my back
With sharp and rusty wire.
3. Leaving one of them to guard me
With a shotgun pointed at me,
Tied up sitting on a stool...
That's why_____________________
4. This morning I was kidnapped
By three masked men.
5. Then they put a blindfold on me
So I couldn't see where they took me,
And plugged up my ears with cotton
So I couldn't hear their voices.
And drove for 20 miles or
At least for 20 minutes, and then

How do we pronounce the -ed?

How do we pronounce the -ed?

Ending sound of
verb:

Example verb:

/t/

point pointed

end ended

/d/

end ended

/p/

kidnap kidnapped

/p/

kidnap kidnapped

/f/

laugh laughed

/f/

laugh laughed

/s/

fax faxed

/s/

fax faxed

//

wash washed

//

wash washed

/t/

watch watched

/t/

watch watched

/k/

like liked

/k/

like liked

Ending sound of
verb:

Example verb:

/t/

point pointed

/d/

Pronunciation

/ d/

/t/

/ d/

/t/

grab grabbed

grab grabbed
all other sounds

Pronunciation

all other sounds

pin pinned

/d/

shove shoved

/d/

shove shoved

pin pinned

REMEMBER! It is the last sound that is important, not the last letter.

REMEMBER! It is the last sound that is important, not the last letter.

For example, like ends in the letter e, but the sound is /k/.

For example, like ends in the letter e, but the sound is /k/.

Now you try with these verbs.

Now you try with these verbs.

paint call

hiss .

stay

paint call

hiss .

shout . tip yell

wish

shout . tip yell

wish

type email .. start .

hug

type email .. start .

hug

stay

Name _______________________________

Class ____________

All My Great Excuses by Kenn Nesbitt

1
2
3
4

I started on my homework
but my pen _____________ out of ink. (to run)
My hamster ______________ my homework. (to eat)
My computers on the blink.

5
6
7
8

I accidentally dropped it
in the soup my mom was cooking.
My brother flushed it down the toilet
when I _____________ looking. (not / to be)

9
10
11
12

My mother ____________my homework (to put)

through the washer and the dryer.
An airplane crashed into our house.
My homework __________________on fire. (to catch)

13
14
15
16

Tornadoes _______________my notes away. (to blow)

Volcanoes struck our town.
My notes _______________ taken hostage (to be)
by an evil killer clown.

17
18
19
20

Some aliens abducted me.

I ________________ a shark attack.(to have)
A pirate swiped my homework
and refused to give it back.

21
22
23
24

I worked on these excuses

so darned long my teacher said,
I think youll find its easier
to do the work instead.

10

11

12

13

I.

Fill in the gaps with the past simple of the verbs in brackets.

II.

Choose the correct pronunciation of the regular verbs that are outlined and put
them in the correct column /t/ - /d/ - /Id/
(2 pts)

III.

Read the poem and look at the pictures.

Choose 1 or 2 lines of the text that correspond to pictures 2 13.
Example : line 2 picture 1

IV.

Reread the text and answer the following questions. Write in English and use
complete sentences.
(5 pts)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

V.

(4 pts)

(3 pts)

Who in his family does he blame for not having his homework?
What are the 2 natural phenomena that stop him from doing his homework?
What does on the blink (line 4) mean?
What are 2 synonyms for kidnapped in this poem?
What is the teachers view on his excuses? Explain.

Writing. You didnt do your English homework. Write your teacher a note and
explain why. You will be evaluated on the following items :
(6 pts)
-

Grammar : Use of Past tense, punctuation

Creativity : reasons
Expressing regret and apologizing

Bonus exercise: Draw a picture for the only excuse that wasnt depicted in exercise III.