Writing Practice A1- Write about what you did last weekend

Goals for this lesson

• Use the past simple to talk about finished activities (went, visited, played).
• Use time expressions (last weekend, yesterday, on Saturday/Sunday) and sequencers (then, after that, finally).
• Write a short paragraph (5–7 sentences) about your weekend: what you did, where you went, and who you were with.

Key words & sentence frames

Common weekend verbs (past simple): go → went, have → had, do → did, see → saw, eat → ate, read → read (pronounced “red”), watch → watched, visit → visited, play → played, cook → cooked

Time words: last weekend, yesterday, on Saturday, on Sunday, in the morning/afternoon/evening, then, after that, finally

Useful frames:

• Last weekend, I … (visited my grandparents / stayed at home).
• On Saturday/Sunday, I … (went to the park / cooked lunch).
• In the morning/afternoon/evening, I … (played football / watched a film).
• Then / After that / Finally, I …
• I enjoyed … because … (I enjoyed the match because it was exciting).
• I went with … (my friends / my family).

Usage note: Many speakers say “at the weekend” (UK) and “on the weekend” (US). Both are correct in the right variety of English.

Part 1 — Building sentences step by step

A clear sentence has a subject + verb (past) + details (time, place, people, reason).

• Last weekend, I went to the park with my friends. (time + action + people)
• On Saturday morning, I visited my grandmother at her house. (time + action + place)
• After that, I watched a film and ate pizza. (sequencer + actions)
• On Sunday evening, I read a book. (time + action)
• It was a relaxing weekend. (feeling/summary)

Part 2 — Model paragraph

Example (Alex):

Last weekend was great. On Saturday morning, I went to the park with my friends and we played football. After that, we ate sandwiches and talked. In the afternoon, I visited a small museum near my house. On Sunday, I stayed at home, cooked lunch with my sister, and watched a film in the evening. It was a fun and relaxing weekend.

Why this is good: It uses the past simple for finished actions, time words (on Saturday, after that, on Sunday), and gives a clear summary feeling.

Part 3 — Guided writing

1. Plan: List 3–4 activities (with times), 1–2 places, who you were with, and one feeling.
2. Draft: Use these starters:
   • Last weekend, I …
   • On Saturday, I …
   • Then / After that, I …
   • On Sunday, I …
   • I went with … / I enjoyed … because …
3. Check: Use the A1 checklist below.

Self-check (A1 writing checklist)

• Did I use the past simple correctly (went, did, saw)?
• Did I include time words and sequencers (on Saturday, then, after that)?
• Did I start sentences with a capital letter and end with a period?
• Do I have at least 5–7 sentences?

Part 4 — Practice activities

Activity 1 — Fill in the blanks

Word bank: went • visited • read • watched • ate

1. On Saturday, I ______ to the park with my friends.
2. We ______ a film in the afternoon.
3. After the film, we ______ pizza.
4. On Sunday, I ______ my grandparents.
5. In the evening, I ______ a book at home.

Activity 2 — Choose the correct word

1. Last weekend, I (go / went) to a café.
2. We (plays / played) games on Saturday night.
3. I (see / saw) my cousin on Sunday morning.
4. After that, we (eat / ate) lunch together.
5. It (is / was) a great weekend.

Activity 3 — Put the sentences in order

Number the sentences from 1 (first) to 4 (last).

• ___ After that, I visited my uncle.
• ___ On Saturday morning, I went to the market.
• ___ On Sunday, I stayed at home and cooked.
• ___ I ate lunch with my family.

Activity 4 — Correct the mistakes

Rewrite the sentences.

1. yesterday I go to the park.
2. We watch a movie on sunday.
3. I eated pizza with my friend.

Activity 5 — Mini reading (True/False)

Text: Last weekend, I took the bus to the city centre. I met my cousin and we visited a science museum. After that, we ate pasta in a small restaurant. On Sunday, I cleaned my room and read a new comic. It was a busy weekend but I felt happy.

1. The writer went to the city centre by bus. (T/F)
2. The writer visited an art museum. (T/F)
3. On Sunday, the writer read a comic. (T/F)

Part 5 — Your paragraph

Write 5–7 sentences about last weekend. Include at least three past verbs, two time words, one activity with friends/family, and a final sentence about how you felt.

Sample answer: Last weekend, I visited my grandparents on Saturday morning. Then I went to the market and bought fruit. In the afternoon, I watched a film with my brother. On Sunday, I stayed at home and cooked lunch. Finally, I read a book in the evening. It was a calm and happy weekend.

Review & reflection

• Which past verbs did you use? (went, saw, ate, played, visited, read)
• Did you include time words and sequencers?
• Read your paragraph aloud. Is it clear and organised?