English·Grammar & Punctuation·conceptual
Past, Present and Progressive Tense
Use verbs to convey past and present tense correctly and consistently, including the progressive form (e.g., she is drumming, he was shouting), understanding how tense indicates time
Suggested ages 6–9
Learning journey
Your child is learning important grammar skills — understanding how to build more complex sentences, use punctuation correctly, and choose the right words to make their writing clearer and more interesting.
Evidence of understanding
- Write a passage consistently in past tense without switching to present
- Use progressive forms correctly: 'was running', 'is jumping' to show ongoing actions
- Identify verbs in a sentence and change them from past to present tense or vice versa
Assessment prompt
If Past, Present and Progressive Tense is writing about something that happened yesterday versus something happening right now, do they change the verb — for example, writing "she jumped" for the past and "she is jumping" for right now?
Standards alignment
L.3.1dUS · ccss-ela
L.3.1d
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects · 3