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Years Gone By
1. Write the year each of these things happened
Completed Partner’s Score

I was born in _________________________________________ □

I started school in _____________________________________ □
I had my first best friend in ______________________________ □
I had my first kiss in ___________________________________ □
I had my first hobby in __________________________________ □
I passed my driving test in ______________________________ □
I went to my first party in ________________________________ □
I had my first bicycle in _________________________________ □
I took my first boat trip in ________________________________ □
I had my first child in ___________________________________ □
I had my first pet in ____________________________________ □
I got my first job in _____________________________________ □
I had my first date in ___________________________________ □
I travelled on my first airplane in __________________________ □
I graduated in ________________________________________ □
I got married in _______________________________________ □
I had my first computer in _______________________________ □
I started studying English in _____________________________ □
2. Take it in turns to read out a year at random. Your partner has two guesses to try to
find out what happened in that year.

Example: A: 2002.
B: Was that the year you had your first pet?
A: Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t.

Check off the category, so you know it’s been completed. If one of the two guesses is
correct, give your partner one point. Write down your partner’s score next to the check box.
Written by Ken Underwood for Teach-This.com ©20I4
 TEACH-THIS.COM
Years Gone By
Here is a fun guessing game to help students practice the past simple and saying years.

Before class, make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class.

Procedure

Give each student a copy of the worksheet and ask them to write the year that each of the
things happened to them in the space provided. Students can leave some categories blank if
they have had no experience.

Next, divide the students into pairs.

Tell the students not to show each other their worksheets.

Students take it in turns to read out a year at random.

Their partner has to guess what happened in that year.

Example:

A: 2002.
B: Was that the year you had your first pet?
A: Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t.

The student has two guesses before they are told the correct answer.

The first student then checks off the category, so they know it’s been completed.

If one of the two guesses is correct, the student gets one point. The first student writes down
their partner’s score next to the check box.

You could demonstrate this activity yourself by reading out years from your own life and
asking the class to have two guesses as to what happened.

The winner is the student in each pair who has the most points after all the years have been
guessed.

Have a class feedback session and ask some students to tell the class what they learnt
about their partners.

Written by Ken Underwood for Teach-This.com ©20I4