Cate's First Day
An A2 reading and writing module about Cate’s first day as an exchange student in Glasgow. Explain eight travel words and phrases in English, use them in your own sentences and practise simple past questions and negatives.
Das lernst du hier
- I can understand Cate’s first-day story, explain eight travel words and phrases in English and use each one in a meaningful sentence.
- I can ask and answer simple past questions, make negative sentences with did not and was/were not, and write a short diary entry as Cate.
Liechtensteiner Lehrplan (LiLe): FS1E.2.A.1 (Practice focus: understand the main events, reasons and feelings in a connected A2 story.), FS1E.4.A.1 (Practice focus: write English explanations, meaningful example sentences, questions and a short diary entry; check open answers with examples.), FS1E.5.B.1 (Practice focus: explain eight travel words and phrases in English and use them in meaningful contexts.), FS1E.5.D.1 (Practice focus: use simple past questions and negatives with did/did not and was/were, including base forms of regular and irregular verbs.)
Help Cate tell her story
Cate, the EveryCate learning robot, is spending an exchange year at the University of Glasgow. Her first day brings a broken screen, helpful strangers and an unexpected surprise. Read her story, investigate the language and help her write her diary.
You already know regular verbs with -ed, irregular past forms and did/didn't. Here you will use them to explain events and ask better questions.
Your learning goals:
- I can understand Cate’s first-day story, explain eight travel words and phrases in English and use each one in a meaningful sentence.
- I can ask and answer simple past questions, make negative sentences with did not and was/were not, and write a short diary entry as Cate.
You can complete every activity by reading and writing.
Words to investigate
Find these eight words and phrases in the story. Notice what they mean and how Cate uses them. The German meanings can help you get started; later you will explain each meaning in English and create your own examples.
journey – eine Reise
railway station – Bahnhof
ticket – Fahrkarte
passenger – eine Person, die in einem Verkehrsmittel mitreist
friendly – freundlich
nearby – in der Nähe
over there – dort drüben
diary – Tagebuch
Learn railway station and over there as whole phrases. When you explain a word, give useful information: a person who …, a place where …, something you use to … or it means ….
A difficult arrival, a good surprise
Read Cate’s account of yesterday. How did her feelings change during the day?
Yesterday I travelled to Glasgow to start my exchange year at the University of Glasgow. My journey was long because the train arrived twenty minutes late. I was a passenger with two bags and a screen full of useful information. My ticket and the address of my student accommodation were on it. During the journey, the ticket inspector checked my ticket, so everything seemed fine.
However, when I got off at a small railway station near Glasgow, my screen suddenly went dark. I didn't have a paper map, and I didn't know which exit to use. Two students, Calum and Timo, noticed me near the doors. ‘Did you lose your ticket?’ Calum asked. ‘No, I didn't. My screen stopped working,’ I explained. They were friendly, but I felt embarrassed because I needed help on my very first day.
Timo opened a map on his phone. I remembered the name of my accommodation, and he found it quickly. It was nearby, so we didn't take a bus. ‘It's over there, behind the café,’ he said. We walked there together. When we compared our room numbers, we discovered that we were flatmates!
Calum is from Scotland, and Timo is an exchange student from Germany who studies engineering. In our flat, each bedroom has its own bathroom, but we share a kitchen. I was surprised when Calum carried his expensive bike into his bedroom. He explained that he was worried about thieves, so he didn't leave it outside.
Timo lent me a charger, and soon my screen worked again. That evening, we didn't go to a restaurant. We cooked pasta in our shared kitchen and talked about our plans. My first day wasn't easy, but I wasn't alone either. Now my diary is open. How can I explain the problem, the help and the surprise in just a few sentences?
Reading help: ticket inspector = a person who checks passengers’ tickets; exit = a way out of a building; embarrassed = uncomfortable because you think you look silly; accommodation = a place where you stay; flatmates = people who share a flat; engineering = designing and building things such as machines; thieves = people who steal things; lent = the past form of lend, to give someone something to use and return later; charger = something that gives power to a battery.
Events, reasons and feelings
Frage 1 von 5Choose the best answer. Find the sentence or sentences that support your choice. After a mistake, read the explanation and try again.
Why did Cate need help at the railway station?
Explain the meaning in English
Match each word or phrase to its English explanation. After a mistake, use these clues: passenger describes a person; friendly describes behaviour; nearby describes distance; over there points to a place. Read the story or word bank again, then retry.
Tippe ein Element links und eines rechts an, um ein Paar zu bilden – mit welcher Seite du beginnst, ist egal. Nochmaliges Antippen wählt ab; Antippen eines verbundenen Elements löst das Paar wieder.
Use the words in context
Use each word or phrase from the bank once. These are new practice situations. After checking, read the whole sentence around any mistake. Look back at the English explanations and try again.
Tippe zuerst ein Wort an und dann die Lücke, in die es gehört. Antippen einer gefüllten Lücke legt das Wort zurück.
The from Vaduz to Glasgow took most of the day. We waited on the platform at the until our train arrived. Before I got on the train, I bought a for the trip. The driver sat at the front of the bus, but each sat behind her. Our new neighbour was : she smiled, introduced herself and offered to help. The café was , so we walked there in two minutes. “Can you see that red building across the square? The library is .” I wrote about the best and worst parts of my day in my .
Your explanations and examples
For each target word, write a short English explanation in your own words and then a meaningful example sentence. Try without looking at the matching activity first. You may use a new, imagined situation for your examples. Explain the meaning instead of only translating into German. Open the hint if you get stuck. Compare with the sample afterwards; many different answers are possible.
Erkläre in eigenen Worten – so merkst du am besten, was du schon verstanden hast.
Deine Antworten werden auf diesem Gerät gespeichert und gehen mit deinem nächsten Fortschritts-Report an die Lehrperson.
journey
Explain: What does it mean? Use English without repeating the target word as its own explanation.
Use: Write your own complete sentence with journey. Add a detail that makes the meaning clear. For example, “It was nearby” needs a place and a clue about the distance.
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Explain what happens between leaving one place and arriving at another.
railway station
Explain: What does it mean? Use English without repeating the target word as its own explanation.
Use: Write your own complete sentence with railway station. Add a detail that makes the meaning clear. For example, “It was nearby” needs a place and a clue about the distance.
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Describe the place and say what people do there. You can use the word trains.
ticket
Explain: What does it mean? Use English without repeating the target word as its own explanation.
Use: Write your own complete sentence with ticket. Add a detail that makes the meaning clear. For example, “It was nearby” needs a place and a clue about the distance.
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In this module, explain the travel meaning. Think about what you buy before a train trip.
passenger
Explain: What does it mean? Use English without repeating the target word as its own explanation.
Use: Write your own complete sentence with passenger. Add a detail that makes the meaning clear. For example, “It was nearby” needs a place and a clue about the distance.
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Start with a person who … and explain the difference from the driver.
friendly
Explain: What does it mean? Use English without repeating the target word as its own explanation.
Use: Write your own complete sentence with friendly. Add a detail that makes the meaning clear. For example, “It was nearby” needs a place and a clue about the distance.
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Describe how this person treats other people. Give an example of their behaviour.
nearby
Explain: What does it mean? Use English without repeating the target word as its own explanation.
Use: Write your own complete sentence with nearby. Add a detail that makes the meaning clear. For example, “It was nearby” needs a place and a clue about the distance.
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Explain the distance. In your example, give a detail that shows the place is close.
over there
Explain: What does it mean? Use English without repeating the target word as its own explanation.
Use: Write your own complete sentence with over there. Add a detail that makes the meaning clear. For example, “It was nearby” needs a place and a clue about the distance.
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Imagine pointing to a place across a street or a room. Explain what the phrase means.
diary
Explain: What does it mean? Use English without repeating the target word as its own explanation.
Use: Write your own complete sentence with diary. Add a detail that makes the meaning clear. For example, “It was nearby” needs a place and a clue about the distance.
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Say what people write in it and why. A translation alone does not explain the meaning.
Ask and correct: simple past
You already know past forms such as walked, noticed, went and took. Focus on what changes when you ask a question or make a sentence negative.
| Statement | Yes/no question | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| They walked there. | Did they walk there? | They didn’t walk there. |
| Cate took a bus. | Did Cate take a bus? | Cate didn’t take a bus. |
| Her screen was dark. | Was her screen dark? | Her screen wasn’t dark. |
| The students were outside. | Were the students outside? | The students weren’t outside. |
These are grammar examples; check the story for what really happened.
With most verbs, use did + person + base form for a question and person + didn’t + base form for a negative. The past is already in did, so use go, not went; help, not helped. didn’t = did not.
For a question with a question word: Where/Why/What + did + person + base form …?
- Where did they cook? – In the shared kitchen.
- Why did they walk? – Because the accommodation was nearby.
With be, use was/were directly: Was Cate worried? Were her flatmates helpful? Use wasn’t / was not or weren’t / were not for negatives. Do not add did to was/were.
Short answers: Did Timo help? – Yes, he did. / No, he didn’t. Was the journey long? – Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t.
Build yes/no and wh-questions
Complete each question with did and the base form of the verb in brackets. You know the past forms, but questions need the base form. If you make a mistake, check the verb after did and try again.
Cate by train? (travel) she her ticket? (lose) What Timo on his phone? (open) Why they to the accommodation? (walk) Where Calum his bike? (put) What Timo Cate? (lend)
Correct the false claims
Each claim below is false. Change it into a negative sentence that matches the story. Use did not or didn’t and the base form of the verb in the claim. After a mistake, check both parts: did not + base form, then try again.
Claim: Cate lost her ticket. Correction: Cate her ticket. Claim: The students took a bus to the accommodation. Correction: The students a bus to the accommodation. Claim: Calum left his bike outside. Correction: Calum his bike outside. Claim: The students went to a restaurant that evening. Correction: The students to a restaurant that evening. Claim: Timo ignored Cate at the station. Correction: Timo Cate at the station.
Questions and negatives with be
Complete the questions and statements with was, were, wasn’t or weren’t. Full negative forms are also accepted. Match the story. Hint: Cate / screen / accommodation = she or it; the students = they. Use be directly, without did. Then retry any mistakes.
Cate embarrassed at the station? Calum and Timo friendly? The screen bright at the station; it was dark. The accommodation far away; it was nearby. The students in a restaurant that evening; they were in their kitchen.
Answer from the story
Complete each short answer using information from the story. You can use short or full negative forms. Hint: an answer to Did …? uses did/didn’t; an answer to Was/Were …? uses a form of be. Check and retry if needed.
Did Cate lose her ticket? No, she . Did Timo lend Cate a charger? Yes, he . Was the accommodation far away? No, it . Were Calum and Timo friendly? Yes, they .
Spot and repair the mistake
Frage 1 von 3Choose the correctly repaired sentence. Explain the change to yourself before checking. Use the feedback to improve your next attempt.
Repair: “Did Cate travelled by train?”
Interview Cate in writing
Now build whole questions yourself. Write the questions and answers in the answer box, then compare with the examples. Different questions are welcome if the answers match the story.
Deine Antworten werden auf diesem Gerät gespeichert und gehen mit deinem nächsten Fortschritts-Report an die Lehrperson.
Imagine you are writing an interview with Cate for a student website. Write three questions and Cate’s answers:
- One yes/no question with did.
- One question starting with Where or Why and using did.
- One question with was or were.
Write at least one full negative sentence in Cate’s answers. Address Cate as you; she answers with I or we. Use the story as your evidence.
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Question starters: Did you …? / Where did you …? / Why did you …? / Were you …?
Answer starters: Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t. / I didn’t … because … / We … because …
Remember: did + base form. For be, move was/were to the front. An answer must fit both the question and the story.
Write Cate’s diary
Bring the vocabulary and grammar together. Write as Cate, then use the example and checklist to improve your text.
Deine Antworten werden auf diesem Gerät gespeichert und gehen mit deinem nächsten Fortschritts-Report an die Lehrperson.
Write three connected diary sentences about yesterday as Cate. Include the problem and how someone helped.
Use at least three different target words or phrases, at least two correct forms of was/were and one negative with didn’t + base form. Join ideas with and, but, because or so at least once. Your details must match the story.
A repeated correct form of was/were is fine. railway station and over there each count as one phrase. Keep the focus on yesterday.
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Word bank: journey · railway station · ticket · passenger · friendly · nearby · over there · diary.
Sentence starters: My journey was … / At the railway station, I didn’t … / Timo … because … / Our accommodation was …, so …
You can use regular and irregular past forms in statements. After didn’t, use the base form. Open the story again if you need help with the facts.
Quick check
Try without the word bank or grammar table first. These are new practice situations, not extra facts about Cate’s story. Use the verbs in brackets. After a mistake, check the base form after did/didn’t or the plural subject with were, then try again.
the passenger a ticket before the journey? (buy) We for a bus because the café was nearby. (negative: wait) Two friendly passengers at the railway station yesterday. I write about my daily experiences and feelings in my .
How confident do you feel?
Deine Antworten werden auf diesem Gerät gespeichert und gehen mit deinem nächsten Fortschritts-Report an die Lehrperson.
Choose one statement for vocabulary and one for simple past questions and negatives:
- I can do this already
- I did it with help
- I want to practise this more
For vocabulary, think about explaining the words in English and using them in meaningful sentences. For grammar, think about did/didn’t + base form and questions with was/were. Add one example from your work to explain your choices.
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Could someone understand your explanations without a German translation? Do your examples make the meanings clear? Can you write a whole question and a negative without copying the model?