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One room, one teacher, every grade: had to and didn't have to in the past

A2 learners practice had to for past obligation, and didn't have to for no obligation, in this ESL lesson plan about America's one-room schools.

Grammar
Had to + verb for past duties (The older kids had to fetch water.), didn't have to for no duty, Did…? questions, and had to as the past of must.
Topic
America's one-room schools, where one teacher taught children of different ages, often first to eighth grade, with words such as potbelly stove, chalkboard, slate and lunch pail.
Activities
A notice at a school museum, a talk with its guide, a viewer's voice message, self-checking drills, a chat about school long ago and open boxes about childhood.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Back to school, long ago!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: school long agoVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: one room for everyone

    • Look at the photo: an old one-room schoolPictureUnlock
    • Read the notice at the museumReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: Pete's old school

    • Listen to Nora and PeteListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: they had to fetch water!

    • Study the scheme: had to, didn't have toGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: had to or didn't have to + the verbFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: had to, didn't have to, Did … have to?Fill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: what did you have to do?

    • Choose the right replies: Diana's school projectChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: what did you have to do?Open the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the words from the lessonFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: make sentences with had toFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Maya's letter to FaithChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Nora's postDrag and dropUnlock

30 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • potbelly stove
  • chalkboard
  • eraser
  • lunch pail
  • slate
  • spelling bee
  • kid hack

Grammar: had to and didn't have to for past duties

Had to is the past of both have to and must: it says something was necessary, and didn't have to says it wasn't. In a one-room school long ago, everyone had jobs, from fetching water to cleaning the chalkboard, so learners move each duty into the past with had to, ask Did they have to…? and answer with did or didn't.

Kids had to fetch water. They didn't have to ride a bus.

had to = it was necessary in the past. didn't have to = it wasn't necessary.

Now and the past: have to, had to

The table puts now beside the past: I have to go and She has to go both become had to go. In negatives and questions, only do and does change, to did: She didn't have to go. Did you have to go?

TimePositiveNegativeQuestion
nowI have to go. She has to go.I don't have to go. She doesn't have to go.Do you have to go? Does she have to go?
the pastI had to go. She had to go.I didn't have to go. She didn't have to go.Did you have to go? Did she have to go?

Had to for every person

Had to is the same for every person: He had to clean the chalkboard. They had to walk to school. Short answers use did and didn't, again for everyone: Did they have to walk? – Yes, they did. Did we have to pay? – No, we didn't.

WhoPositiveNegativeQuestionShort answers
II had to fetch water.I didn't have to pay.Did I have to wait?Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
youYou had to chop wood.You didn't have to walk.Did you have to walk?Yes, you did. / No, you didn't.
heHe had to clean the chalkboard.He didn't have to pay.Did he have to help?Yes, he did. / No, he didn't.
sheShe had to take the erasers outside.She didn't have to wait.Did she have to walk far?Yes, she did. / No, she didn't.
it (the museum)It had to close early.It didn't have to close.Did it have to close?Yes, it did. / No, it didn't.
weWe had to spell long words.We didn't have to pay.Did we have to pay?Yes, we did. / No, we didn't.
theyThey had to walk to school.They didn't have to ride a bus.Did they have to walk?Yes, they did. / No, they didn't.

After did and had to: the base form

Did already shows the past, so have doesn't change after it: didn't have to, not didn't had to; Did they have to…?, not Did they had to…? After had to, the verb stays plain: had to walk, not had to walked.

After had to, didn't and did

After had to, use the base form: had to walk (not: had to walked). In negatives and questions, did shows the past, so have doesn't change: didn't have to (not: didn't had to), Did they have to…? (not: Did they had to…?). Wh- questions: What did the kids have to do?

Must has no past form

Must has no past, so had to covers the past of both verbs: Today I must finish my homework, but Yesterday I had to finish it. With a past time word, have to is wrong too: Last year we had to walk, not Last year we have to walk.

must has no past: use had to

must has no past form. For the past, use had to: Today I must finish my homework. → Yesterday I had to finish my homework (not: Yesterday I must finish…). And with a past time, never have to or has to: Last year we had to walk (not: Last year we have to walk).

At the one-room school

  • The older kids had to fetch water.
  • This morning, Pete had to chop firewood.
  • Most kids didn't have to ride a bus.
  • Did they have to walk? – Yes, many of them did.
  • What did the younger kids have to do?
  • Biscuit didn't have to wait outside. Dogs are welcome!

Common mistakes

  • They had to walked to school.

    They had to walk to school.

    had to + base form

  • They didn't had to pay.

    They didn't have to pay.

    after didn't: have

  • Did they had to fetch water?

    Did they have to fetch water?

    after did: have

  • Long ago, kids must walk to school.

    Long ago, many kids had to walk to school.

    the past: had to, not must or have to

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

Try the had to exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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What's in the lesson

  • 17 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what people had to do in the past: The older kids had to fetch water. Yesterday, I had to get up at six.
  • say what wasn't necessary with didn't have to: Most children didn't have to ride a bus.
  • ask and answer about past duties: Did you have to walk to school? – Yes, I did. What did the younger kids have to do?
  • use had to as the past of must: Today I must finish my homework. Yesterday I had to finish my homework.

Lesson 24 closes School in America, unit 6 of English A2.2 · Curious Minds. It moves lesson 21's have to and don't have to into the past and gives lesson 22's must its past form, using the Did…? questions and short answers of A2.1 lesson 6, which practiced past simple yes/no questions. In a school where everyone had jobs, every chore of long ago is a sentence with had to.

A wheel of questions about students' own school days opens the lesson, before ten picture-and-audio word cards, from the verbs fetch and chop to potbelly stove and kid hack. Students read a notice at a one-room school museum in Kentucky, follow Nora's tour with Pete, the volunteer guide, and hear a viewer from West Virginia ask a question, both listenings AI-voiced.

In the grammar chapter, the scheme leads into four drills that check themselves; one of them is a table of positives, negatives, questions and short answers. Speaking starts with a chat in which a viewer asks students about school long ago and their own childhood for a school project; open boxes then ask what they had to do as kids.

Nine self-checking tasks make up the homework: the school words matched, unscrambled and put in gaps, had to chosen over must or have to, sentences built with had to, word order, short answers, a letter from the trip and a post completed by drag-and-drop.

Grammar:
had to · didn't have to · Did … have to…? · short answers with did · had to: the past of must
Topic:
one-room schools · school long ago · potbelly stove · kid hack · National Spelling Bee · McGuffey Readers · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Compare today with long ago: students say what kids have to do at school today, then guess what kids had to do in a one-room school, and the notice checks their guesses.
  • Ask about the stove before the listening: who lit it in the morning, and who carried the wood? The guide answers both: the teacher often came early, and the older kids had to carry wood.
  • Finish with a spelling bee of the lesson's words, from chalkboard to potbelly: after each word, the speller adds one thing children had to do in a one-room school.
  • Pair students for the childhood boxes: each asks Did you have to…? about the other's school days, then tells the class She had to…, but she didn't have to…

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24 · you're hereOne room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

How do you use "had to" in English?
Use had to and a base verb for past duties: The older kids had to fetch water. Yesterday, I had to get up at six. It never changes for the person. For the negative, say didn't have to, and for questions, Did … have to…?: Did you have to walk to school? In One room, one teacher, every grade, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, it describes the chores of children long ago.
What is the past of must?
The past of must is had to, because must has no past form of its own: Today I must finish my homework becomes Yesterday I had to finish my homework. Yesterday I must finish… is wrong. Note that didn't have to is not the past of mustn't: it means something wasn't necessary. For a past ban, say wasn't allowed to or couldn't.
What does "didn't have to" mean?
Didn't have to means something wasn't necessary in the past: Most children didn't have to ride a bus. They didn't have to change classrooms. It doesn't say the thing was forbidden, only that nobody needed to do it. The form is the same for every person, with have after didn't: He didn't have to pay, never He didn't had to pay.
How do you ask questions with "had to"?
Questions start with Did, then the subject and have to: Did you have to walk to school? Did they have to fetch water? Answer Yes, I did or No, I didn't. For an open question, the question word comes first: What did the younger kids have to do? A viewer's school project turns these questions into a chat in One room, one teacher, every grade, an A2 lesson on edio.ai.
Is it "didn't had to" or "didn't have to"?
It's didn't have to: after did, the verb is have. Did already carries the past, so They didn't had to pay shows it twice. The same goes for questions: Did they have to fetch water?, not Did they had to fetch water? In positive sentences, had to is right, but the verb after it stays in the base form: had to walk, not had to walked.
Is it "Yes, I did" or "Yes, I had"?
After Did you have to…?, the short answer is Yes, I did or No, I didn't, because the question starts with did. Yes, I had and No, I hadn't are wrong here. Yes, I had to is correct too, and a fuller answer adds the detail: I had to walk for about ten minutes.
What are the names of classroom objects in English?
Common classroom objects include the chalkboard, chalk, an eraser and desks, and many classrooms now have a whiteboard instead of a chalkboard. Old classrooms had a few more: a slate, a small dark board for writing with chalk, a potbelly stove for heat, a school bell and lunch pails, old metal boxes for a school meal. One room, one teacher, every grade, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, has word cards for five of them.
How do I teach had to and didn't have to?
Start with duties students know from today, such as I have to get up early, and move them into the past: Last year, I had to get up early. Add didn't have to for things that weren't necessary, then questions with Did…? and their short answers. A school from long ago helps, since every chore makes a sentence: The older kids had to carry wood.
What's a good game for practicing had to?
A find-someone-who survey works well: students ask classmates Did you have to wear a uniform? or Did you have to walk to school? until they find a yes for each, then report back: She had to walk, but she didn't have to wear a uniform. Open boxes can give the prompts, such as When you were a kid, what jobs did you have to do at home?, one of eight in this lesson.
How do you practice had to one-to-one?
Swap childhood stories: the teacher asks Did you have to do homework on the weekend? or How did you get to school?, and the student answers with had to or didn't have to, then asks back. For practice alone, the chat in One room, one teacher, every grade on edio.ai has the student answer a viewer's questions for a school project, from the chores of long ago to their own school days.
What's good homework for practicing had to?
Self-checking drills that mix past and present work well, because the main trap is the time: choosing had to over must or have to after Yesterday or When I was little, building sentences such as We didn't have to pay for the museum, and picking short answers. In One room, one teacher, every grade on edio.ai, all nine homework tasks check themselves, including a letter about a spelling bee.
Are there interactive exercises for had to?
Yes: exercises that correct each reply on the spot make the past forms stick. Without signing up, anyone can work through four parts of the A2 lesson One room, one teacher, every grade on edio.ai on this page: the notice at a one-room school museum, Nora's talk with Pete the guide, a gap-fill of had to or didn't have to + the verb, and a chat about school long ago. The other parts are locked.
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