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The first American woman in space: was, were, there was and there were

This A2 ESL lesson plan teaches was, were, there was and there were, set around the first American woman in space.

Grammar
The past of be in full: wasn't, weren't, questions with short answers (Were they all men? No, they weren't.), there was and there were, and was born: Where were you born?
Topic
Sally Ride's 1983 flight on the space shuttle Challenger and a stop on Florida's Space Coast, with words like launch, orbit, crew and satellite.
Activities
A visitor-center notice, a dialogue and a voice message, self-checking gap-fills and a table, a chat about where people were born, and wheel and box questions.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Ready for launch!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: into spaceVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: Sally Ride's flight

    • Look at the photo: launch day in FloridaPictureUnlock
    • Read the visitor-center noticeReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: hello, Space Coast!

    • Listen to Nora and MarcoListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Grandpa's ChallengeListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: Was she? Yes, she was!

    • Study the scheme: was and wereGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: put be in the pastFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: write the No and Question formsFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: where were you born?

    • Choose the right replies: you are NoraChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: interview your partnerOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the words: space wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: was, were, wasn't or weren'tChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: be in the pastFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Find the matching pairs: questions and short answersMemory gameUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Nora's postChoose the optionUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: Nora's quizQuizUnlock

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.

Space 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

  • astronaut
  • space shuttle
  • crew
  • robotic arm
  • satellite
  • mission control
  • physics

Grammar: was, were, there was and there were

Statements with was and were are A1; at A2, the same two forms do much more. Around Sally Ride's 1983 flight, learners make them negative, build was and were questions with short answers, count with there was and there were, and say where and when people were born.

She was born in California. Was she the first? No, she wasn't.

was / were = am, is, are in the past. Say yes and no, ask questions, use there was / were and was born.

Was and were for every person

Was goes with I, he, she, it and one person or thing; were goes with you, we, they and plurals. The timeline moves from 1966 to now, and the table gives each person three forms. The negative just adds n't: She wasn't an astronaut. They weren't in orbit.

Then and now

pastnow
  • 1966: There were no American women astronauts.
  • 1978: Sally Ride was in NASA's first class with women.
  • 1983: She was in space!
  • now: We are on the Space Coast.

be in the past: every person

WhoYes ✓No ✗Question ?
II was late.I wasn't late.Was I late?
youYou were at the beach.You weren't at the beach.Were you at the beach?
heHe was tired.He wasn't tired.Was he tired?
sheShe was an astronaut.She wasn't an astronaut.Was she an astronaut?
itIt was hot.It wasn't hot.Was it hot?
weWe were in Florida.We weren't in Florida.Were we in Florida?
theyThey were in orbit.They weren't in orbit.Were they in orbit?

Questions and short answers

For a question, was or were comes before the subject: Was she born in California? Were you at home? The short answer repeats it after a pronoun: Yes, she was. No, I wasn't. There moves the same way: Was there a woman on the crew?

QuestionYesNo
Was she born in California?Yes, she was.No, she wasn't.
Were you at home?Yes, I was.No, I wasn't.
Were they all men?Yes, they were.No, they weren't.
Was there a woman on the crew?Yes, there was.No, there wasn't.
Were there shuttles in 1966?Yes, there were.No, there weren't.

There was or there were?

Count what follows: one thing takes there was (There was one woman on the crew.), two or more take there were (There were five astronauts.). Plural negatives often add any: There weren't any American women astronauts in 1966.

there was: one

  • There was one woman on the crew.
  • There wasn't a shuttle in 1966.
  • Was there a woman? Yes, there was.

there were: two or more

  • There were five astronauts.
  • There weren't any American women astronauts in 1966.
  • Were there other women? No, there weren't.

Was born: where and when

Born always follows was or were: I was born in Ohio. They were born in Texas. In a question, the question word comes first, then were or was: Where were you born? When was she born?

Say itAsk it
I was born in Ohio.Where were you born?
She was born in 1951.When was she born?
They were born in Texas.Were they born in Texas?

No did with was and were

Questions: was / were first. Was she an astronaut? (Not: Did she was…?) Where were you born? (Not: Where you were born?) was born always has was / were: She was born in 1951. (Not: She born…) Was she born here? (Not: Was born she…?) Other verbs take didn't: She didn't go. (Not: She wasn't went.) wasn't = was not, weren't = were not.

Common mistakes

  • Did she was the first?

    Was she the first?

    no did with was / were

  • They was in orbit.

    They were in orbit.

    you, we, they + were

  • There were a woman on the crew.

    There was a woman on the crew.

    one: there was

  • She born in California.

    She was born in California.

    was born

More lessons on this grammar: There is and there are lessons and exercises · Verb to be lessons and exercises

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What's in the lesson

  • 16 auto-checked exercises
  • 5 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:

  • use was, were, wasn't and weren't for every person: She was 32. The landing wasn't in Florida.
  • ask questions with was and were and give short answers: Was she the first woman in space? No, she wasn't.
  • say what existed with there was and there were: There was one woman on the crew. There were five astronauts.
  • ask and say where and when people were born: Where were you born? She was born in 1951.

Lesson 5 opens American firsts, the second unit of English A2.1 · Then and Now. It builds on A1.2 lesson 29, which used was and were in weekend statements, and on there is and there are from A1.2 lesson 21. Past questions with did follow in lesson 6. A crew of four men and one woman gives there was and there were real numbers to count.

Students spin a wheel of questions, from Where were you born? to Were you good at science at school?, learn ten space words with pictures and audio, and then match pictures to words. They read a visitor-center notice on Sally Ride's six days in space and answer true-or-false and multiple-choice questions. Two AI-voiced listenings follow: Nora and Marco on the Space Coast, and their grandpa's voice message with a challenge. The scheme leads into four exercises that check each answer, among them a table of negatives and questions. To speak, students answer Marco's messages as Nora in a chat, then open boxes to interview a partner.

Homework is nine tasks, all self-checking: a word match, an anagram and a drag-and-drop for the space words, then gap-fills on was, were, wasn't and weren't, word order, a memory game of questions and short answers, and a post and a quiz by Nora.

Grammar:
was / were · wasn't / weren't · Was…? / Were…? and short answers · there was / there were · was born
Topic:
Sally Ride · the space shuttle · Florida's Space Coast · astronauts · Mission Control · Grandpa's Map

Teaching tips

  • Ask the notice's own question before reading: Was Sally Ride the first woman in space? Students vote, read, then answer in full: No, she wasn't. She was the first American woman.
  • Hold up objects, then hide them: one book, three pens, a phone. Students recall the desk with there was or there were: There were three pens.
  • Run a quick round of short answers: ask Were you at home last night? or Was it cold yesterday?, and students reply in three words, such as Yes, I was or No, it wasn't.
  • Cross out did on the board: write Did she was the first?, let students fix it, then add traps from the chat, such as Where did they born?

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The whole course: English A2.1 · Then and Now

32 lessons for adults at A2 in simple American English, from the past simple to going to, should and might. Eight units tell stories of journeys, American firsts, food, places, sports, music, neighbors and dreams. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Amazing journeys

    the past simple, regular and irregular verbs, negatives, prepositions of movement

    1. Lesson 1Around the world in 72 daysThe past simple of regular verbs
    2. Lesson 2The first drive across AmericaIrregular verbs in the past simple
    3. Lesson 3Get your kicks on Route 66Past simple negatives with didn't
    4. Lesson 4She walked 2,000 miles in sneakersPrepositions of movement

  2. Unit 2 American firsts

    was and were, past questions and short answers, ago and in, could for past ability

    1. Lesson 5 · you're hereThe first American woman in spaceWas, were, there was and there were
    2. Lesson 6A real bug in the computerPast simple questions with did
    3. Lesson 7“Mr. Watson, come here”Wh- questions in the past simple
    4. Lesson 8Twelve seconds in the airCould and couldn't for past ability

  3. Unit 3 American food

    countable and uncountable nouns, comparatives, ordering food, a few and a little

    1. Lesson 9The first chocolate chip cookieCountable and uncountable nouns in a recipe
    2. Lesson 10Is a jalapeño hotter than a habanero?Comparatives of short adjectives
    3. Lesson 11Two eggs, sunny side up!Offers and orders with would like
    4. Lesson 12Cooking for twenty on ThanksgivingA few, a little and a lot of

  4. Unit 4 City or country?

    comparatives with more and less, superlatives, as … as, too and enough

    1. Lesson 13The island with no carsComparatives with more and less, plus better, worse and farther
    2. Lesson 14America's extremesSuperlatives with the + -est, the most and the least
    3. Lesson 15San Francisco or Yosemite? You choose!As … as for the same, not as … as for less
    4. Lesson 16A park on an old railroadToo, enough and not … enough

  5. Unit 5 Game on

    play, go and do with sports, going to, adverbs of manner, reflexive pronouns

    1. Lesson 17Basketball started with peach baskets?Play, go and do with sports
    2. Lesson 18What's going to happen at LA 2028?Be going to for plans and predictions
    3. Lesson 19Pickleball: a game from a backyardAdverbs of manner
    4. Lesson 20Be brave and tryReflexive pronouns and each other

  6. Unit 6 Music and nights out

    love, enjoy and hate + -ing, the present continuous for plans, suggestions, to for purpose

    1. Lesson 21Where jazz was bornGerunds after love, like, enjoy, hate and don't mind
    2. Lesson 22Music on every streetThe present continuous for future arrangements
    3. Lesson 23A night on BroadwaySuggestions with Let's, Why don't we and How about
    4. Lesson 24An orchestra for every kidThe infinitive of purpose and to or for

  7. Unit 7 Neighbors and community

    much and many, should, something and everyone, because and so

    1. Lesson 25Everybody cleans up!Much and many with nouns you can and can't count
    2. Lesson 26Good neighbors shovel snowShould and shouldn't + the base verb
    3. Lesson 27Take a book, leave a bookIndefinite pronouns with some-, any-, no- and every-
    4. Lesson 28A bench for making friendsBecause for reasons, so for results

  8. Unit 8 Plans and dreams

    verb + to, the present continuous vs going to, might, when, before and after

    1. Lesson 29Never give up: from farm fields to spaceVerb + to + the base form
    2. Lesson 30Across America by trainGoing to and the present continuous for the future
    3. Lesson 31Open in the year 6939Might and might not for possibility
    4. Lesson 32A college graduate at 95Time clauses with when, before and after

Questions about this lesson

When do you use there was and there were?
Use there was for one thing and there were for more, to say that something existed in the past. There was one woman on the crew. There were five astronauts. The negatives are there wasn't and there weren't, and questions start with the verb: Was there a shuttle? Were there other women? The A2 lesson The first American woman in space on edio.ai counts a real crew this way.
How do you answer "Where were you born?"
Answer with I was born in and the place: I was born in Ohio. I was born in Chicago, but I live in Texas. In conversation, the place alone is enough: In Ohio. For someone else, change the pronoun and keep born: She was born in California. In a chat in The first American woman in space, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, students answer a cousin's messages about where people were born.
How do you ask and answer "When were you born?"
Ask When were you born?, with were and no did, and answer with a year or a date: I was born in 1998. I was born on June 4, 2001. For he and she, the verb is was: When was she born? She was born in 1951. When did you born? is a common mistake: born needs a form of be, never did.
How do you make questions with was and were?
Put was or were in front of the subject: She was an astronaut becomes Was she an astronaut?, and They were in orbit becomes Were they in orbit? Short answers repeat the verb: Yes, she was. No, they weren't. A question word goes first: Where were you? In The first American woman in space on edio.ai, students complete a table with the negative and the question for every person.
How do you use wasn't and weren't?
Wasn't and weren't are the negatives of was and were, short for was not and were not. Use them before a place, an adjective or a noun: The landing wasn't in Florida. We weren't born then. She wasn't the first woman in space. Other verbs take didn't instead: She didn't go, never She wasn't went.
Is it "there was" or "there were"?
It depends on the noun right after it: one thing or an uncountable noun takes there was, and a plural noun takes there were. There was a woman on the crew, not There were a woman. There was bad weather in Florida. There were five astronauts. With any and a plural, the negative is there weren't: There weren't any shuttles in 1966.
Is it "I was born" or "I born"?
It's I was born: born always needs was or were. She was born in California. My parents were born in Texas. Two slips are common: dropping the verb (She born in 1951) and using the present (She is born in California). In questions, born stays after the person: Was she born here?, not Was born she here?
Why is "Did she was…?" wrong?
Because was and were never need did: they make their own questions and negatives. Move the verb to the front: Was she the first? Were you at home? Did belongs to other verbs: Did she go? Short answers follow the same rule, so Was he born here? gets Yes, he was. The chat in the A2 lesson The first American woman in space on edio.ai offers Yes, he did! as a wrong reply.
What space vocabulary should English learners know?
Start with the people, the machines and the verbs of a flight: astronaut, crew, Mission Control (the helpers on Earth), space shuttle, satellite and robotic arm, then launch (send a rocket up into the sky), orbit (go around a planet again and again) and release (let something go free). The first American woman in space, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, gives each of them a card with a picture and audio, along with physics.
How do I teach there was and there were to A2 students?
Begin with there is and there are, which students know from A1, and move a sentence into the past: There is a café on my street now. There was a bank there before. Then count before choosing: one thing, there was; two or more, there were. Add negatives with any, then questions with short answers. A compare box in The first American woman in space on edio.ai sets the two forms side by side.
What's a good game for practicing there was and there were?
An open-the-box game about childhood places is a good one: a box asks Your home at age five: was there a park near it?, and the student answers, then names something that wasn't there: There wasn't a big store. There weren't any cafés. Partners compare: There was a park near my home too! Both prompts come from the open boxes in this lesson's speaking chapter.
Are there interactive exercises for there was and there were?
Yes: gap-fills that check every form of be give instant feedback. Without an account, this page plays four parts of the A2 lesson The first American woman in space on edio.ai: the visitor-center notice on Sally Ride's flight, a dialogue on the Space Coast, a gap-fill that puts be in the past, from was born to weren't, and a chat about where people were born. The other exercises are locked.
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