Inventions that changed the world
Cambridge Primary English Grade 6 · Unit 8: Inventions · Lesson 28 · Term 2 · Marshall Cavendish
Also known as: Past passive
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Lesson idea
Writing developed from cuneiform to smartphones, and we use the past passive voice to talk about who invented things.
Lesson vocabulary: cuneiform: an early writing on stone and clay · ink: a coloured liquid for writing · invention: something new that has been made · century: one hundred years · ancient: from a very long time ago · copy: something exactly the same as something else · print: to produce letters on paper using ink · typing: writing on a keyboard
Key points
- Cuneiform was invented in Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq.
- The past passive is was/were + past participle.
- Use by before the name of the person who did the action. Leave it out if the person is not named.
Lesson questions (14)
- Where was early written communication invented?
Answer: Mesopotamia - What did people first write on?
Answer: Stone and clay blocks - Where was ink invented?
Answer: China and Egypt - By 2500 BCE, people were writing on ___.
Answer: animal skins - Who invented the first printing machine in Europe?
Answer: Johannes Gutenberg - Why was the printing press important?
Answer: Large numbers of books could be printed cheaply - When did typewriters disappear?
Answer: In the 1980s - When did the internet become widely available?
Answer: 1993 - One hundred years is a ___.
Answer: century - The nineteenth century covers the years ___.
Answer: 1800 to 1899 - Rewrite in the passive: Gutenberg invented the printing press.
Answer: The printing press was invented by Gutenberg. - Complete: The first smartphones ___ in the 2000s.
Answer: were invented - Complete: Messages ___ by pigeons many years ago.
Answer: were delivered - The past passive uses was or were with the ___.
Answer: past participle
About this lesson
“Inventions that changed the world” is from Cambridge Primary English Grade 6 (Unit 8: Inventions) and has 14 questions with answers. Sample questions: “Where was early written communication invented?” and “What did people first write on?”. Every question can be played in any Hessa Play game or activity.
How to use it in class
- Show the question on the board and let students think before the options appear.
- Split the class into two teams; every correct answer earns a point.
- Display it on the smart board, send it as homework by link, or play it solo or in two teams.
Questions about this lesson
How do we form the past passive?
was or were + the past participle: Cuneiform was invented.
When do we use by?
Before the name of the one who did the action: by the Sumerians.
When do we leave out by?
We leave out by and the agent in the passive if we do not know who did the action or it is not important. Example: The window was broken. instead of The window was broken by someone.
Do students need an account to play this lesson?
No. The teacher shares the lesson link; the student types a first name and plays on a phone or computer, and the score reaches the teacher.
Which games suit this lesson?
You can play it in The Hunter, Complete the sentence, Match Up, Matching pairs and the other games and activities on Hessa Play.