Lesson plan

Verb Tenses: Past,

Present, Future

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by Melissa Strand

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Grade
Fourth Grade
Subject
Reading & writingGrammarVerbsPast Tense VerbsFuture Tense VerbsPresent Tense Verbs
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standards

Common Core State Standards

L.4.1

Key terms
 verb tense
 past tense
 present tense
 future tense

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to identify the verb and tense in a sentence by circling and
labeling. Students will be able to write a sentence using the past, present, or future
tense.
 Introduction
(5 minutes)
DOCX
Past, Present, Future
DOCX
Assessment
DOCX
Exit Ticket
DOCX
Verb Tenses Chart

 Start by showing the students the enlarged Verb Tense Chart, with past, present and future
simple tense definitions, descriptions and examples.
 Tell students to take a moment with their partners and discuss what’s on the chart. This is
meant for students to have an opportunity to make observations and discuss things that they
might already know, and things they don't.
 Have students share their observations whole class. This will help you set the stage for the
objective and essential question.
 Explain that verb tense tells us when an action takes place. The past tensetells what has
already happened, the present tense tells us what is happening, and the future tense tells
what will happen.
 Tell students that by the end of the lesson, they will be able to identify the past, present, and
future tenses, and write a sentence using a tense.
 To set the purpose for the lesson, introduce the essential question: How does knowing the
past, present and future tense of verbs help us communicate?Have this on the board with the
objectives. You will revisit this question at the end of the lesson when students complete the
exit ticket.

 Lesson Plan : Asking The Right Questions

Teacher
Name:
Ms. Johnson

Grade: College/University

Subject: Language Arts


Topic: The Price of Fame in an interview.
Past simple;Asking Question Famous people and their
Content:
achievements; Full dates
1. Demonstrate the understanding of the use of the past simple in
Goals: sentences. 2. Practice acting out dialogues in pairs to ask personal
questions.
 A )Grammar: 1.Recognize the way of writing the AD date.
2.Recognize the past simple tense and its different forms.
3.Determine the use of the past simple tense. 4. Apply the last
items in answering exercises like filling in gaps in texts, etc. 5.
Utilize the tense with regular and irregular verbs. B)Reading &
Vocabulary: 1.Practice reading a biography about Diana Spencer.
2.Acquire new vocabulary about the passage (died, divorced,
Objectives:
appeared, etc.) 3.Conclude the answers to questions after reading
the passage 4.Apply the new vocabulary to fill in the gaps in a
table. C) Listening &Speaking: 1.Practice talking about Diana
Spencer. 2.Match and practice speaking about paintings and
painters. 3.Discuss the answers of some questions with the teacher
to complete a text. 4.Explain the words in yellow after listening to
a talk. 5.Practice acting out short dialogues.
Materials: BB,Data Projector,Coursebook,Class Tapes
Who are the most famous people you know in Saudi Arabia? Who
Introduction: are the most famous people in thw world? Have you heard about
Diana Spencer? Have you heard about Ronaldinho?
1.Present new vocabulary. 2.Ask and answer question about the
Development: people in the pictures. 3.Expalin the verbs in the list. 4.Explain the
words in bold in the text.
1.Label the pictures with names of famous people. 2.Ask and
answer questions about the famous people in the pictures. 3.read
Practice: the sentences and listen , then mark the sentences T or F. 4. Read
the article , then use the verbs to fill in the missing parts in the
article.
1.SS give the right name and dates of birth and death of a famous
Checking For
Understanding:
person. 2.Answer 8 comprehension questions on the article.
3.Complete the table about Diana.
1.SS give the right name and dates of birth and death of a famous
Evaluation: person. 2.Answer 8 comprehension questions on the article.
3.Complete the table about Diana.

Doing Chores: ESL Lesson Plan

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byKenneth Beare
Updated March 11, 2019

This lesson plan focuses on common chores around the house. Students will
learn collocations such as "mow the lawn" and "cut the grass" related to tasks
around the house. For adult learners, use this lesson to focus on chores parents
choose for their own children. Doing chores and getting an allowance can
contribute to learning responsibility which will open the doors to further
conversation in class.

English Lesson Plan on Doing Chores

Aim: Vocabulary and discussion related to the topic of chores

Activity: Vocabulary review/learning, followed by discussion activities

Level: Lower-intermediate to intermediate

Outline:

 Introduce the idea of chores and allowance by recounting your own

experience with chores and allowance.
 Have students read the short introduction to chores.
 Ask students if they had to (or have to) to do chores.
 Brainstorm chores as a class, writing various chores on the board.
 Ask students to review the list of common chores and ask any questions
they may have.
 Have students break up into small groups of three to four.
 Ask students to choose the best five chores and the worst five chores as a
group.
 As a class, ask students to explain their choices of the best / worst five
chores.
 Have students to discuss the chore/allowance questions in their groups.
 Read the example role-play about chores with a student from the class.
 Ask students to pair up and write their own chores dialogue.

Introduction to Chores
In many countries, children are required to do chores around the house.
Chores can be defined as little jobs you do around the house to help keep
everything clean and orderly. In the United States, many parents ask their
children to do chores in order to earn an allowance. An allowance is an amount
of money paid on a weekly, or monthly basis. Allowances allow children to
have some pocket money to spend as they see fit. This can help them learn to
manage their own money, as well as help them become more independent as
they grow up. Here are some of the most common chores that children are
asked to do.

Common Chores to Earn Your Allowance

 clean your room
 make your bed
 pick up / put away / hang up your clothes
 wash the dishes
 wash the car
 mow the lawn / cut the grass
 pick up your toys
 pull weeds
 do the vacuuming
 repair the computer
 plan a meal
 prepare/cook dinner
 set the table
 clear the table
 wash the dishes
 clean out the fridge or freezer
 clean the shower or tub
 disinfect the toilet
 do the laundry
 wash the clothes
 dry the clothes
 put away the clothes
 mob the floors
 vacuum the carpets/rugs
 rake the leaves in fall
 shovel snow in winter

Chore Questions
 How many of these chores have you done in your life?
 Do / Did your parents ask you to do chores?
 Do / Did your parents give you an allowance? How much was it?
 Do / Will you ask your children to do chores?
 Do / Will you give your children an allowance?
 Which chores are the worst? Which chores do you prefer?
 Chores Dialogue
Mom: Tom, Have you done your chores yet?
Tom: No Mom. I'm too busy.
Mom: If you don't do your chores, you won't get your allowance.
Tom: Mom! That's not fair, I'm going out with friends tonight.
Mom: You'll have to ask your friends for money because you haven't done
your chores.
Tom: Come on. I'll do them tomorrow.
Mom: If you want your allowance, you'll do your chores today. They won't
take more than an hour.
Tom: Why do I have to do chores anyway? None of my friends have to do
chores.
Mom: You don't live with them do you? In this house we do chores, and that
means you have to mow the lawn, pull the weeds and clean up your room.
Tom: OK, OK. I'll do my chores.

ESL Lesson Plan: Travel Plans

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byKenneth Beare
Updated May 30, 2019

This English lesson plan helps reinforce vocabulary related to traveling by

asking students to plan trips and excursions based on the profile of different
groups of travelers. It is helpful to use local newspapers, especially newspapers
that provide local events, to give students ideas of real places to visit. Most
large cities have specialty newspapers that focus on local events and attractions
available for free throughout the city.
Instructions for Teachers
The lesson begins with students deciding which types of groups are going to
take a trip. Based on which group of travelers are going, students then use
resources to plan out a short stay in a specific city or area of the country. Of
course, you can choose to have students focus on distant locations. If you are
teaching English in another country, it's probably best to vary this and focus on
traveling abroad to allow the use of English place names.

Lesson Aims: Completing a small group task using the internet and other
resources available in English, describing a travel destination and itinerary in
detail

Activity: Planning a short trip to a specific location based on different traveler

types

Level: Intermediate

Lesson Plan
As a class, discuss what types of locations, travel plans, etc. might be suitable
for these different types of travelers:

 A married couple on a honeymoon

 Two friends who are attending college
 Two business people

As a class, discuss which resources students can use to make travel plans.
There are many travel websites online that offer all the necessary tools for
scheduling a trip. If available, use a projector and walk through the process of
finding round trip flight tickets and hotels on a travel site.

Using the worksheet below, break students up into pairs or small groups
(maximum of 4) assigning a pair of travelers to each group. Have students
come up with detailed plans for each travel group. After each group has
finished, have them present their travel plans to the entire class.

Variation: To extend this activity, ask students to create a presentation using

PowerPoint or another similar software application. Students should find
photos and write up bullet points for each of the activities to include in the
presentation.

Worksheet
Plan a Trip to ___________ for the Following Travel Groups:

Honeymooners
Mary and Tim have just married and are in the mood for a great honeymoon to
celebrate their eternal love for each other. Make sure to include lots of
romantic options and some excellent meals to mark this happy event.

College Friends

Alan and Jeff are attending college together and are looking to have a wild
week of fun and adventure. They love going to clubs and partying hard, but
they don't have a lot of money to eat at fine restaurants.

Cultured Couples

The Andersons and the Smiths are married couples that have been friends for
years. Their children are grown up and have their own families. Now, they
enjoy traveling together and place a great deal of emphasis on visiting sights of
cultural significance. They also love going to concerts and eating fine food.

Business People

These business people are interested in opening up a new company at your

chosen location. They need to find out about the area, meet local business
people, and discuss their proposal with local government.

Family with Children

The McCarthur family has three children aged 2, 5, and 10. They love spending
time outdoors and have a limited budget for eating out. They aren't interested
in entertainment, but the parents like to take the children to important
museums to help with their cultural education.

Peter and Dan

Peter and Dan married a few years ago. They love to explore gay hot spots in
cities they travel to, as well as do traditional sight-seeing tours. They are also
gourmets who spend up to $500 on good meals, so they'd like to go to at least
one top rated restaurant.

Travel Planning Sheet

Fill in the information to complete the vacation plans.

Travel

Flight:

Dates / Times:
Cost:
Hotel

How many nights?:

Cost:

Rental car yes/no?

If yes, cost:

Day 1

Trips / Sightseeing for the day:

Cost:

Restaurants / Eating:
Where?:
Cost:

Evening entertainment:
What / Where?
Cost:

Day 2

Trips / Sightseeing for the day:

Cost:

Restaurants / Eating:
Where?:
Cost:

Evening entertainment:
What / Where?
Cost:

Day 3

Trips / Sightseeing for the day:

Cost:

Restaurants / Eating:
Where?:
Cost:

Evening entertainment:
What / Where?
Cost:

Add as many days as necessary to your travel planning sheet.

 Past Continuous Lesson Plan for ESL
Learners
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byKenneth Beare
Updated January 03, 2019

Learning the basic structure and usage of the past continuous is usually not
that difficult for most students. Unfortunately, this is not the case when it
comes to actively integrating the past continuous into everyday conversations
or written communications. This lesson is aimed at helping students actively
use the past continuous in speaking and writing. This is done through the use
of the past continuous as a descriptive tense to "paint a picture" in words of the
moment when something important occurred.

Aim
To increase active usage of the past continuous

Activity
Speaking activity followed by a gap fill exercise and creative writing

Level
Intermediate

Outline
  Begin teaching the past continuous by telling a story with exaggerated
details through the use of the past continuous. For example: "I
remember that day well. The birds were singing, the sun was shining,
and the children were playing games peacefully. At that moment, I saw
Alex and fell in love." Point out how the past continuous is used to paint
a picture of the scene.
 Quickly review the past continuous structure with the class. Go
over differences in usage between the past simple and past continuous.
Point out that the past continuous focuses on a specific moment in the
past.
 Write various examples on the board of sentences combining the past
simple and past continuous to illustrate the idea of an interrupted past.
For example, "I was walking through the park when I met David." Ask
students to comment on what function the past continuous plays in the
example sentences.
 Have students divide into small groups of 3-4.
 Ask students to complete the activity by providing an appropriate
response with the past continuous to describe an action that was
interrupted.

 Next, have students first conjugate verbs in the past simple to complete
the story. Next, ask them to insert past continuous clauses into the
appropriate place in the story.
 Correct this exercise as a class. Make sure to note differences between
the past continuous and past simple as you review.
 Ask students to complete the written exercise focusing on a special day
in their lives.
 Once they've written their paragraph, ask students to find a partner.
Each student should read their paragraph and ask questions to check to
understand.

Interrupted Actions
Use the verb suggestion to complete the sentence with an appropriate phrase
expressing an interrupted action:

1. I (watch) ____________ when her boss called with a job offer.

2. My friends (play) _____________ when they felt the earthquake.
3. When I walked in the door, they children (study)
_________________.
4. We (eat) _________________ when we heard the news.
5. My parents (travel) ________________ when I telephoned that I was
pregnant.

Use of the Past Continuous in Writing

Put the following verbs into the past simple:
 Thomas _______ (live) in the small town of Brington. Thomas _______
(love) walking through the beautiful forest that surrounded Brington. One
evening, he ____ (take) his umbrella and _____ (go) for a walk in the woods.
He ______ (meet) an old man named Frank. Frank _______ (tell) Thomas
that, if he _____ (want) to become rich, he should invest in a little-known
stock called Microsoft. Thomas ______ (think) Frank _____ (be) foolish
because Microsoft ____ (be) a computer stock. Everybody _____ (know) that
computers _____ (be) just a passing fad. At any rate, Frank _______ (insist)
that Thomas _____ (be) wrong. Frank _______ (draw) a wonderful graph of
future possibilities. Thomas ______ (begin) thinking that maybe Frank
______ (understand) stocks. Thomas _______ (decide) to buy some of these
stocks. The next day, he ______ (go) to the stock broker's and _____ (buy)
$1,000 worth of Microsoft stock. That _____ (be) in 1986. Today, that $1,000
is worth more than $250,000!

Improve the Story

Insert the following past continuous fragments into the above story:

 As Frank was drawing the graph, ...

 ... while he was walking to work,
 it was raining, so...
 While they were discussing the stock, ...
 When he was returning from his walk, ...
 As he was walking through the woods,

Written Exercise
1. Write a description of an important day in your life. Include the most
important events that occurred during that day in the past simple. Once
you have written the important events using the past simple, try to
include a description of what was happening at some of the specific
moments when those events occurred to provide more details.
2. Write out a few questions about your important day. Make sure to
include a few questions in the past continuous. For example, "What was
I doing when I found out about the job?"
3. Find a partner and read your story twice. Next, ask your partner your
questions and discuss.
4. Listen to your partner's story and answer their questions.

ESL Lesson Plan - Future Tenses "Going

to" vs. "Will"
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byKenneth Beare
Updated December 27, 2018

Making the choice to use "will" or "going to" is difficult for many ESL students.
This lesson focuses on providing context for students so that they can
understand the basic difference between something that is planned for the
future (use of "going to") and a spontaneous decision (use of "will").

Students first study a short a dialog and answer some questions. After this,
students give answers to a number of questions which elicit either 'will' or
'going to'. Finally, students get together for some small talk to practice.

ESL Lesson Plan

Aim: Developing a deeper understanding of the use of the future with 'will'
and 'going to'

Activity: Dialog reading, follow-up questions, small talk

Level: lower-intermediate to intermediate

Outline:

 Start the lesson by asking some questions with 'will' and 'going to'. Be
sure to mix the questions up. For example: What do you think will
happen at school tomorrow?, What are you going to do after school
today?, What will you do if you don't understand this lesson?, Where
are you going to travel on your next vacation?
 Ask students to reflect on the questions you asked. Which forms did you
use? Can they explain why?
 Pass out the dialog and ask the students to read through and answer the
questions.
  As a group, correct the questions and ask students to explain why certain
questions used 'will' and others 'going to'. A further possibility is to ask
students to highlight the sections of the dialog that used 'will' and those
that used 'going to'. Ask them to explain why.
 Have students write out answers to the question sheet. Go around the
room to help individual students and check that students are answering
using the correct form.
 As a class, elicit answers from various students. When appropriate, ask
students to elaborate on their answers in order to give them a further
chance to use these forms.

 Ask students to use the small talk questions with each other in pairs or
in small groups.

Optional homework: Ask students to prepare a short paragraph on their

future plans for study, hobbies, marriage, etc. (Use of 'going to'). Ask them to
write out a few predictions about the future of their lives, the country, the
current political party, etc. (future with 'will')

Dialogue Exercise 1: The Party

Martha: What horrible weather today. I'd love to go out, but I think it will just
continue raining.
Jane: Oh, I don't know. Perhaps the sun will come out later this afternoon.

Martha: I hope you're right. Listen, I'm going to have a party this Saturday.
Would you like to come?
Jane: Oh, I'd love to come. Thank you for inviting me. Who's going to come to
the party?

Martha: Well, a number of people haven't told me yet. But, Peter and Mark
are going to help out with the cooking!
Jane: Hey, I'll help, too!

Martha: Would you? That would be great!

Jane: I'll make lasagna!

Martha: That sounds delicious! I know my Italian cousins are going to be

there. I'm sure they'll love it.
Jane: Italians? Maybe I'll bake a cake...

Martha: No, no. They're not like that. They'll love it.
Jane: Well, if you say so... Is there going be a theme for the party?

Martha: No, I don't think so. Just a chance to get together and have fun.
Jane: I'm sure it'll be lots of fun.
 Martha: But I'm going to hire a clown!
Jane: A clown! You're kidding me.

Martha: No, no. As I child, I always wanted a clown. Now, I'm going to have a
clown at my own party.
Jane: I'm sure everyone will have a good laugh.

Martha: That's the plan!

Follow-Up Questions
 What do they think about the weather?
 What does Martha have to share?
 What are Peter and Mark going to do?
 What does Jane offer to do?
 How does Jane react to the news about the Italian cousins?
 What special plan is there?
 Why does Martha want a clown?
 Does Martha know exactly how many people are going to come? If yes,
how many. If not, why not?
 How does Jane think people will react to the clown?
 Is there a theme for the party?

Dialogue Exercise 2: Questions

 Tell me about your future plans for work or study.
 What important event do you think will happen soon?
 Your friend needs some help with some homework. What do you say?
 Tell me about your plans for this coming summer.
 Complete these sentence: If I don't understand this exercise ...
 What do you think future English lessons will be about?

How to Teach the Present Simple

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byKenneth Beare
Updated July 09, 2018

Teaching the present simple tense is one of the first, and most important tasks
when teaching beginners. It's a good idea to teach the present simple of the
verb 'to be' to begin with, and introduce simple adjectives to help students
expand their understanding of the verb 'to be'. After English learners are
comfortable with the present and past forms of the verb 'to be', teaching the
present simple and past simplewill be much easier.

Introducing the Present Simple

1, Start by Modeling the Present Simple

Most English learners are false beginners. In other words, they have already
studied English at some point. Begin teaching the present simply by stating
some of your routines:

I get up at six thirty in the morning.

I teach at the Portland English School.
I have lunch at one o'clock.

Students will recognize most of these verbs. Model some questions for the
students as well. At this point, it's a good idea to ask yourself a question and
provide the answer.

When do you have dinner? - I have dinner at six o'clock.

When do you come to school? - I come to school at two o'clock.
Where do you live? - I live in Portland.
etc.

Continue by asking students the same questions. Students will be able to follow
your lead and answer appropriately.

2, Introduce Third Person - S

Once the students are comfortable speaking about their own basic daily
activities, introduce the third person singular for 'he' and 'she' which will prove
the most difficult for students. Again, model the present simple third person 's'
for the students.

When does Mary have dinner? - She has dinner at six o'clock.
When does John come to school? - He comes to school at two o'clock.
Where does she live? - He lives in Portland.
etc.

Ask each student a question and ask another for a reply, creating a chain of
questions and answers changing from 'you' to 'he' and 'she'. This will help
students memorize this crucial difference.

Where do you live? - (Student) I live in Portland.

Where does he live? - (Student) He lives in Portland.
etc.

3. Introduce the Negative

Introduce the negative form of the present simple in the same manner as
above. Remember to continually model the form to the students and
immediately encourage a similar answer.

Does Anne live in Seattle? - No, she doesn't live in Seattle. She lives in
Portland.
Do you study French? - No, you don't study French. You study English.
etc.

4. Introduce Questions

Up to this point, students have been answering questions so they should be

familiar with the form. Make sure to point out the difference between 'yes / no'
questions and information questions. Start with 'yes / no' questions
encouraging students to answer in the short form.

Do you work every day? - Yes, I do. / No, I don't.

Do they live in Portland? - Yes, they do. / No, they don't.
Does she study English? - Yes, she does / No, she doesn't.
etc.

Once students are comfortable with short 'yes / no' questions, move on to
information questions. Make sure to vary the subjects up to help students
become familiar with the tendency to drop the 's'.

Where do you live? - I live in Seattle.

When do you get up in the morning? - I get up at seven o'clock.
Where does she go to school? - She goes to school at the University of
Washington.
etc.

5. Discuss Important Time Words

Once students become comfortable with the present simple, introduce

important time words such as 'every day' and adverbs of frequency (usually,
 sometimes, rarely, etc.). Contrast these with common time words used in the
present continuous such as 'now', 'at the moment', etc.

She usually takes the bus to work. Today, she is driving.

My friend sometimes goes out for dinner. At the moment, he's cooking dinner
at home.
Jennifer rarely talks to stranger. Right now, she's taking to a friend. etc.

Practicing the Present Simple

1. Explaining the Present Simple on the Board

Students will now recognize the present simple tense and be able to respond to
simple questions. It's time to introduce the grammar. Use a present simple
tense timeline on the board to stress the fact that this tense is used to express
routines. I also like to use simple charts showing the underlying structure of
this tense.

2. Comprehension Activities

Once you have introduced the tense and used the whiteboard to explain forms,
continue teaching the present simple tense through activities which use the
present simple in context.

3. Continued Activity Practice

Students have learned to recognize the present simple, as well as understand

the form in comprehension activities. It's time to continue by having students
use the present simple to describe their own lives in both spoken and written
form. This detailed lesson on daily routines will help you continue the practice.

Expected Problems
Here are most common challenges for students when using the present simple:

 Confusing with the present continuous for actions occurring at the

moment of speaking.
 Use of 's' in the third person.
 Auxiliary verb usage in the question and negative form, but NOT in the
positive form.
 Placement of adverbs of frequency.

How to Teach the Past Simple

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byKenneth Beare
Updated July 02, 2018

Teaching the English past simple verb tense to ELL or ESL students is rather
straightforward after you've taught the present simple. Students will be
familiar with the idea of auxiliary verbs in the question and negative but not in
the positive form.

They will be able to convert to past simple using helping verbs as in:

Does she play tennis? -> Did she play tennis?

We don't drive to work. -> They didn't drive to work.

They'll also be happy to know that the verb conjugation always remains the
same, no matter the subject of the sentence.

I
You
He
She played tennis last week.
It
We
You
They

Of course, there's the issue of irregular verbs, which can be frustrating, because
they just have to be memorized and reinforced through practice:

 be—was/were
 catch—caught
 speak—spoke
 understand—understood

etc.
Past Time Expressions
The key to teaching the past simple effectively is making it clear from the
beginning that the past simple is used when something begins and ends in the
past. The use of the appropriate time expressions will help:

 last: last week, last month, last year

 ago: two weeks ago, three days ago, two years ago
 when + past: when I was a child, when she worked in New York

Start by Modeling the Past Simple

Begin teaching the past simple by speaking about some of your past
experiences. If possible, use a mix of regular and irregular past verbs. Use time
expressions to provide context. It's also a good idea to mix in some other
subjects such as "my friend" or "my wife" to signal that there is no change in
the conjugation of the past simple other than putting the verb into the past.

I visited my parents in Olympia last weekend.

My wife cooked a wonderful dinner yesterday.
We went to a movie yesterday evening.

Continue modeling by asking yourself a question and providing the answer.

Where did you go last week? I went to Portland yesterday.

When did you have lunch yesterday? I had lunch at one o'clock yesterday.
Which level did you teach last month? I taught beginner- and intermediate-
level classes.

Next, ask students similar questions. It's a good idea to use the same verbs—for
example: went, had, played, watched, ate—when asking questions. Students
will be able to follow your lead and answer appropriately.

Introduce Regular and Irregular Verbs

Using the verbs you've introduced, quickly ask students the infinitive form for
each verb.

Which verb is went? go

Which verb is cooked? cook
Which verb is visited? visit

Which verb is had? have

Which verb is taught? teach

Ask students if they notice any patterns. Usually a few students will recognize
that many past regular verbs end in -ed. Introduce the idea that some verbs are
irregular and must be learned individually. It's a good idea to provide an
irregular verb sheet for their study and future reference. Quick drills, such as a
past simple grammar chant, will help students learn irregular forms.

When discussing past regular verbs, make sure that students understand that
the final e in -ed is generally silent:

 listened -> /lisnd/

 watched -> /wacht/

BUT:

 visited -> /vIzIted/

Introduce Negative Forms

Finally, introduce the negative form of the past simple through modeling.
Model the form to the students and immediately encourage a similar answer.
You can do this by asking a student a question, then modeling a negative and a
positive sentence.

When did you have dinner yesterday? (student) I had dinner at seven o'clock.
Did he/she have dinner at eight o'clock? No, he/she didn't have dinner at
eight o'clock. He/she had dinner at seven o'clock.

Resources and Lesson Plans to Practice the Past Simple

Explaining the Past Simple on the Board

Use a past tense timeline to visualize the idea that the past simple is used to
express something that began and ended in the past. Review time expressions
that are used in the past, including: last week, last month, and last year; in +
dates; and yesterday.

Comprehension Activities

After students are familiar with the form, continue expanding their
understanding of it, as well as irregular verbs, with comprehension activities.
Using stories of vacations, listening to descriptions of something
that happened, or reading news stories will help underline when the past
simple is used.

Pronunciation Challenges

Another challenge for students will be understanding the pronunciation of

the past forms of regular verbs. Explaining the idea of voiced and voiceless
 pronunciation patterns will help students understand this pronunciation
pattern.

How to Teach the Present Perfect

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Updated June 11, 2018

The present perfect is one of the most difficult tenses to learn for students.
Teaching the present perfect effectively involves making sure students
understand that the present perfect in English is always connected in some
way to the present moment in time. Many languages including French,
German, Spanish and Italian use the present perfect for past events. The
present perfect in English covers what happens from a past moment to the
present moment in time. Establishing this connection in students' minds early
will help students avoid mistakes. It helps to divide usage into three major
areas:

1) From the past until now: I've lived in New York for twenty years.

2) Life experience: I've visited every state in the country.

3) Recent past events that influence the present moment: I've just had lunch.

Start by Speaking about Your Experiences

Introduce the present perfect by providing three short situations One about life
experiences, one speaking about some things that started in the past and
continue into the present. Finally, also illustrate the present perfect for events
that influence the present moment in time. Speak about yourself, your family
or your friends.

 Life Experience: "I've visited many countries in Europe. I've been to

Germany and France a few times. My wife has also been in Europe quite
a lot. However, our daughter has never visited."
 Past to Present: "My friend Tom has a number of hobbies. He's played
chess for more than fifteen years. He's surfed since he was a little boy,
and he's practiced the art of the Japanese tea ceremony since
September."
 Recent Events that Influence the Present: "Where's Pete? I think
he's gone to lunch, but he's been away for about ten minutes. I know he's
been to the bank this afternoon so he's probably decided he needs a nice
meal." Ask students about the differences in these forms. Once the
differences have been understood, return to your short scenarios and ask
students related questions using the present perfect.
 Life Experience: "I've visited many countries in Europe. Which
countries have you visited? Have you ever been to XYZ?"
 Past to Present: "My friend Tom has a number of hobbies. He's played
chess for more than fifteen years. Which hobbies do you have? How long
have you done them?"

 Recent Events that Influence the Present: "What have we just

studied? Have you understood the form?"

Explaining the Present Perfect

Using the verbs you've introduced, quickly ask students the infinitive form for
each verb. (i.e. "Which verb is gone? - go, Which verb is bought? - buy, etc.").
After having studied the past simple, students should recognize that many past
verbs in '-ed' whereas others have irregular forms. Introduce the past participle
form use in the present perfect. It's a good idea to provide an irregular verb
sheet for future reference.

Use three timelines showing the differences between usages: life experience,
past to present, and recent events.

At this point in the curriculum, students should easily be able to switch

between positive, negative and question forms. However, it's important to
point out that questions in the present perfect are most often formed with
"How long" for past to present usage, and "Have you ever..?" for life
experiences. Finally, for present perfect that affects the present moment, it's
important that students understand the differences between the time
expressions 'just', 'yet' and 'already' as well as 'for' and 'since' for past to
present.

Comprehension Activities
 Each of these uses of the present perfect can be practiced through present
perfect role plays and reading comprehension activities. It's also a good idea to
compare and contrast time expressions used for the present perfect and past
simple. Present perfect worksheets and quizzes focusing on differences asking
students to choose between the present perfect or the past simple will also
help. To practice switching between the present perfect and the simple past
practice short conversations with "Have you ever...?" followed by a question
asking for specifics with 'when', or 'where'.

Have you ever been to France? - Yes, I have.

When did you go there?
Have you bought a car? - Yes, I have
When did you buy one?

Challenges with the Present Perfect

Common challenges with the present perfect include:

 Use of present perfect for events that happened in the past

 Switching between present perfect and past simple fluidly
 Use of 'yet' and 'already' in questions, negative and positive forms
 Use of 'since' with dates and 'for' with periods of time

Lesson Plan on Switching Between Present

Perfect and Past Simple
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Updated June 07, 2018
The switch between the present perfect and the past simple is one of the most
challenging aspects for English learners. There are a few reasons for this:

 Students use a language — such as German, French or Italian — which

uses its version of the past simple and the present perfect
interchangeably.
 Students find the difference between specific past experience (past
simple) and general experience (present perfect) difficult.
 Students speak a language in which tense usage is much more 'loose'
such as Japanese.

This lesson focuses on the switch by first narrowing the choices down to either
the present perfect or the past simple. It asks students to first ask
questions about general experience with 'ever' and then drill down to the
specifics with question words such as 'where, when, why' etc. Here are a few
overviews on how to teach the past simple and how to teach the present
perfect separately.

Aim
Becoming more proficient in switching between the present perfect and the
past simple

Activity
Number 1 Asking about experiences # 2 Writing about experiences

Level
Lower-intermediate to intermediate

Outline
Begin the lessons by speaking about your own experiences in a general way. Be
careful not to give any details about these experiences. In other words, keep to
the present perfect. I find topics such as travel, education, and hobbies work
well. For example:

I've been to many countries in my life. I've traveled in Europe and I've visited
France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. I've also driven a lot in the United
States. In fact, I've driven through almost 45 states.

Ask students to ask you questions about the specifics of some of your
adventures. You may need to model this. However, students will hopefully be
able to catch on fast and keep to the past simple.
On the board, create a timeline showing past to present with some of your
adventures. Put question marks above the general statements, specific dates
above specific statements. Point out the difference between the two. You can
use the tense time charts on this site as well.

Introduce the question "Have you ever ..." for general experience.

Review information questions in the past simple to focus on specific

experiences.

Model a few question and answer exchanges with students switching between
"Have you ever..." followed by information questions "When did you ..., Where
did you ..., etc." when students answer in the affirmative.

Have students complete exercise one with partners or in small groups.

Moving around the class, listen to these conversations helping when necessary.

To continue, ask students to fill in the worksheet following the example

provided. Move around the room making sure students are switching between
the present perfect and the simple past in writing.

Exercise 1
Use the present perfect with 'Have you ever...' to ask your classmates
questions. When your partner answers 'yes', follow-up with information
questions in the past simple. For example:

Student 1: Have you ever been to China?

Student 2: Yes, I have.
Student 1: When did you go there?
Student 2: I went there in 2005.
Student 1: Which cities did you visit?
Student 2: I visited Beijing and Shanghai.

1. buy a new car

2. travel in a foreign country
3. play football / soccer / tennis / golf
4. work in a large company
5. fly over the ocean
6. eat something that made you sick
7. study a foreign language
8. lose your money, wallet, or purse
9. eat snails
10. play an instrument

Exercise 2
 Write a few sentences on each of these topics. First, begin with a sentence
using the present perfect. Next, write a sentence or two giving specific details.
For example:

I have learned three languages in my life. I studied German and Italian when
I was in college. I also learned French when I visited the country for a three-
month French language program in 1998.

Hobbies I have learned

Places I have visited

Crazy food I have eaten

People I have met

Stupid things I have bought

Subjects I have studied

Lesson Plan - Differences Between Past and

Present
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Updated February 28, 2019

Getting students to talk about the differences between the past and present is a
great way to get students using a variety of tenses and cementing their
understanding of the differences and time relationships between the past
simple, present perfect(continuous), and present simple tenses. This exercise
is quite easy for students to understand and helps to get students thinking in
the right direction before beginning the task.

Lesson Plan
 Aim: Conversation lesson focusing on the use of the past simple,
present perfect, and present simple tenses
 Activity: Drawing diagrams as a support for conversation in pairs
 Level: Intermediate to advanced

Outline:

 Give students the example above or draw a similar example on the

board.
 Read through the example sentences showing the relationship between
the two circles ('life then' and 'life now').
 Ask students why you used the various tenses (i.e. past simple, present
perfect (continuous), and present simple (continuous).
 Have students draw two circles. Each circle should have 'me' at the
center with a universe of friends, hobbies, relationships, etc.
surrounding. One circle is drawn for the past and one drawn for 'life
now'.
 Students break up into pairs and explain their diagrams to each other.
 Walk around the room and listen to the discussions, take notes on the
most common mistakes made.
 As a follow-up, go through the most common mistakes made by the
students to focus on the problems they are still having with certain
tenses (i.e. using the present perfect instead of past simple for definite
past).

Life Then - Life Now

Look at the two circles describing 'life then' and 'life now'. Read the sentences
below describing how the person's life has changed. For example:

 In 1994, I lived in New York.

 Since then, I have moved to Livorno where I have been living for the past
five years.
 In 1994, I had been married to Barbara for four years. Since then, we
have had our daughter Katherine. Katherine is three years old.
 Barbara and I have been married for ten years.
 I used to play squash twice a week when I lived in New York.
 Now I play tennis twice a week. I have been playing tennis for over a
year.
  My best friends were Marek and Franco in New York. Now my best
friend is Corrado.
 I loved going to the opera in New York. Now, I love going to museums
around Tuscany.
 I worked at the New York Association for New Americans for two years
in New York.
 Now I work at the British School. I have been working there for over four
years.

Draw two circles of your own. One describing life a few years ago and one
describing life now. Once you have finished, find a partner and describe how
your life has changed over the past few years.

A VIP - Present Perfect Simple and

Continuous
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Updated April 02, 2017

Students often confuse the present perfect and present perfect continuous.
This lesson employs an imaginary biography to get students asking questions
and speaking about completed accomplishments (present perfect) and
duration of activity (present perfect continuous).

The main difference between the present perfect and present perfect
continuous that students need to acquire is the difference between the amount
of time the current activity has been in progress, and the amount of activity
that has been done. In the first case, we use the present perfect continuous to
express how long the current activity has been going on. In the second case,
use the present perfect to express how many or how much has been
accomplished. These guides on how to teach the present perfect
continuous and how to teach the present perfect can help with further
exercises and teaching suggestions.

Aim
Correct use of present perfect and present perfect continuous, contrasted with
simple past

Activity
Use of an imaginary chart of life events to elicit questions and answers using
both the present perfect and present perfect continuous, as well as the simple
past

Level
Intermediate

Outline
 Review the present perfect and present perfect continuous with the
class. Focus on the difference between present perfect to express an
amount finished up to the present moment (I've read three books by
Hemingway), and the present perfect continuous to express the duration
of the current activity (She's been reading for three hours).
 Ask students to take a look at the sentences in exercise 1 and decide if
they are correct or incorrect.
 Make a point of discussing the use of BOTH the present perfect and
present perfect continuous with common verbs such as live, work, play,
drive, etc.
 Ask students to read the life chart of John Anderson.
 Have students pair up and use the question cues. Ask students to use the
present perfect continuous when asking about the duration of an
activity.
 To check if students are doing the activity correctly, ask the students to
write out the questions once they have finished.

John Anderson: VIP

0
Born 1954

6
Started school
12
Started magazine delivery service

13
Started playing tennis

15
Hired four other boys for magazine delivery service

17
Sold magazine delivery service for $20,000

17
Went to Harvard Business School

18
Won New York State tennis championship

19
Started 'Supersoft' software company with roommate

20
Sold 'Supersoft' for $400,000

21
Graduated with honors from Harvard

22
Received Masters of International Business from Yale

23
Started work for Brown and Bran Inc. in New York City

25
Married first wife, Josine

26
First son born, Josh

26
Promoted to Vice President of International Sales

27
Won New York Business Club's International Businessman Award

28
Left Brown and Bran Inc.
 28
Started New Media Associates Inc. in New York City

29
Divorced Josie

30
Won 'New Business Innovation' award

31
Met and married second wife, Angela

32
Second son, Philip, born

33
Won over-thiry tennis tournament of New York City

Grammar Lesson: Tense Review

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Updated March 17, 2019

Tenses needed to be reviewed on a regular basis. This lesson provides exercises

that help students review tense names and uses while having a "getting to
know you" conversation. Below the worksheet, you'll find the answers to the
exercises.

Aim: To inductively review both structure and names of basic tenses

Activity: Personal Questions with follow up tense name and auxiliary
verb quizzes

Level: Intermediate

Outline:
 Divide students into groups of 2 to 4
 Have students take personal information quiz
 Check answers as a class, ask students to quickly speak about what they
have learned about their fellow students
 Have groups identify tense names used in questions in pairs. Once
students identify tense names, ask them to match the explanation for
each tense used
 Give auxiliary verb exercise to students to be done individually
 Correct auxiliary exercise in class

Personal Information Quiz

Answer these questions and discuss with a partner.

1. When did you last see a film?

2. How many times have you been abroad?
3. What type of books do you like reading?
4. When was your car made?
5. How long have you been learning English?
6. What will the weather be like tomorrow?
7. What were you doing at 7 o'clock yesterday evening?
8. What are your parents doing?
9. Where are your classes taught?
10. What are you going to do after this course finishes?

With your partner, decide the names of the tenses used in the above questions.

 Past Continuous
 Present Simple Passive
 Present Perfect
 Future Intent / Plan
 Present Perfect Continuous
 Past Simple Passive
 Future Prediction
 Present Simple
 Present Continuous
 Past Simple

Match it all up to how each tense is used.

  Something that happened in the past
 Something that is done by someone every day
 An action right now
 Something going on when something else happened
 Something that was done to someone or something else
 Used to think about the future
 Something that you've planned for the future
 Used to discuss experiences in life
 Expressing a length of time from one time to another
 Speaking about something that is true every day
 Something that was done to someone or something else

Gap Fill Exercise

Enter the correct auxiliary verb. Choose between: are, is, do, does, did, have, or
will.

1. He ____ playing the guitar at the moment.

2. Jackie ____ been living in Paris for a few months.
3. Which sports _____ he like?
4. They _____ travelled all over the world.
5. My shoes _____ made in Italy.
6. Peter ____ going to fly to London next Thursday.
7. Do you think the current government ____ change soon?
8. Yamaha pianos ____ made in Japan.
9. Jane ____ doing her homework when I came home last night.
10. When ____ you arrive last night?

Answers
Exercise 1: Personal Information Quiz

1. When did you last see a film? - Past Simple / Something that happened
in the past
2. How many times have you been abroad? - Present Perfect / Used to
discuss experiences in life
3. What type of books do you like reading? - Present Simple / Speaking
about something that is true every day
4. When was your car made? - Past Simple Passive / Something that was
done to someone or something else
5. How long have you been learning English? - Present Perfect Continuous
/ Expressing a length of time from one time to another
6. What will the weather be like tomorrow? - Future Prediction / Used to
think about the future
7. What were you doing at 7 o'clock yesterday evening? - Past Continuous /
Something going on when something else happened
 8. What are your parents doing? - Present Continuous / An action right
now
9. Where are your classes taught? - Present Simple Passive / Something
that is done by someone every day
10. What are you going to do after this course finishes? - Future Intent /
Plan / Something that you've planned for the future

Exercise 2: Gap FIll Exercise

1. is
2. has
3. does
4. have
5. are
6. is
7. will
8. are
9. was
10. did

CITE

Watch Now: When to Use "Good" vs. "Well"

Asking Questions Lesson Plan for Lower

Level Students
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Updated June 20, 2019
Many beginning- to lower-intermediate students are do well expressing
themselves in positive and negative sentences. However, they often run into
problems when asking questions. This is due to a number of causes:

 Teachers usually ask questions in class so students don't get enough

practice.
 Inversion of the auxiliary verb and subject can be especially tricky for
many students.
 Present simple and past simple require helping verbs whereas positive
sentences do not.
 Students are unsure of what they should ask.
 Cultural interference such as the desire not to ask direct questions as it is
considered impolite in a student's culture.

This simple lesson focuses specifically on the question form and helps students
gain skill while switching tenses in the question form.

Aim: Improving speaking confidence when using question forms

Activity: Intensive auxiliary review followed by providing questions for given

answers and student gap question exercises.

Level: Lower-intermediate

Outline:

 Focus on auxiliary verb usage by making a number of statements in

tenses the students are familiar with. Ask students to identify the
auxiliary verb in each case.
 Ask a student or students to explain the underlying scheme of the object
question form (i.e., ? word Auxiliary Subject Verb). Have students give a
number of examples in different tenses.
 Distribute the worksheet to students in class.
 Focus on the use of time expressions as key to understanding correct
tense usage with the gap fill exercise.
 Ask students to complete the first exercise on their own.
 Write a few sentences on the whiteboard. Ask which questions might
have elicited this answer.
For example: I usually take the subway to work.
Possible questions: How do you get to work? How often do you take the
subway to work?
 Split students up into pairs. The second exercise asks students to provide
a suitable question for the response given. Each group should come up
with possible questions.
 Follow-up check of questions either by circulating through the student
pairs or as a group.
  Ask students to each take the second exercise (one for Student A the
other for Student B) and complete the gaps by asking their partner for
the missing information.
 Solidify question forms by quickly playing a verb inversion game using
the various tenses (i.e., Teacher: I live in the city. Student: Where do you
live? etc.).
 Practice some small talk focusing on basic questions.

Asking Questions Worksheet

Fill in the gap with the correct helping verb. Base your answers on the time
expressions in each question.

1. When ______ she usually leave for work in the morning?

2. Where ______ they stay on vacation last summer?
3. What _____ he doing for school at the moment?
4. _____ you continue to study English next year?
5. Who _____ you going to visit when you go to Greece next summer?
6. How often _____ you usually go to the movies?
7. When _____ you get up last Saturday?
8. How long _____ she lived in your city?

Ask an appropriate question for the response

 A steak, please.
 Oh, I stayed at home and watched tv.
 She is reading a book at the moment.
 We are going to visit France.
 I usually get up at 7 o'clock.
 No, he is single.
 For about 2 years.
 I was washing up when he arrived.

Ask questions to fill the gaps with the missing information

Student A

Frank was born in ______ (where?) in 1977. He went to school in Buenos

Aires for ______ (how long?) before moving to Denver. He misses _______
(what?), but he enjoys studying and living in Denver. In fact, he _____
(what?) in Denver for over 4 years. Currently, he _________ (what?) at the
University of Colorado where he is going to receive his Bachelor of Science next
______ (when?). After he receives his degree, he is going to return to Buenos
Aires to marry _____ (who?) and begin a career in research. Alice ______
(what?) at the University in Buenos Aires and is also going to receive ______
(what?) next May. They met in _____ (where?) in 1995 while they were hiking
together in the ______ (where?). They have been engaged for ________
(how long?).

Student B

Frank was born in Buenos Aires in ______ (when?). He went to school in

_______ (where?) for 12 years before moving to ______ (where?). He
misses living in Buenos Aires, but he enjoys ________ (what?) in Denver. In
fact, he has lived in Denver for ______ (how long?). Currently, he is studying
at the ______ (where?) where he is going to receive his _______ (what?)
next June. After he receives his degree, he is going to return to _____
(where?) to marry his fiance Alice and begin a career in ______ (what?). Alice
studies Art History at the ________ (where?) and is also going to receive a
degree in Art History next _____ (when?). They met in Peru in _____
(when?) while they _______ (what?) together in the Andes. They have been
engaged for three years.

Video lessons

Video Lesson guide.

In this video you are going to learn how to talk about travel plans in English(ESL).
How to study with the video
Click play to begin. Listen and repeat what you hear. Follow the videos closely.
Repeat video for clarity.
Just keep a dictionary nearby in case you still can’t understand some expressions.
Or use our dictionary links.
Vocabulary: Check into, hotel, visit etc.
Communication focus: We are going to go to Egypt.
Grammar focus: future tense with “going to” and verbs related to travel
http://www.englishmedialab.com/higherlevels/travel%20plans/travel%20plans.html

http://www.englishmedialab.com/higherlevels.html

The Present Continuous Tense:

A Lesson Plan
This lesson introduces the Present Continuous Tense to beginning ESL
students. It requires 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours, and gives practice with reading and
writing, as well as listening and speaking.
 Preparation

14Salvează

Lesson Objective: Students will recognize and use the present continuous
tense to make oral & written statements like “he’s reading” with few or no
errors (excluding spelling).

Materials needed:

1. large pictures (and/or multiple copies of a picture like Side by Side 1, 3rd
ed. Pg.17) of people performing different common actions: talking, reading,
walking, etc.

(Most ESL texts and picture dictionaries have at least some suitable
pictures. If your class isn’t using a textbook, you can also find free pictures
online: clip art, speech therapy action pictures, crowd scenes, etc.)

Some possibilities:

>>> Highlights Hidden Pictures, B&W printable; including ‘New Neighbors:’

they’re moving; the men are carrying a table, a child is looking out the
window, etc. . There are other good ones like ‘A Day at the Fair’ or
‘Farmers’ Market.’

>>> Discovery Ed Clipart has kids doing things...

2. half a class set of stories with related pictures. (Our class used Side by
Side 1, pg. 22-23, but any similar story with pictures would work.) You can
use this letter about camping if you like, or make one yourself based on a
picture you can reproduce and your students’ needs.)
3. per group of 3-4 students: one picture dictionary, magazine or other
picture scene with a lot of people doing things.

This needs to be a different scene or scenes than #1, but the sources
above would still work. Even better, because there is more going on
is Where's Waldo? The first one (at the beach), with one section enlarged,
offers possibilities like: they’re riding horses, walking, building with sand; the
boy with _____ is walking, she’s wearing shorts, etc.

Our class used the New Oxford Picture Dictionary pg.90-91 (and
sometimes pg.96-97 for verb names.)

Planning & Problem-solving

When to teach this lesson (based on recently taught lessons):

Students should be familiar with pronouns & present tense ‘to be’, including
contracted forms. They also need basic classroom vocabulary and
commands including listen, talk, read, write, open, close, pick up, stand up,
sit down. Students should be from cultures that allow group competitions.

Anticipated problems & solutions:

Problem 1: Students still have very limited vocabulary. Solution: pre-teach

needed vocabulary (before reading) & provide a picture dictionary with
more vocabulary needed for the final competition.

(If picture dictionaries are unavailable, pre-teach the verbs & other
necessary vocabulary in the picture used for the competition. Try to choose
a picture with mainly the classroom verbs students already know and/or the
vocabulary taught for the reading.)

Problem 2: There isn’t really time in this lesson to teach the spelling rules
for forming the present continuous tense, but it would reinforce students’
learning to think of and write sentences using the tense.

Solution: assure students it’s OK to concentrate on good sentences and not

worry about spelling for now. Note that they will get the spelling rules
soon.

(If the class has students who fret if they can’t do everything accurately, it
might be better to pre-teach the vocabulary for the activities in the
competition picture—i.e. running riding a bicycle, surfing, throwing, instead
of using the picture dictionary pages 96-97, which give verbs only in the
base form.)
Englishclub.com has a good worksheet for the spelling rules, but it requires
more English than beginners would all have near the start of class (when
this lesson is planned), so scaffolding and explaining would take a lot of
time.

I favor a brief mention that sometimes there’s a minor spelling change, like
dropping an ending ‘e’ before adding ‘-ing’(a simple & reliable rule), for
students who notice the spelling changes.

Problem 3: If your students do not do well with competition, due to either

personality or culture, the evaluation activity can be done as a class
collaboration. See the end of the lesson.

Introducing the Present Continuous Tense

Introduction (5 min.)

Tell your students “Stand up.” Say & write on the board “You are standing.”
Repeat with several other known commands to class or various individuals,
asking students in each case what he, she, or they are doing and writing it
on the board: “You’re sitting,” he’s reading,” “she is writing,” “I’m talking,”
etc.

Announce “Today we will practice the present continuous tense.”

Presentation (10-15 min.)

Point out the rule: We form the present continuous tense with the verb “be”
and an active verb with an “-ing” ending. (Write on the board: “Present
continuous tense: be + ing.”) We use the present continuous tense to talk
about what’s happening right now. Show sentences from the Introduction as
examples.

Ask comprehension questions: What am I doing? (Write the correct

answers students give on the board.) What is ____ doing? (a student who
is taking notes.) Is this in the present continuous tense? (Write a gerund on
the board.) (No) That’s right. Is this better? (Add “he is.”)

Have students open Side by Side 1 to pg. 17, or pass out similar picture
sheets (or hold up big pictures, or draw on the board and mime the actions)
to pre-teach any new vocabulary for the pictures you will use.

Ask comprehension questions (“In picture 2, is she sleeping?” [No] “What IS

she doing?” etc.)

Practice and Evaluation

Guided Practice 1 (5 min.)

After demonstrating with a student, have students mime various activities to

their partners and ask, “What am I doing?” (During demo write this on the
board). The partners guess, then take their turns at miming.

Practice 2 (15-25 min.)

Students hear, read, and tell or read aloud one or two simple stories to
become more familiar with the present continuous tense.

1. Have students open Side by Side 1 to pg.22 or pass out the picture
story/stories you will use. Elicit the location of each story from students,
then ask comprehension questions to make sure they understand ‘in the
park,’ ‘at home,’ ‘at the beach, or wherever the story takes place.’

2. Read the (first) story out loud while students read along. Ask what
various people in the story are doing.

3. Students in pairs read the story to each other.

4. Ask for a volunteer to model looking at the picture and telling the story
(describing the picture) without reading it.

5. Partners take turns telling the story to each other (with the speaker
covering the text.)

When you give instructions, point out that the student telling the story does
not need to tell it exactly as written, but should try to correctly describe
character actions.

Ask: if your partner says “the boy is paying the guitar,” is that OK? [yes.] If
your partner says “the girls studying,” is that right? [no.] What’s the right
way to say it? [“The girls ARE studying” or “Sally & Patty ARE
studying.” Partner should correct if the tense isn’t formed correctly— as in
the reading.

6. If using pg.22, repeat steps 1-5 with the 2nd story.

Practice 3 (15-20 min.)

Have student pairs write a short story about activities in a different picture
(i.e. Side by Side 1pg.23 picture “At the beach” or similar picture using pre-
taught vocabulary.) Circulate to help and to check tense use.

Evaluation (25 min.)

Group Competition: writing present continuous tense sentences describing
a picture with lots of activity.

1. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. (If the class has different levels,
choose groups so each group will have some more and some less
proficient students, and be more or less evenly matched).

2. Pass out copies of a picture with many different activities to each group
or have students open their texts or picture dictionaries to an appropriate
picture. If students are using the New Oxford Picture Dictionary (for
example), try pg.90-91 to describe actions at the beach.

You can also suggest they can refer to pg. 96-97 for more action verbs they
can use with ‘’to be’ by adding ‘ing’ to the end of the verb. Demo with #6
‘run’, #12 ‘surf’, & # 13 “ride” (note we drop a final ‘e’ before adding ing) ,
but tell them they don’t need to worry about exact spelling yet—we’ll do
spelling rules in a later lesson.

3. After a demo, each group makes a list of sentences describing what

people are doing in the picture. (During demo point out that students should
take turns making up the sentences, but one may write them all if the group
prefers.) The group with the most correct present continuous tense
sentences “wins.”

Circulate to observe, then call ‘time’ and collect and check the
sentences. All sentences count if they have the correct present continuous
form. Note spelling and other errors for later but for now only announce the
winning group.

If competition is a problem for your students, have each group make as

many sentences as they can, then compile them into a class list, with
groups taking turns adding new statements to the list.
___________________________

If your students enjoy working in groups, check out the Clothing Vocabulary
lesson too. It’s also a lot of fun, and may work even better if competition is a
problem where you teach. See also Grammar Worksheets and ESL
Classroom Games for inexpensive lessons and games to practice past
tense irregular verbs.

Home> ESL Lesson Plans> Introducing the Present Continuous Tense.