Present Continuous
Intermediate level
Description
Materials
Main Aims
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Students will be able to use the present continuous tense to describe actions happening in the present.
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Students will be able to engage in kinesthetic activities to reinforce their understanding of the present continuous tense.
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Students will be able to identify the present continuous tense in various sentences.
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Students will be able to form sentences in the present continuous tense.
Subsidiary Aims
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To improve students' ability to form and use the present continuous tense correctly.
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To increase students' confidence in using the present continuous tense in spoken and written communication.
Procedure (41-59 minutes)
-Play a game of "Simon says" using present continuous tense verbs (e.g. "Simon says, 'I am jumping.'") to activate students' prior knowledge of the tense and get them moving.
-Engage students in a discussion about their daily habits and hobbies, and encourage them to come up with their own present continuous sentences to describe what they are doing or what they usually do at certain times of the day or week.
- Present continuous tense examples: Hand out a worksheet with examples of present continuous tense sentences and have students identify the tense and underline the verb. This will help students review and reinforce their understanding of the tense.
-Explain the form of the present continuous tense by explaining that it is used to describe actions that are happening now or around now and that it is formed by using the verb "to be" in the present tense and adding the present participle (-ing) of the main verb. -Provide examples of present continuous sentences related to daily habits and hobbies, such as "I am drinking coffee," "She is reading a book," or "They are playing soccer."
Flashcard game -Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of flashcards with present continuous tense verbs and pictures. -Have each group take turns selecting a card and using the verb in a sentence in the present continuous tense. (This will encourage students to form sentences in the present continuous tense and use them in context. This task will provide opportunities for students to practice forming and using the present continuous tense in context.)
Role play: -Divide the class into pairs and give each pair a scenario in which they must use the present continuous tense to describe actions happening in the present. (This will provide a chance for students to practice using the tense in a realistic context.) -This task will provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their comprehension of the present continuous tense through role play, as well as provide a chance for additional practice using the tense in context.
Conversation activity: - Have students pair up with a classmate and create a short role-play conversation using the present continuous tense. -Students will use the prompts below to guide the conversation. Person A: - What are you doing right now? - Where are you? - Who are you with? - How are you feeling? Person B: - What are you doing later today? - Where are you going? - Who are you meeting? - How long will you be there? Example conversation: Person A: What are you doing right now? Person B: I'm studying for my math test. Person A: Where are you? Person B: I'm at the library. Person A: Who are you with? Person B: I'm by myself. Person A: How are you feeling? Person B: I'm feeling a bit stressed. -Once the pairs have finished their role-play conversation, they can share their conversations with the rest of the class. (This exercise can help students practice using the present continuous tense in a more interactive and communicative way.)