Lesson plan

Teacher: Gâtlan Florin

Date: December 13th, 2017
Grade: 8th
Level: Intermediate
Number of pupils: 15
School: ,,Barbu Catargiu”, Maia
Textbook: Snapshot
Unit: Families
Lesson Title: Present simple and present continuous
Lesson type: Revision
Time allotted: 50 minutes
Skills: speaking, listening, writing, reading

Main Objectives: For students to effectively produce language indicating the timing of
routine actions and actions currently in process, and to contrast between the present simple
and present continuous tenses.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
O1: define 'present and present continuous verb'
O2: recognize a 'present and present continuous verb
O3: use a present and present continuous verb in a sentence

Lesson aims:
- To revise the main words and structures learnt so far - Present Tense Simple, Present
Tense Continuous, the adverbs of frequency, expressing the time.
- To develop reading, speaking, writing, listening skills.
- To consolidate students’ knowledge on Present Tense Continuous
- To practice the use of Present Tense Simple and Present Tense Continuous in contrast.
- To encourage students to learn the English language through dialogues, games,
conversation
- To give students more practice on grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

Methods and strategies: conversation, communication, explanation, reading aloud, working

with the worksheets.

Grouping and seating: whole-class teaching; individual; in pairs; in groups

Interactions: teacher - students (T - Ss); teacher - pairs (T - P); students – teacher (Ss - T);
student – student (S - S)

Description of class: There are 15 students in the class, sitting in rows. The students have
been studying been studying English for four years. During the previous lessons of the unit,
they have learned about families subjects and hobbies, with a focus on vocabulary.

Assumptions: While working in pairs or groups, students can be noisy; some may be more
passive.
Anticipated problems for students:
Confusion when writing questions regarding subject and the auxiliary verb placing in
sentence structure.

Solution:
Use example questions and clarify that the subject and the auxiliary verb usually change
places (e.g. “They are waiting for me?” [wrong] “Are they waiting for me?” [correct])

Anticipated problems for teacher:

Student participation

Solution:
Fun student-paired exercise

Materials: Board, chalk, flashcards, worksheets, paper, pens/pencils

The stages of the lesson

Activity 1
Teacher’s activity: The teacher greets the students and demands the students to get ready for
the lesson. He asks one student to name absents, if any.
Students’ activity: The students get ready for the lesson and pay attention to the teacher.
Absent students are written down.
Didactic strategies: Conversation
Interaction: T – Ss
Timing: 2’

Activity 2
Teacher’s activity: Ask students: “What do you do every day?”
Open-class discussion about routine actions
List students’ action answers on board (e.g. eat, sleep, walk, run)
Students’ activity: The students answer to the teachear questions.
Didactic strategies: Conversation
Interaction: T – Ss; Ss – T
Timing: 2’

Activity 3

Teacher’s activity: T explains ‘Pictionary’ game activity for use with “The Usual Actions”
flashcards (located in blue “Engage Activities” bin): Student-pairs use flashcards to alternate
turns acting out and guessing twenty action vocabulary words to the corresponding pictures
(e.g.: read, work, shop, bathe, sit, drive, swim)
Pair students, Hand out flashcards
T allows student-pairs to complete activity.
-Note: Observe students from a distance to gauge speed and accuracy
-Note: Expect some reluctant student participation. Relax students by miming “eat” and
“sleep” actions during explanation
Students’ activity: Ss look at the flashcards and they answer in sentences: He is swimming. /
She is eating / They are watching a movie etc.
Didactic strategies: Conversation
Interaction: T – Ss; Ss-T
Timing: 2’

Activity 4

Teacher’s activity: T asks students: “In the statement, ‘I like to read novels,’ which word
is an example of a non-progressive verb?”
Expected answer: “like”
Randomly elicit review from students: Produce a sentence containing a non-progressive verb
Sample Expected answers: “I like to eat ice cream.” “I want to learn English.” “I hate snakes.”
-Note: Ask at least two students to write their produced sentence on the board.
Students’ activity: The students listen carefully to the teacher, answer his questions and write
sentences on the board.
Didactic strategies: Conversation, Communication
Interaction: T – Ss; Ss-T
Timing: 4’

Activity 5

Teacher’s activity: T asks students: “What are other examples of nonprogressive

verbs?” After that, he reviews vocabulary answers: “like, love, hate, understand, want,
believe, hear, owe, own, seem, appear, wish, mean, remember”
- Note 1: List student answers on board, be prepared to mime
“hear” and “like” to get students started
- Note 2: Be prepared to explain any unlisted verbs e.g.
owe, own, believe, seem, appear, remember, mean
T asks “Which forms of ‘to be’ are used with each pronoun when using present tense?”
Expected answers: “I am, You are, He/She/It is, You are, They are, We are”
Elicit review from students: “What are basic present verb forms of common daily actions?”
Expected answers: “to (verb)”, “(verb) ending in ‘-s’”, “(verb) ending in ‘-ing’”
Elicit review from students: “How do we form a negative sentence using present simple
tense?”
Expected answer: “We use ‘don’t’ or ‘doesn’t’ after the subject and before a verb in a
sentence.
Elicit review from students: “How do we form present simple questions?”
Expected answer: “We add ‘do’ or ‘does’ at the beginning of the sentence to make it a
question.”
Elicit from students: “What tense is used to describe routine daily actions?”
Expected answer: “The present simple tense.”
Students’ activity: The students listen carefully to the teacher and answer his questions.
Didactic strategies: Conversation, Communication
Interaction: T – P, Ss – Ss, P - T
Timing: 5’

Activity 6

Teacher’s activity: T asks students: “In the statement, ‘She walks to school every day,’
which words indicate the timing of her walk?”
Expected Answer: “every day”
Randomly elicit from students: Produce a sentence using an affirmative or negative sentence
indicating when they perform a routine action.
Students’ activity: Students answer to teacher’s questions: “I play football every day.” “We
work every day.” “I don’t study every night.”

Didactic strategies: Communication

Interaction: T – Ss; Ss – T
Timing: 5’

Activity 7

Teacher’s activity: The teacher elicits from students: “What other adverbs do we use to
indicate the timing of a routine action?”
Expected answers: “Every day/week/month/year, every morning/night/afternoon, often,
frequently, half of the time, usually, in general, as a rule, most of the time, every other day,
etc., most, always, routinely, customarily, normally , sometimes, occasionally, on occasion,
rarely, seldom, hardly ever, not ever ”
-Note 1: List answers on board
-Note 2: Be prepared to explain any unknown adverbs to students
Teacher randomly asks students to pronounce present simple tense adverb vocabulary
words.
Teacher asks the following question: “What are you wearing?” Ask at least two students to
write their produced sentences on the board.
Example: ‘customarily’ – usual practice, ‘occasionally’ – now and then, ‘seldom’ – not often
Students’ activity: The students listen carefully to the teacher explanation and write the
unknown words in their notebook, pronounce present simple tense adverb vocabulary words
and then answer to his questions: “I am wearing a shirt.” “I am wearing a dress.” “I am
wearing shoes.”
Didactic strategies: Communication, Explanation
Interaction: T – Ss; Ss – T
Timing: 5’
Activity 8
Teacher’s activity: Teacher elicits review from students: “How do we form present
continuous sentences?”
Expected sample answers: “Present continuous sentences are formed by using the present
tense of the verb ‘to be’ and the present participle of the main verb.” “’to be’ and verb + -ing”
Elicit from students: “What tense describes an action currently in process?
Expected answer: “The present continuous tense.”
Teacher elicits review of present simple vs. present continuous tense from students: “What
are the differences between the following sentences?”
Example sentences: 1) “He wears glasses.” 1b) “He is wearing glasses.” 2a) “She swims in
the evening.” 2b) “She is swimming this evening.”
Expected answers: “Sentence 1a is a present simple tense sentence that describes a routine
action. Sentence 1b is a present continuous tense sentence that describes an action currently in
process. Sentence 2a is a present simple tense sentence that describes when a routine action
occurs. Sentence 2b is a present continuous tense sentence that describes the timing of an
action currently in process.”
-Note: Write example sentences on board for open-class
Students’ activity: The students answer to the teacher questions
Didactic strategies: Communication
Interaction: T – Ss; Ss - T
Timing: 5’

Activity 9
Teacher’s activity: T explains ‘Fill-in the blank’ activity worksheet for use with “Adverbs
and Actions in the Present Simple and Present Continuous Tenses Edition”
Students fill in the blanks to complete the action verb of each present simple or present
continuous tense aspect and circle the time indicating adverb of twenty sentences. Examples:
1.) My sister always ___ (e.g. works) very fast. 2.) We are both ___ (e.g. learning) to contrast
between routine and temporary actions right now. 3.) They ___ (e.g. wash) the car every
week. 4.) She is___ (e.g. running) in the park now. 5.) Our parents are not ___ (e.g. working)
at this moment. 6.) My mother ___ (e.g. watches) my matches every Sunday.
Pair students, Hand out worksheet

Students’ activity: The students complete the worksheet.

Didactic strategies: Communication, Working with the worksheets
Interaction: T - Ss
Timing: 5’
Activity 10
Teacher’s activity: T explains that students will take turns assuming the role of a celebrity
and interviewer. Encourage students to produce present simple and present continuous
questions. Each present simple tense question should have a present continuous tense answer.
Each present continuous tense question should have a present simple tense answer. Each
sentence should include an action verb and a time indicating adverb.
Example possibilities: A journalist interviewing a celebrity on their routines and current
projects. Or, a journalist trying to gain a celebrity interview which is declined and asked for
an explanation on normal routines.
Students’ activity: The students read aloud their interview: “Do you always sell your concert
tickets?” “No, but we are currently selling this tour.” “What other projects are you working on
now?” “I occasionally like to restore my 1970 Aston Martin.”
Didactic strategies: Communication, conversation,
Interaction: T - Ss
Timing: 13’

Activity 11
Teacher’s activity: The teacher announces the homework and gives instructions for its
assignment. He appreciates students’ behavior during the class and name some students who
gave correct answers.
The teacher gives students thanks for their time and attention and dismisses the class.
Students’ activity: The students write down the homework and say good-bye to the teacher.
Didactic strategies: Communication
Interaction: T - Ss
Timing: 2’