MINISTERUL EDUCAŢIEI NAŢIONALE ŞI CERCETĂRII ŞTIINŢIFICE

UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICĂ DIN CLUJ-NAPOCA

CENTRUL UNIVERSITAR NORD DIN BAIA MARE
DEPARTAMENTUL DE SPECIALITATE CU PROFIL PSIHOPEDAGOGIC

TEACHING PRESENT TENSES THROUGH

COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES

COORDONATOR ŞTIINŢIFIC:
Conf. univ. dr.POP BENIAMIN
CANDIDAT:
Prof. BUMBUC-IENUTAS MONICA ADRIANA
Şcoala Gimnazială „Augustin Buzura"
Copalnic Mănăştur

BAIA MARE

2020

1
 CONTENT
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................pag.3
1.1. Some basic consideration ................................................pag.5
1.2. The importance of communicative activities......................... pag.
1.3. Conversation opener. .................................................... pag.

II. CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES FROM PRESENT TENSES ... ..... ......

pag. 2.1. Present Tenses- theoretical approach
...................................... pag.
2.2. Teaching grammar through rules, charts, scheme, theories............. pag.
2.3. Worksheets, exercises used in teaching Present Tenses................. pag.
2.4. Howto use creatively speaking cards, games în teaching ..............
pag. Present Tenses?

III. COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES - WAYS OF TEACHING

PRESENT TENSES ... .... .. ................................................................
...... pag.
3.1. Activities with no or minimal resources..................................... pag.
3.2. Activities based on authentic materials...................................... pag.
3.3. The impact of communicative activities on students....................... pag.

IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...............................................pag.

4.1.The objective ofthe study... .... ... .... ......... ... .......... ....... ..... .... .. pag.
4.2.Study hypotheses................... ................................... .... .. .... pag.
4.2.1. Experimental design...... ... ... ... ..................... ....... . . ..pag.
4.2.2. Operationalization of variables............ .................. ... . pag.
4.2.3. Study participants ... .................................... .......... pag.
4.2.4. Procedure and tools used......................................... pag.
4.3. Data presentation and analysis ..............................................pag.
4.4.Presentation of analysis charts of normal data distribution...............
pag. 4.5.Hypothesis testing................................................................
pag.
4.6.Interpretation ofresults......................................................... pag.
4.7.Discussions and conclusions................................................... pag.

V. CONCLUSIONS ... ...... .................. ......................................... pag.

VI. ANNEX ............................................................................... pag.
6.1.Speaking card conversation -Daily routine................................. pag.
6.2.Speaking card conversation- My Family Fun activities game.............
pag. 6.3.Present Tenses Dominoes......................................................
pag.
6.4.Communicative activities using a variety of topics......................... pag.
6.5.Initial Assessment Test......................................................... pag.
 6.6.Evaluation Test of Present Tenses................................................ pag.
6.7.Lesson Plans teaching Present Tenses............................................ pag.

VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................... pag.

I. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Some basic consideration

One of the biggest challenges an English teacher faces is to make the

students speak. As a language teacher it is to engage the students in
communicative activities as much as possible.
I carne to this conclusion by teaching English to young leaders. In 2012 the
preparatory classes came to primary school. By then, the teachers had no
materials or resources for teaching to 5 or 6 year old pupils. There were no
workbooks, just a curriculum that must be followed.
Therefore, my first challenge as a language teacher consisted of making the
information accessible to young learners. I started writing worksheets
based on pictures from cartoons or movies that children enjoy watching.
That is why I wrote in 2012 a book for young learners entitled Steps
Ahead.(Annex nr. l) Communicative activities provide opportunity to use
authentic materials. A good example of authentic materials I used with
young leaders include: Jungle Book, Snow White, more exposure to the
native speakers.
Moreover, inviting a native speaker to your classes is extremely useful for
learners. There should be highlighted the fact that young leaders are more
confident when it comes to asking questions. They barely knew how to
introduce themselves but they were eager to speak with the special guest. In
contrast with pupils from secondary school which were more afraid to start
a conversation even though they had been studying English for a longer
period of time. Theoretically
they master the grammar rules of tenses and still they refused to participate
at communicative activities.
Communication has always played an essential role among people. In a foreign

language it is generally harder to communicate because you do not have

confidence, you do not have courage to express yourself.
When a student leams the Present Tenses through communicative activities
then it is easier for him to open a conversation. The student is undoubtedly
more motivated to speak.
Classroom activities guided by the communicative approach are
characterized by trying to produce meaningful and real communication at all
levels from preparatory to eighth grade leamers. As a resuit, there may be
more emphasis on skills than systems, lessons are more leamer-centred and
there may be use of authentic materials,
The communicative approach is based on the idea that leaming language
successfully comes through having to communicate real meaning. When
leamers are involved in real communication, their natural strategies for
language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to leam to use
the language.
Example

Practicing question forms by asking leamers to find out personal

information about their colleagues is an example of communicative
approach, as it involves meaningful communication.
Find someone who is a very attractive game where pupils have to ask each
other questions.
 The history of language teaching has been characterized by a search for
more effective ways of teaching second and foreign languages. For more
than a hundred years, debate and discussion have often centered on issues
such as the role of grarnmar in the language curriculum , the development of
accuracy and fluency in teaching the choice of syllabus.
As an English teacher, I have often wondered how it is more effective to
teach the present tenses. Is it better to teach with an emphasis on grarnmar
rules or on communicative approach? This question led me to research this
topic and write this paper entitled "Teaching Present Tenses Through
Communicative Activities"

1.2. The importance of communicative activities

Communicative activities play a crucial role in communicative language teaching

(CLT) as one of methods for best facilitating students' leaming. Since the central
theoretical concept in CLT is "communicative competence", the focus has been
elaborated that CLT aims to promote the development of functional language ability
through leamers' participation in communicative events (Savignon, 2002).

A communicative activity is one which brings the language to life by providing a

real basis for speaking, and the interactive exchange of ideas , opinions, and feelings
with others. This notion is sometimes still neglected.

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 As Richards claims (2006), English language teachers began to move away from
traditional lesson pattens where the focus was mostly mastery of different of
grammar and practice through controlled activities, for instance memorization of
dialogues and drills. Although some stills use this old fashion, nowadays, teachers
use pair work activities, role play, group work activities and so on, in which teachers
bring the real world or the social context in the classrooms.

Such activities are the true communicative events and are the main focus of
communicative activities.

Harmer lists six reasons why people are involved în communication.

> Speaker

• They want to say something to someone

• They speak in order to achieve something

• They select from their language store what they consider as appropriate m their
particular situation

> Listener

• They want to listen to something

• They are interested in discovering what the speaker wants to convey

 • They process a variety of language, using their knowledge of grammatical and
lexical items of that language in order to decode and interpret the utterances of the
speaker Harmer (1993: 48) brings to a close that communicative activities have to
encamp

Harmer (1993: 48) brings to a close that communicative activities have to encompass
these six characteristics of communication. Consequently, activities which can be
placed on the communicative end of the communication continuum have to involve the
following:

a. Students have to feel "a desire to communicate" and they have to develop a
"communicative purpose" which means that they have an aim which they want to
achieve. The emphasis has to be on content and not on form.

b. The student should have the possibility to use a variety of language items (e.g.
different grammar items) therefore the exercise, must not focus on one language item
only.

c. During the activity the teacher should not intervene , which means that s/he
should not correct mistakes because mistake is not always mistake, should not put the
emphasis on accuracy, nor should s/he ask for repetition.

d. Finally, there should not be any materials control, which means that the
material should not force the learners to use any specific language. (Harmer 1993)
 The purposes of communicative activities

• They provide "whole-task practice" - Total skill or "whole task practice" mean
for example leaming to swim, while part-skills mean separate practice of individual
movements that you would need to leam to swim.
• They improve motivation - since the ultimate objective is "taking part m
communication" with others
• They allow natural leaming - the most natural process of learning îs when we
try to use the language for COMMUNICA TION
• They can create a context which supports leaming- this means opportunities for
positive personal relationships to develop between learners and teacher and among
leamers. The classrooms will be "humanized" and an environment will be created that
support the individual in his efforts to leam.
(William Littlewood, 1981:17-18)

1.3. Conversation opener

Conversation opener is an introduction used to begin a conversation. They are

frequently the subject of guides and seminars on how to make friends and/or meet
people. Different situations may call for different openers.

Here are a few more examples of conversation

starters: "How's it goin'?"
Using a casual greeting when appropriate can easily lead into a conversation about how
a person's day has been.
"Oh, it's so hot today! I can't believe it hasn't rained in weeks."

Comments about the weather are common and appropriate in most situations. Everyone
can relate to the weather and changes are common, so weather is a popular topic of
conversation.
Have you ever tried horse riding?

Have you ever seen the same movie twice?

Have you ever flown by plane?
Is anyone in the class scared by the virus?

Are you excited about singing in a foreign

language? How are you today?

As you can see a simple way to open a conversation is to use the present tenses. These
tenses are leamed from primary school. It is important for the teacher to use these
conversation openers in order to make the students start a simple conversation. That
helps them use real life language and motivates them to practice English with native
speakers

The motivation reveals that it is one of the essential conditions that ensure the acquisition
of new knowledge. In this idea, M.E. Hebron shows that the differences that manifest
between individuals in terms of leaming ability , derive not so much from the more gifted
mind, but from the system that activates them. So, motivation is next to the most
important variable aptitude of behavioral efficiency. That is why knowing the real reasons
for students' leaming becomes a duty of the teacher. Knowing these reasons gives us the
opportunity to intervene, to effectively direct school leaming, whose contents ensure the
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leaming success of each student.

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 II. CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES FROM
PRESENT TENSES
2.1. Present Tenses- theoretical approach

Uses of the Present continuous

An action A temporary A changing Behaviour that

happening situation Situation happens more often

at the time than expected

of speaking

He's always parking his car You're getting fat! You're always taking my
in my parking space! I'm cooking dinner books!
Why don't you come over?

He's having lunch. House prices are going up I'm doing an English course People are living longer than
Can he call you back? again. on Tuesday evenings ever before.

More people are getting We're currently working on She's forever gossiping We're stocktaking this
divorced these days. a project to update the about other people. week.
accounting
software.

They're packing your order I'm working on the page You're always teasing me!
He's always telling everyone right design I'II call you when it's
how successful he is. ready.
Answers

An action happening at the time of speaking

He's having lunch. Can he call you back?

They're packing your order right now.
I'm cooking dinner. Why don't you come over?

A temporary situation

We're currently working on a project to update the accounting

software. I'm doing an English course at SPACE.
We're stocktaking this week.

I'm working on the page design today. It'll be ready on Friday.

A changing situation

You're getting fat!

House prices are going up again.

People are living longer than ever before.

 More people are getting divorced these days.
Behaviour that happens more often than
expected You're always taking my books!
She's forever gossiping about other people on the phone.

You're always teasing me!

He's always parking his car in my parking

space! He's always telling everyonehow
success ful he is.

2.2. Teaching grammar through rules, charts, scheme, theories

Examp._ l!xampt•• l!xamp(u

T•IIN 5'gnal word• UM Form afflrmathnt n-oattve lntAttTogative
<!ev er v day

,;,omet1mei
.
.
somet.hlng happens l wotk. I don't work. Do I work?
illw&y$
ret>fftedly

.
how often somethfng
l'la

..
one ac.tlon follows another infinitive He work 1. Do,- $ he w or k ?
oflen He do n 't wo r k'.
Slmpl• thill9$ ln generat
Pructnt wlth vetbt like (to ""'-, to he/she/it :
u uaHv Mure meanil'lj): tlmetabl , I IJO. 1 don't go. Do Igo?
,,.,,, to thlnlc, etc.) 1nflnltlve + $

etdom prog,am s He gou . He do sn' t 90 . Do •• • he go7

n v«r
111st .. . then

. rm work, ng.
now $0m«hlng fs tiappenltlg at the J' m nat wo r,k ng . Am l work m<>?

.
sa tlme of s peaklng or
;;t the nMment al'Ollnd lt He'• work lng. He lm't worklng, ls 114! w ork in <i7
PreAnt Mure meanlng: when ycw be (am/ue/1•) +
1>ror1rr,alv• have atready and lnflnltlve + ing
look•
arrangtHI to do lt (a fl ed l' m 110 1ng. l'm nat 110 .n g. Am I go m<,1
pla n, d11te)
U$tf"n! He ' s 9o mg . He lotn' t g oJ ng . li he go, r,g?

-
, .. t ... I work d. I dldn"t worit. Oid I work?
regula r:
actfon took place ln tti. ,:,ast, Infiniti ve ♦ 11td He dldn't
,.. ago He wor lu- d. Old he w<nk?
mostJy connectec:I wfth 11n
Slm pJe expresslon or t lme (no irreQular: WCll"k.
in 1990 coMectkln (2" d ( Ol um n of t,>bl11t I w nt . 01d I go?
to the present)
I dl dn 't 90 .
of irr„gul.or veri> )
ye„tarday He went . He dldn't go. Dldhe90?

Types of Present Tense for English Grammar

Present
Tense
 1. Simple Present (Sub + V1 + s/es + object )
It is used to denote universal truths, habitual actions and work done on daily
basis or at particular intervals of time. Words like every day, sometimes, a/ways,
often, usually, seldom, never, etc., often give a clue that the sentence is in simple
present tense.

Examples:

• The Earth revolve-s around the sun. (Universal truth)

• I usually meet my friends on Sunday. (Habitual action)
• She does not like to play (a Negative Sentence in Simple Present)
• Do you want to watch a movie tonight? ( An interrogative sentence in Simple Present)

Consider the following tables:

,iµ'"W;W\\,111 'il'î.'iii!!i!im&IIW!liii!1%' ' U,11 "'llilllll1l11 '1"'11,W'. 1'™1' 1"m11 11°: 1 11%l,:'l11111 11:ir11ţg llli!iillijlllllll
lilil ll'r "lllllllillllPhlllllll. 1
, 11

'''"' ,,,,,..1.m.1 ,A,P1llll!i1itlliWillililliL1t 1,.1id.,dlillfutlt&1,,1',,111lil

,1111 i ,11 iljlllli!IJ Iimlllml11111,m • ,tri 11111m1•i, .1
11

I, We, Vou, They playkeyboard

He, She, lt

playskeyboard
I, We, Vou, They do not play keyboard
does
He, $he, lt not play keyboard

Do I/ we/ you/ they play keyboard?

Does
he/ she/ it play keyboard?
i

Am Strong?

Are you, we. they there?

ls he, she, it there?

2. Present Continuous/ Progressive (sub+ is/am/are+ v1 + ing +

object)
It is used to express an on- going action which is taking place at the time of
speaking. lt may be a short-term or a long term action. words like now, at the
moment, etc., often indicate that the sentence is in present continuous tense.
Examples
• I am eating an apple.

• The children are getting ready for the party.

• Priya ls studying Me chanics this semester. {Long• term action: not necessary ly happening right now)

• I am working with an NO O. (Long· term action)

• I am going to Tokyo next week. (a fixed plan for

future) consider the following table:

am writing an article

You ar speaking French

She e sipping coffee

We is pl aying hockey

are working hard

He is not studying now?

ls she
Are they not collecti ng wood?

3. Present Perfect (sub+ has/have + v3 + object)

lt is used to show an action that started in the past and has just finished. It is also used to
indicate a past action as continuing to the present moment Words like just, yet, never, ever,
already. so far, up to now, since, recently. etc., often indicate that the sentence is in present
continuous tense.

Examples:

• She has written a note.

• We have broken the protocol.

• She has worked as a freelance writer for 2 years. (The action started in the past and has
continued until now.)

• 1have seen the movie. (talks about an experience from the past)

• She has resided in Shangha.i (The action is that of the past but the memory is of now}

• I have bought a table. (indicates change: something was not in the pa.st bu t is now)

Consider the following table:

15
 2.3. Worksheets, exercises used in teaching Present Tenses

2.4. How to use creatively speaking cards, games in teaching

Present Tenses?

III. COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES-WAYS OF TEACHING

PRESENT TENSES
3.1. Activities with no or minimal resources

3.2. Activities based on authentic materials

3.3. The impact of communicative activities on students