Education Canada College

Grammar Lesson Plans: 1-3

Maria Longo
July 20, 2009
 The Present Continuous Tense

Name of Teacher: Maria Longo

Date: July 5, 2009
Time: 2 hours
Place: Education Canada College
Students: 6 adults from different linguistic backgrounds (Mexican, Haitian, French, India,
Italian) attending English language courses at Education Canada College. The students
are high beginners.

Previous Lesson: The Present Simple

Objectives:
1. By the end of the lesson students will be able to speak utterances using the present
continuous.
2. Students will be able to know the grammatical rule used for the present
continuous.

I---am + verb + ing

He, She, It--- is + verb+ ing
They, We, You --- are + verb + ing

3. Students will be able to ask and answer questions using the present continuous.

4. Students will be able to improve speaking, listening, communication, intonation

and pronunciation skills.

5. Develop comprehension and vocabulary words.

6. They will be able to write sentences using the present continuous.

Linguistic content: Present Continuous Tense

Functional language: I am…., He, She, It is…., They, We, You …..(+ Verb + ing)

Vocabulary: Daily Vocabulary

Materials: Blackboard, Markers, Handouts

Procedure:

Pre-Activity:

Introduction:
The teacher tells the class that they will briefly review the previous lesson on the Present
Simple.
The teacher asks the students, “When do we use the Present Simple?”
The students should answer, “It is used generally for habitual or permanent situations.”
The teacher asks the students to give her five sentences in the present simple and writes
them on the board. This will reinforce previous lesson learnt as well as speaking, listing
and comprehension skills.

Sentences from the students in the present simple:

1. I play tennis.
2. The train leaves every morning at 8:00.
3. They go to school every day.
4. We often drink coffee in the morning.
5. I am here now.

The teacher asks the students to explain how the simple present is formed.
The students respond: [Verb] + s/es in the third person.
The teacher writes the grammatical rule on the board as a review. The teacher believes
that repetition, writing and visualizing the rule on the board will reinforce learning and
help the students in remembering.
Complete by asking if there are any questions before continuing to today’s lesson.

The teacher then introduces today’s topic on the Present Continuous Tense:
The teacher draws a diagram showing the time span of the present continuous.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Past Present Future

The teacher writes some sentences on the board to introduce the Present Continuous.

You are watching television?

She is writing a letter.
He is learning English.

After three sentences the teacher asks the students to read the sentences out loud and asks
them, “What can you tell me about the present continuous? Can you see a rule or
pattern?”
The students should respond, “The verb ends in “ing”.”
The teacher asks the students, “What kind of action is taking place?”
Students should reply, “It is a continuous action”.

The teacher asks for volunteer students to go to the board and write sentences using the
verbs: come, dance, learn, sleep, and sit in the present continuous.
This activity helps the students begin to use and understand the use of the present
continuous.

The bus is coming.

They are dancing.
We are learning English.
Are you sleeping?
I am sitting.

After writing the sentences and with the help of the teacher, the students attempt to give
the grammatical rule and the teacher writes it on the board.

Rule:
I---am + verb + ing
He, She, It--- is + verb+ ing
They, We, You --- are + verb + ing

While Activity:
The teacher pairs students in groups of 2 and gives them 10 minutes to write a short
dialogue using the present continuous. She suggests a phone conversation.

Examples:
A. Hi Maria, What are you doing?
B. Hi John, I am listening to the news.
A. Will you be coming over tonight?
B. No, I am coming tomorrow.
A. Ok, have a good evening.

A. How is your English class going?

B. Ok, but I’m finding the pronunciation difficult.
A. It takes time. You could improve by listening to language CD’s.
B. That is a good idea.
A. I learn new English words best by writing them on a piece of paper and
sticking them on the fridge. I look at them every time I’m in the kitchen
cooking.
B. Maybe I’ll try something like that.

After 10 minutes, have the student’s present their dialogue in front of the class. This will
enable the students to develop their speaking, listening, pronunciation, intonation and
comprehension skills. Go over any new vocabulary words.
Give handout no.1 Allow 8 minutes for the students to complete the handout. The
students will be practicing writing the verbs in the present continuous.

A. Put the words in their correct order to make the proper sentence.
1. working mother your now is?
2. laughing why you are me at?
3. coming lunch they are for.
4. afternoon doing this what you are?
5. together flying are you?
6. making noise that who is?
7. Standing is he or sitting?
8. Meeting friends work after am I some.
9. Reading books their are they.
10. Making cake am I a.
Answers:
Is your mother now working?
Why are you laughing at me?
They are coming for lunch.
What are you doing this afternoon?
Are you flying today?
Who is making that noise?
Is he standing or sitting?
I am meeting some friends after work.
They are reading their books.
I am making a cake.

B. Write the verb in the present continuous.

Answers:
1. The children are ____________ (to watch) TV. watching
2. I’m (to sit) ______________because I’m too tired. sitting
3. Who are you _____________ (to write) to? writing
4. Sally is _____________ (to study) hard for her exam. studying
5. John is ____________ (to come) for dinner tomorrow. coming

Post Activity:
Review answers to handout 1.
Have students read their sentences out loud. Listen and correct student’s answers. The
teacher makes sure the student’s understand vocabulary and meaning of the sentences.
This is good practice for their speaking, listening and comprehension skills. Write the
answers on the board so that students will be able to see that they have written the
sentences and verbs correctly in their note books.

Homework:
Give handout no.2: Review Simple Present and Present Continue together.

Students are to complete at home for the following day and to practice writing in the
present continuous. The next day the teacher reviews and corrects homework with the
student’s participation. Review any new vocabulary words. Ask questions to verify
student’s comprehension of sentences.
 A. Write the verb in the present continuous.
(Answers in bold letters)

1. What _________________ you_____________ (do) tonight? (are, doing)

Would you like to go for supper?

2. ____________________you_________________ (do) anything on Saturday night? Do

you want to come over to my house? (Are, doing)

3. We _____________________ (have) friends over for a barbecue on Saturday. Would

you like to come? (are having)

4. ____________________you______________________ (stay) in town next weekend?

Would you like to go shopping? (Are, staying)

5. I ______________________ (read) the newspaper. (am reading)

6. She_______________________ (teach) at the university now. (is teaching)

7. __________he______________ (visit) his parents next weekend? (Is, visiting)

B. Practice the Simple Present and Present Continuous:

1. Every Monday, Mary (drive) ____________________her children to soccer practice.

(drives)

2. Usually, I (work) __________________as a secretary at the Montreal General

Hospital, but this summer I (study) ____________________Spanish at Education Canada
College. (work, am studying)

3. Shhhhhhhhh! Be Quiet! The baby is (sleep) ____________________. (sleeping)

4. Don’t forget to take your umbrella. It (rain) ____________________. (is raining)

5. I hate living in Vancouver because it (rain, always) ___________________. (it’s

always raining)

6. I’m sorry I can’t hear what you (say) __________________ because everybody (talk)
______________________ so loudly. ( are saying, is talking)

7. The delicious chocolate (be) ______________________made by a small chocolatier in

Laval. (is being)

8. Jerry (write, currently) _______________________a book about his adventures in

Switzerland. (is currently writing)
 The Past Tense

Name of Teacher: Maria Longo

Date: July 15, 2009
Time: 2 hours
Place: Education Canada College
Students: 8 adults from different linguistic backgrounds (Mexican, Haitian, Peru, India,
Italian) attending English language courses at Education Canada College. The students
are low intermediate.

Previous Lesson: The Present Simple

Objectives:
1. By the end of the lesson students will be able to speak utterances using the past
tense.
2. Students will be able to know the grammatical rule used to form the past tense.
3. Students will be able to express themselves, their cultures and interests with
others using the past tense.
4. Students will be able to develop oral fluency, listening skills, grammar and
pronunciation in an active way.
5. They will be able to write sentences using the past tense.

Linguistic Content: The Past Tense

Functional Language: I, He, She, They, We, You…+ the verb in the past tense

Vocabulary: Daily Vocabulary

Materials: Blackboard, Markers, Handouts

Procedure:

Pre-Activity:

The teacher briefly reviews the Present Simple. She asks the students to give her some
sentences in the present simple and she writes them on the board. The students are asked
to tell her how to form the Present Simple. She writes the grammatical rule on the board.
She confirms that everyone understands and or verifies that there are no questions before
continuing.
The teacher then creates another column to introduce the Past Tense.

The teacher asks the students if they understand what the past means. She gives them 2-3
minutes to explain their answers. She leads them in the answer, encouraging them as they
speak.
Then, the teacher gives the complete explanation:
The present tense is used when the action is done today or at the present moment.
If the action was done yesterday, or in the past, then we use the past tense. We will see
how the past tense is formed.

Draw diagram on the board to show the time of the past.

Past Present Future

Using the same sentences the students made in the present, the teacher writes the first
sentence in the past tense in the next column.
The teacher asks the students: “How would you write the second sentence in the past?”
The students attempt to convert the second sentence in the past tense orally and the
teacher writes it for them.
For the rest of the sentences, the teacher gives the students the opportunity to come to the
board and write the sentences in the past tense.

Making a comparison; reading the sentences in the present and then writing them using
the past tense.

PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE

I am here now. I was here yesterday.
Tom cleans the car. Tom cleaned the car.
He needs help right now. Yesterday, he needed help.
She has her passport in her hand. She had her passport in her hand.

Review again:
If the action was done yesterday, or in the past, then we use the past tense.
Grammar rule: It is formed by adding “ed” to the verb.
By examples: the teacher will show that there are regular and irregular verbs.

Regular Verbs: [VERB + ed]

Regular Verbs:
Work-----worked
Invite-----invited
Study----studied
Stop-----stopped
Clean----cleaned

Some Irregular Verbs:

Have------had
Go---------went
Do--------did
Forget--------forgot
Sing---------sang
Spend------spent

The teacher gives more examples on the board and involves the students to
participate with her in creating sentences in the past tense.

1. Teacher explains, “We use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started
and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually
mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.”

Examples:
T. I saw a movie yesterday.
T. I didn’t see a play yesterday.
Ss. Last month, I traveled to Mexico.
T. Did you have dinner last night?
Ss. She washed her cloths.
Ss. He didn’t wash his car.

2. Teacher, “We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past.”

Ex. I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
She arrived from at the airport at 8:00 and checked into the hotel at 9:00.

3. Teacher explains, “Used with duration which starts and stops in the past.”
T. I lived in Italy for two years.
Ss. They sat at the beach all day.
Ss. We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
Ss. Matthew waited for one hour.

4. Teacher explains: “Can be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past.”
T. She worked at the restaurant on weekends.
Ss. He played basketball.
Ss. I studied French when I was a child.
While Activity:
Conversations:

1. The teacher pairs students into groups of 2. Ask them to write the verb using the past
tense and then practice asking and answering the following sentences. Students are to
make 3 sentences of their own. Allow 8 minutes for conversation and then review their
answers with the rest of the class by reading the questions out loud. Ask different
students to come write the answers on the board. Visual and writing is a good method of
reinforcing learning. (Answers are found in bold letters.)

A: ______________you_______________ (stay) home on Friday? (Did, stay)

B: No, I_________________ (call) my friend. We_________________ (spend) the day
at the beach. (called, spent)

A: How _____________you______________ (spend) your last vacation? (did, spend)

B: I _______________ (go) to Barcelona to visit family. Everyone ___________(enjoy)
it. (went, enjoyed)

A: What ______________you______________ (do) last night? (did, do)

B: I _________(drive) to my friends house and we ________(watch) a movie. (drove,
watched)

A: _______________you______________ (do) anything special last weekend? (Did, do)

B: Yes, I______ (go) shopping. I_______________ (spend) all my money. (went, spent)

A: ______________you_____________ (go) out on Saturday night? (Did, go)

B: No, I _____________ (invite) some friends over, and I __________________ (cook)
dinner for them. (invited, cooked)

2. Pair students with a different partner and ask them to tell the other student what they
did last weekend using the past tense. One student listens, the other speaks. Then, they
switch roles. Allow 10-12 minutes. The teacher walks around listening to their
conversations and helping them when necessary. After 12 minutes, ask for volunteers to
share with the class what they did last weekend using the past tense.

Post Activity: Give handout for homework. Complete the sentence using the past tense.
Review answers next days.

1. She (arrive) ______________________ in Montreal a week ago. (arrived)

2. I (have, not) _________________this much fun since I (be) ________________a kid.

(didn’t have, was)

3. Donna, I don’t care if you (miss) _____________the bus this morning. (missed)
4. Terry, I can’t believe how much you (change) _________________ since the last time
I (see) ____________________ you. (have changed, saw)

5. I (tell) ________________________him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but

he (wander) _____________________off into the forest and got lost. (told, wandered)

6. They (watch) ______________________television last night. (watched)

7. I (finish) ____________work, (walk) _________________to the beach, and (find)

______________a nice place to swim. (finished, walked, found)

8. He (play) __________________the violin. (played)

9. They never (go) ___________________to school, they always (skip)

_________________class. (went)

10. She (work) ___________________at the movie theater after school. (worked)
 The Simple Future

Name of Teacher: Maria Longo

Date: July 25, 2009
Time: 2 hours
Place: Education Canada College
Students: 8 adults from different linguistic backgrounds (Mexican, Haitian, Peru, India,
French and Italian) attending English language courses at Education Canada College. The
students are intermediate level in English.

Previous Lesson: The Past Tense

Objectives:
1. By the end of the lesson students will be able to speak utterances using the future
tense.
2. Students will be able to know the grammatical rule used in forming the future.
3. Student will be able to communicate with others their future goals, plans,
opinions….
4. Students will be able to practice their speaking, listening, and pronunciation skills.
5. They will be able to write sentences using the future tense.

Linguistic content: The Future Tense

Functional language: (will + verb)
(am/is/are + going to + verb)

Vocabulary: Daily Vocabulary

Materials: Blackboard, Markers, Handouts

Procedure:

Pre-Activity:

The teacher reviews the past tense with the class.

The teacher asks the students, “When do we use the past tense?”
The students reply, "It is used to speak of a series of completed actions in the past."
The teacher gives the students an opportunity to go to the board and write some sentences
in the past tense. Teacher corrects if there are any errors.
The teacher then asks the students to give her the grammar rule used for the past tense
and writes it on the board.
Ask if there are any questions and answer any concerns the students have.
The teacher then introduces today’s lesson on the Future Tense. She draws the diagram
on the board to show the point in time that we are speaking about.

Past Present Future

The teacher writes some sentences on the board in the future tense.
Then, she asks if any student knows what verb we would write in the blank in order to
form the future tense. The teacher is encourages the students to try completing the next
few sentences.

1. I ____will____ (be) here on Saturday, but not Sunday.

2. My mother __is going to ___(visit) my sister at college. But my father and I
_will____ (be) home.
3. Sorry, we can’t. We_are going to___ (work) tonight. Can we come tomorrow?
4. Can we go to the late show? I _am going to____ (stay) at school until 8:00.

The teacher asks the students, “What verbs do you see in the sentences?”
The students are to reply, “Will and be going to.”
The teacher asks the students, “Can you tell me how we would form the future tense?”
Allow the students to try, to explain.

The teacher then explains the future tense.

The Future Tense has two different forms in English: “will” and “be going to.”
Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two
very different meanings. With time and practice, the difference will become clearer. Both
“will” and “be going to” refer to a specific time in the future.
Teacher writes on the board.

FORM WILL Use “Will” to Express a Voluntary Action.

“Will” often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily.

(Will + verb)
The teacher writes some examples on the board and then asks the students to form some
sentences and she writes them on the board as well.
Example:
1. T. You will help him later.
2. Ss. Will you help him later?
3. Ss. You will not help him later.
4. Ss. I will send you the information when I get it.
 5. T. I will translate the text, so Jerry can read it.
6. Ss. Will you help me move this table?
7. Ss. Will you make dinner?
8. Ss. I will not go to your house tomorrow.
9. Ss. I will call you when I arrive.
10. Ss. I will be careful.

The teacher and students form a dialogue. The teacher is A, the students B, who
will answer the teacher’s request. The teacher asks a question to each student, so
everyone has an opportunity to make a sentence using the future tense. This will
help the students in their speaking, pronunciation and comprehension skills in an
active way.

A. I’m really hungry.

B. I’ll make some sandwiches.
A. I’m so tired. I am about to fall asleep.
B. I’ll get you some coffee.
A. The phone is ringing.
B. I’ll get it.

FORM: “Be Going To,” to express a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to
do something in the future.

(am/is/are + going to + verb)

In the same manner, the teacher starts by writing some sentences on the board so the
students can visualize how it is written, with the use of the grammar rule, and then asks
the students to participate in giving her some sentences as she continues to write them on
the board.

Examples:
1. T. You are going to meet Tom tonight.
2. Ss. Are you going to meet Mary tonight?
3. Ss. He is going to spend his vacation in Montreal.
4. Ss. I’m going to be a teacher when I grow up.
5. T. Who are you going to invite to the party?
6. Ss. Who is going to make Terry’s birthday cake?
7. Ss. Mary is going to make Terry’s birthday cake.

While Activity:
1. The teacher pairs students into groups of two. They are asked to form a dialogue
expressing what they will be doing for their summer holidays next month. The students
practice asking and answering questions with the future tense. After 10 minutes, ask for 2
or 3 students to tell the class what they will do for their summer holidays.
Post Activity: Give handout for homework. Review answers the next day verbally and
written on the board. The teacher always gives the students opportunities to ask questions
for clarity, understanding and vocabulary words.

Fill in the blanks using: Will or Be Going To

1. Why do you have your pen and paper ready

I (write) _____________________ a letter to my friends back home in Mexico.

2. I’m about to fall asleep, I need to wake up!

I (get) ______________ you a cup of coffee. That will help you wake up.

3. I can’t hear the television.

I (turn) ______________________ it up so you can hear it.

4. We are so excited about our trip next month to Florida. We (visit)

______________________ Palms Springs, Orlando and Miami.

5. Matthew (come) _________________ to the party. Tom (be)

________________there as well.

6. Mark, it is so hot in here!

Kelly, I (turn) ___________________ on the air-conditioner.

7. I think he (be) _____________________the next manager of the store.

8. After I graduate, I (attend) _______________________the University to study

teaching. I have wanted to be a teacher all my life.

9. Excuse me; I need to speak to someone about our hotel room. I am afraid the
room is too small for four people. The man at the service counter (help)
_________________ you.

10. As soon as the weather gets better, we (walk) __________________down to the

beach and go swimming.

Answers:
1. am going to write 8. am going to attend
2. will get 9. will help
3. will turn 10. will walk
4. are going to visit
5. is going to come, will be
6. will turn
7. will be