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Present continuous: Questions

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Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Beginner+/A1
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Grammar
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
45-60 min
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Low-Resource
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Overview

This beginner-level ESL lesson plan focuses on teaching students how to form and respond to questions in the present continuous tense. By the end of this lesson, students will better understand the structure and usage of this tense, which will help them engage in dynamic conversations about ongoing actions and events.

We start the lesson with a suggestion for boardwork that highlights one effective way to present the target language. Next, students will engage in several low-resource activities involving grammar and collaborative speaking exercises. To finish off the session, we will play a game or two to help solidify the students' understanding of present continuous questions.

Lesson Outline
Activities
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Boardwork
1Q & A
2Daily mime
3Present continuous mime
Games
1Pictionary
2Charades
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Classroom activities

Low-resource ESL lesson plan

Use of the board

The students look at how questions are formed using the present continuous tense.

Demonstrate how to form questions in the present continuous tense by converting a basic present continuous statement into a question. Add a few examples that use different pronouns and elicit example short answers for each. Finally, complete the grammar representation with help from your students and have them spend a few minutes working in pairs making example wh- questions from the diagram. Add the best ones to the board and ask for L1 translations to confirm their understanding of the language.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
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Low-resource ESL activity

Present continuous: Q and A

A writing activity where students create questions and possible answers from a list of prompts.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
This lesson plan is exclusive to TEFLHandbook members. Join today and get instant access to our expanding library of teaching resources.
Low-resource ESL activity

Daily mime

Students have to guess which routine activity the teacher is performing.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
This lesson plan is exclusive to TEFLHandbook members. Join today and get instant access to our expanding library of teaching resources.
Low-resource ESL activity

Present continuous mime

The teacher mimes some simple activities for the rest of the group to guess.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
This lesson plan is exclusive to TEFLHandbook members. Join today and get instant access to our expanding library of teaching resources.

Classroom games

Low-resource ESL activity

Pictionary: Present continuous

Players have to draw images on the board to get their classmates to shout out the correct verb in its continuous form. 

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
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Low-resource ESL activity

Charades

Players have to mime as many verbs as they can in 30 seconds. 

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
This lesson plan is exclusive to TEFLHandbook members. Join today and get instant access to our expanding library of teaching resources.