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The present continuous

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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 is designed to introduce students to the grammar of the present continuous tense. The main objective is for students to learn how to correctly form statements that efficiently and accurately describe ongoing actions and events.

To begin the lesson, we will present a boardwork example to help the students understand the formation and usage of the present continuous tense. After this, we have several low-resource activities that focus on writing and pair-work speaking tasks. These activities will help the students apply and practice the new grammar skills they have learned. Finally, we will end the lesson with a couple of fun classroom games that reinforce the students' understanding of the present continuous tense.

Lesson Outline
Activities
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Boardwork
1Are you positive?
2In the present
3Picture this
Games
1Pictionary
2Charades
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Classroom activities

Low-resource ESL lesson plan

Use of the board

The students review the grammar of the present continuous tense.

Start by explaining how verbs change in the present continuous. Give an example of each spelling rule and add it to the top of the board. Next, illustrate how the tense is formed by taking a basic statement in the present simple and converting it into the present continuous. After that, work through the diagram, explaining how to construct present continuous statements in both the affirmative and negative. Finally, ask the students for some examples, add a few to the board and have them convert them into their negative form. If you can, lean on the L1 and let the students perform some translations.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
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Low-resource ESL activity

Are you positive?

The students make sentences using the target grammar for this lesson.

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

In the present

A pair-work writing activity where students write sentences in both the present simple and present continuous tenses.

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

Picture this

The students have to guess present continuous sentences from images that the teacher draws on the board.

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
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

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.