Lesson Plan
30.03.2010
Class description: II b group 1
Topic: PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS – EXERCISES.
Objective: The lesson aims to revise the usage of past simple and past continuous and provide more practice in writing sentences using both tenses. By the end of the lesson students will be able to differentiate longer situation and shorter interrupting event and associate them with correct tenses.
Aids: “Essential Grammar in Use” 2nd Edition Raymond Murphy CUP (pages 37, 253); additional exercise
Plan:
| Lesson stage | Activity | Procedure | Interaction | Timing | Anticipated problems | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm up | quick revision | -T says “Good morning students! Sit down, please. Now I’d like to check the list.” And she opens the class register and read aloud the names. - “Now let me check your memory. Is there anybody who knows the differences in usage of the past simple and continuous?” – the T waits for any volunteeres but if there are not any, she asks next question: “I see I have to help you a bit. So, which tense we use to talk about the background situation which normally is longer in a sentence?” – T wants to elicit answer past continuous. – “ Ok good , so move on. Now tell me when we use the past simple?” - “As I can see you remember at least something from the previous lesson. Now it is time to start our today’s exercises.” |
T-S S –T |
5 min | They can be a bit sleepy because it is their first lesson. - They may do not want to talk to the teacher. |
Students say good morning and then say present or absent. - They do not answer the first question but know the answer for the second one. - A few students know the right answer. |
| Controlled practice | grammar exercise – situations: past simple and past continuous - filling in the gaps |
- The T gives to students copies with exercises: “ These papers contain our today’s tasks. Please, take one and pass them on.” - “At first I’d like you to look at page 253 where you can find exercise 14.” There is the probability that students start talking and the teacher has to calm them down: “Can I have your attention, please? Stop talking you two.” - “Now, everybody please listen to me. As you can see in this exercise, there are 10 pictures with different situations in them. Your task is to complete the sentences below each picture. Firstly, you have to decide which activity in the picture makes the background of the situation and which is the shorter interruption. So let me discuss the example. The sentence is : It was raining when we went out. Look, in the picture you can see two people going out. They are wearing coats and hats and it’s raining outside. So the rain makes the background for this situation and the action of going out is the shorter event. Now I’d like you to complete the exercise in a way I’ve shown you.” - “Let’s start with the girl from the back. So, please tell me what can you see in the second picture?” – the T waits for the answer (e.g. a woman is going into the offce and there are two people sitting in their desks) and then the T says – “Now look at the sentence. The first part is already done for you. What tense is used in this first gap?” – the T wants to elicit answer past simple. – “Ok. good, so now what tense should be used in the second gap?” – the T wants to elicit answer past continuous. – “Well, very good. What’s the form of ‘work’ in past contiuous?” – the T waits for the answer were working. – “Well, almost good, but you have forgotten about one important feature of past cont.. Do you know what’s missing before ‘working’?” - the T wants to hear answer were. If she hear was, she will correct the girl. - “ Thank you. Did all of you write down the right form? For those who don’t hear the answer I’ll repeat it: were working.” |
T –S S -T |
6 min | - Ss may make noise passing the papers on. - S can have problems describing the picture. (lack of vocabulary or inappropriate grammar). - S may not know which tense is used here. - S may have problems with verb form. |
- Ss make noise but only for a while. - Some Ss start talking. - There are problems with sentence construction and inappropriate pronunciation. - S hesitates and gives wrong answer, then corrects herself. - S has problems with past continuous form of ‘work’. |
| Presentation | revision of tenses structure | - “I see I have to remember you the structure of a sentence in past s. and past cont.” – and the T writes on the board two examples : Past simple – I did / I work+ed we did /we work+ed Past continuous – I was do+ing / I was work+ing we were do+ing / we were work+ing - “Now look at the board. Please remember that in past simple we use the verb in second form or an infinitive plus –ed ending. And in past cont. we use was or were plus infinitive with –ing ending. Please remember that when doing the rest of the exercises.” |
T -S | 3 min | - Ss seem to see the difference now. | |
| Controlled practice | grammar exercise – situations: past simple and past continuous- filling in the gaps | - “We can go back now to our exercise. Now, next picure and next person. Please tell me what can you see in the picture” – the T waits for the answer. Then asks: “Is this situation completed or is it still in progress?” the T wants to elicit answer It is completed . – “So which tense we use when the situation is completed?” – the T wants to elicit answer past simple. – “So what’s the form of ‘open’ in past simple?” – the answer should be opened. – “Ok. well done. Now look at the picture nr 4. Please tell me what is happening in the picture?” -when a student give appropriate answer the T asks – “ Which situation makes the background in these pictures?” and the answer should be cooking/ preparing food. – “ Ok., so please, fill in the gaps with appropriate verb forms.”- if the forms given are correct the T moves on to the next picture. - “And again my question is what is happening in the picure?” – after a good answer the T continues – “ This example is a bit tricky. Can you tell me which of the two actions is the background and which is the interruption?”– the T wants the answer No, I can’t. – “Yes, we can’t find here background and interruption because both actions are completed. So which tense do you use in this sentence?- the T wants to elicit past simple . – “That’s correct. Let’s move on to the 6th example. Please tell me what can you see in the picture?” – after correct answer the T asks: – “Which situation is longer – the background, and which is shorter – the interruption?” – “So now, tell me the form of ‘look’ in past continous and ‘happen’ in the past simple.” – the answers should be was looking and happened. – “Ok. Very good.” - “Now, picture 7. And again, what can you see in the picture?” – a student describes the picture. “So which tense will you use to describe this situation?” – the T wants to elicit answer past continuous. – “Ok. Tell me the form of ‘not read’ and ‘watch’ in past cont. .” – the answer should be wasn’t reading and was watching. – “Good job!” -“And picture 8. What can you see in the picture?” – after a student’s answer the T asks – “Is this situation completed or not?” – the T wants to elicit answer It is completed. – “So wnich tense is used for completed actions?” –the right answer is past simple. – “Very good. Now give me the form of the verb .” – the T wants to elicit answer didn’t read. - “The exercise is almost finished . We’ve got only two examples left. Now picture 9. What is happening in this picture?” – after the description the T asks – “ Are those completed actions or still in progress?” – the T wants to elicit answer completed. – “Ok. so tell me the verb forms, please.” – and those should be finished, paid and left. – “Very well.” - “The last example. Please tell me what can you see it the picture?” – after the answer T says – “First of all, which tense can we use with stative verbs like ‘see’?” – the T wants to elicit answer past simple. – “If you don’t remember, please look it up in your notes” – the T waits until students find out the answer. – “Ok. , that’s right. Now you can fill in the first gap. What’s the form?” – the answer should be saw. – “Now look at the second part of tha picture and tell me, which situation is longer and which is shorter?” – the answer is: the man walking is the longer situation and the woman standing is the shorter one. – ”Now give me the forms of the verbs ‘ walk’ and ‘wait’.” – the T wants to elicit answers was walking and was waiting. -“This is the end of this exercise.” |
T –S S – T |
20 min | - S can have problems describing the picture. - S may have problems deciding which tense refers to completed actions and which to those in progress. - S can have problems describing the picture -S may have problems with verb form. - S may not understand the question. - S may have problems deciding which situation is shorter and which one is longer. -S may have problems with verb form. - S may have problems deciding if the situation is completed or not. - S may not know which tense is used with completed actions. -S may have problems with verb form. - S may not remember the rule. |
- There are problems with sentence construction and inappropriate pronunciation. - S deals quite good with the task. - There are problems with sentence construction and inappropriate pronunciation. - There is problem with past form of ’ring’. - There are problems with the form of verbs. - S has problems deciding if the situation is completed or not. -There is problem with past form of ‘pay’. - S do not remember the rule. |
| Controlled practice | grammar exercise – situations: past simple and past continuous – making the sentences | -“Now I’d like you to look at the second paper I gave you. There are six pictures and your task is to write sentences using past simple and past continuous. Now take a look at the example: They were having dinner when his phone rang. Who can tell me why the first part of the sentence is written in past continuous and the second in past simple?” – the teacher wants to elicit the answer: Past continuous in the 1st part because it’s the longer situation/ background. And past simple in the 2nd part because it is shorter situation/ the phone ringing interrupts the meeting. If the answer is correct the T starts doing the exercise. The T chooses the student to do the 2nd sentence. - “ What was happening in the picture?” – the teacher wants the S to answer using past continuous Two men were playing golf. Then she asks – “ And what interrupted the game?” – the T wants the S to answer using past simple It started to rai. /It started raining. If the answers are correct the T says – “I’d like you to come to the board and write this sentence.” The T repeats this instruction with the remaining four sentences. |
T –S S –T |
10 min | - Ss may be tired after the first exercise. - Ss may use different expressions to say what is in the pictures. - They may be unwilling to go to the board. |
- They are a bit tired. - There come various expressions regarding ‘rain’ (it started to rain or it started raining). - They are eager to go to the board. |
| Termination | ending a lesson and setting homework | - “It’s time to finish now.” - “Please do the rest of the exercises at home. And we will see again after 10 minutes.” |
T –S | 1min | - Ss may make noise because of oncoming break. | - They are impatient and make noise. |
Additional possibilities:
If there is enough time the teacher will start doing ex. 14.2.