Lesson Plan For Teaching Past Continuous Tense

What is the target form? (F)

Understanding English grammar specifically tense, i.e. the past tense and the past continuous tense.

What are the negative and question forms?

Negative forms are the sentences with a contracting word like ‘not.’

For example,

a) I will not come today.

b) Do not light the lamp without your mother’s directives.

Question forms are the sentences which end with a question mark. They are by the inversion of was/ were and subject. For instance;

a) Were they studying when he called?

b) Do you know how to write your name?

What is the function?  (M)

The grammar sharpens one’s language and a good way of expression.

What do students need to know about the pronunciation? (P)

Students should only know the rules of pronunciation.

What is the context I will use to introduce the form? (M)

It is formed using were/was a +present participle.

How will I try to elicit the past continuous from the students?

Give the students questions to attempt.

How will I encourage students to analyses the form (S+V) themselves rather than just telling them what it is? (F)

The students should be able to identify the parts of speech from a given sentence. Therefore, the ‘S+Verb’ will come out clearly.

What concept questions will I ask to check students understand how the form is being used/what it means?

Continuous tense verbs.

What timeline can I use to help students understand sentences such as ‘He was having a shower when the phone rang.’

2-3 weeks

How will I get students to practice the pronunciation?

Pick them randomly.

What controlled practice activities will the students do?

Make the students busy throughout and capture their attention.

What freer practice activities will the students do?

Writing down some verbs.

TIME

TOPIC

SUB-TOPIC

TEACHING RESOURCES

(Materials)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

(Students’ participation)

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

(Teachers’ role)

5mins

INTRODUCTION

Review of the previous lesson.

Number of students

12

Teenagers (14-16 years old)

Tense

Flash cards

Board.

The learner raises his/her hand and attempts to remind the other students about the meaning of tense and give some example.

‘tense is the category which expresses the time references regarding speaking moment.

The teacher

The teacher writes on the board the meaning of the ‘tense.’

‘’ Thank you for your explanation. Expressions of verbs according to the time of speaking is the one we refer to ‘tense.  For example, the verb ‘write’ when we construct sentences according to yesterday (past), today(present) and tomorrow (future)’’

Yesterday I wrote a letter to our class teacher.

He writes well.

I will be writing the duty roster tomorrow.

20mins

BODY

Tense

Past continuous tense

Pictures

Board

Learners are listening and taking down notes from the chalkboard.

They are observing the pictures on how past continuous tense is formed. Learners are giving their verbs in past continuous tense after acquiring knowledge from the photographs and written outline of past tense on the board.

Past continuous tense is formed from past tense of ‘be’ with –ing form of a verb (Alice, 1995, p. 5).

When we use past continuous tense, we refer to the past for something continued before and after another action (Beth, 1993, p. 13).

For example;

a) The men were digging the holes when I arrived home.

b) The children were watching the television during the daytime.  

20mins

Functions of the continuous

PowerPoint

board

The learners watch the slides of the features of the functions.

Learners take down notes on their exercises.  

A learner is given an opportunity to construct sentences. Learners are making groups for better understanding. Learner using the common verbs they frequently use daily, for example, eat, talk, walk, dance learn.

The learner to identify the past continuous in the sentences written on the board.

The teacher displays the functions of past continuous on the wall by use of the power-point.

Past continuous is used to show something has continued for some time (Tottie, 2002, p. 15).

For example;

a) My leg was aching severely when the cow stepped on me.

b) The people were shouting.

The past continuous is also used to show something which was happening again and again (Swan, 2005, p. 7).

For instance;

a) He was practicing daily, four times a day.

b) We were discussing secretly after school.

The past continuous is also used with the verbs that show growth or change (Peters, 2004, p. 17).

a) The siblings were growing up rapidly.

b) Her Kiswahili was improving.

What Past Continuous Uses (Quirk, 1985, p. 9).

Board

Power point

Video clips

The learner listens keenly and as well watches the video clips identifying the different forms of the past continuous.

Leaners are taking down notes as the teacher writes on the board.

Learners in groups to help each other in picking out the past continuous.

Learners are writing down their example on their exercise book.

Learners, we are going to discuss what past continuous uses. I would like you, learners, to listen keenly, take down the well.

First, the past continuous tense uses interrupted action in the past (Peters, 2004, p. 10). Continuous tense indicates that more extended action in the past was interrupted. This interruption continues shortly in the simple past.

For example,

a) She was watching a movie when he called.

Secondly , past continuous can be used as per the atmosphere (Beth, 1993, p. 11). The English atmosphere expressed by the past continuous often uses a chain of actions which are parallel to each other to describe a specific time of the past hence describing the atmosphere (Peters, 2004, p. 7). For instance;

a) When he stepped into the cyber, few attendants were tight up scanning documents, several were communicating through their mobile phones, the supervisor was giving the directions, and the clients were eager to be served. Two of the customers were screaming at the secretary as well as waving her hands. Most of them were unhappy to one another about the lousy service.

10mins

CONCLUSION

Past continuous.

Summary of the lesson.

Board

Two learners volunteer to attempt giving the summary of the lesson.

One of the students writes the main points on the board as the others help him/her.   

Today we have learned about the past continuous in grammar series.

Past continuous is formed by Past continuous tense is formed from past tense of ‘be’ with –ing form of a verb.

I urge you, learners, to continue practicing the roles of past participle in grammar. Now you will go to the library and do such research on past continuous.