Урок по грамматике. "Past Progressive Tense".
план-конспект урока по английскому языку

Date: 

Teacher: Marina Gushchina

Focus: focus on grammar Past Progressive Tense

Time length: 60 Minutes 

Class Level: B1 – Low Intermediate

Age group: ADULTS – GENERAL ENGLISH

Number of students:

Objective: Students will be able to tell what they were doing at or around  a particular time in the past

Potential Student Misunderstandings:

• The name of the tense (past progressive) conflicts with the time reference (past simple).
• Students may want to use the past simple (which would be incorrect to describe actions, happening at a particular time in the past).
• Students might want to use V-ing without Was\Were, which they think of as the way to talk about the past action at or around a particular time in the past.
• Spelling forms of the verb could be a problem (e.g. meet + ing, but not ‘shine + ing’).
• Some verbs rarely if ever take the -ing form (e.g. know, hear, like).
• Students might have a problem of using Was\Were correctly.

Materials:

Pictures

Handouts

Colourful pencils

Computer

Board

Markers

Timing

6 min

Warm-up

A picture of a friend on the board (see M1) with bubbles (Monday Paris, Tuesday London, Thursday Edinburgh, Friday Vienna, Saturday Saint-Petersburg).

T: tell the students a story about the friend who had a nice holiday

T: -Last year a friend of mine from Saint-Petersburg had a holiday. He travelled to Europe. He was in Paris on Monday and he was in London on Tuesday. He was in Edinburgh on Thursday. He was in Vienna on Friday and  he was in Saint-Petersburg on Saturday.

-Where were you during your holidays? Look at the words on the board. Use these words in your answers.

-Read them after me. (at the cinema\theatre\stadium, in the park, in the gym, in the countryside, at home, at my friend’s place)

S: read the words after the teacher in order to revise them and pronounce correctly

S:  answer the question, listening to each other

T:  monitor student answer the question, paying attention to the usage of Be in the Past

S: (possible answers)

-I was at home on Monday.

-I was in the park with my family on Saturday.

-We were at the cinema with my girlfriend on Friday…..

T: in order to avoid difficulties in the usage of was\were correctly teacher gives the students the task

-Now I want you to revise Be in the Past and do the task. Take cards and fulfill the excersise.

 (see M2)

-Will you work in pairs. The last three students work together.

S:  work in pairs T:  monitor student answer, help if necessary

T: summing up 

-Well, the time is up, let’s check.

S: some students answer, others check

1

Introduction

Introduce the objective: (written on the board in the “Objective” frame.)

Today you will learn how to tell what you were doing at or around  a particular time in the past

15

Presentation

T: (Telling a story, trying to capture students’ attention and explaining the task) -I want to continue the story of my friend Daniel, and tell you what he was doing during his holidays. So, look at the board and listen to me. Try to understand what he was doing at a definite time in the past \or at 11 a.m. on Monday….

(opening the bubbles on the board and writing the whole sentence\or opening the slide) (see M4)

• At 10 a.m. on Monday he was having coffee at a café.
• At 2p.m. on Monday he was visiting the Louvre.
• At 11 a.m. on Tuesday he was meeting his friend.
• At 4 p.m. on Tuesday they were going sightseeing in London.
• At 11 p.m. on Wednesday he was going to Edinburgh by train.
• On Thursday at noon he was listening to bagpipes at Edinburgh Castle.
• On Friday he was walking around Vienna and at 7.p.m. he was listening to an opera at the Vienna Opera House.
• On Saturday at 1p.m. he was still sleeping at home.

T (ask concept questions to see if the students have understood the teacher’s story\ presentation)

T:( possible question) Was my friend sleeping at 10 am. on Monday?

 S: ( possible answer) No , he was having coffee at a café. (No, he wasn’t.)

T: ( possible question) Was he visiting the Louvre or D’Orse museum?

S: ( possible answer) He  was  visiting the Louvre.

T: ( possible question) Was he going sightseeing in London at 4 p.m. on Tuesday?

S: ( possible answer) Yes, he was.

T: ( possible question) Was he listening to an opera or watching a film at 7 p.m. on Friday?

S: ( possible answer) He was listening to an opera.

T: ( possible question) Was he having lunch at 1p.m. on Saturday?

S: ( possible answer) No, he was sleeping at home. (No, he wasn’t.)

T: (explaining the rule) So, when we speak about past actions which were happening at or around  a particular time in the past we use Past Progressive tense. We form it with BE in the Past form and V-ing form of the main verb. E.g. He was having coffee at 10a.m.

T: (continue explaining the rule and writing on the board) We form negative form by adding NOT to WAS\WERE +V-ing. E.g. He was NOT having coffee at 10a.m.

-We form interrogative form by putting WAS\WERE before the subject (pronoun| noun ) +V-ing.

E.g. Was he having coffee at 10a.m.?

- If there is a question word (What\When\Where\Why) we put it before WAS\WERE.

E.g.  When was he having coffee?

20

Practice

Guided practice

T: (give out handouts and give instructions, organize checking)(see M5)

Let’s practice. Take papers, fulfill the exercise.

(whole-class structured activity)

S: (fulfill exercise in turn, check all together)

T: (give out handouts with the script of the song, give instructions and monitor the group work to see if the students understand the structure, organize checking)  (see M6)

-Listen to the song, read the lyrics and underline the sentences with the Past Progressive. Work in groups (5-6-6). Be attentive and don’t forget that forms of Past Progressive consists of 2 verbs!(WAS\WERE + V-ing).

S: (group  structured activity) listen to the song and fulfill the task.

T: Let’s check. (listen to all groups, correct and explain the mistakes, if there are any)

T: Now let’s sing the song all together and try to remember the forms of the Past Progressive.

S: (whole - group  activity)sing and remember the forms\ words

T: Now another task. Fill in the necessary word forms into the gaps. Work in groups. (see M6.1)

S: (whole - group  activity) read the words of the song and fill in the missing words of the song

T: Let’s check.( listen to all the groups, check if the students are ready for independent activity)

T: Well done, thank you.

(If there are students who have problems and don’t understand the grammar structure )

T: give them additional task and\or explain the material again individually.

T: (Now I want you to read a cartoon strip and underline the examples of Past Progressive tense).

12

Practice

Independent practice

T: (give out handouts and give instructions, monitor the work) (see M5)

Let’s continue practice. Take cards and write what you were doing or not doing last weekend. (see M7)

S: work individually

T: give instructions, monitor the work , listen to all the pairs, making notes of all mistakes.

Now , will you work in pairs (the last three work together) and ask and answer the questions about your last weekend.

S: work in pairs (asking and answering questions)

5

Evaluation:

T: (make an individual evaluation, ask students to write the answers on the A4 papers) (see M8)

-Thank you for your work. Now let’s see how well you remember the Past Progressive. Take the papers and answer some questions.

S: work individually 

T: collect the papers 

1

Homework:

Explain the homework task:

Find a photo from your last holiday and write a short story (5-7 sentences)  in the Past Progressive.

Interventions:

1. A student may not want to tell us about his\her last holiday.
2. A student may not know the necessary words.
3. A student may not be able to use WAS\WERE correctly.

Notes:

Maybe  there is too much material (many sentences in exercise 2 and  extra exercise with a song) which can be abridged if necessary.

At 10 a.m. on Monday

Have coffee at a café

He was having coffee at a café.

At 2p.m. on Monday

visit The Louvre

He was visiting The Louvre.

At 11 a.m. on Tuesday

meet his friend

He was meeting his friend.

At 4 p.m. on Tuesday

go sightseeing in London

They were going sightseeing in London.

At 11 p.m. on Wednesday

go to Edinburgh by train

He was going to Edinburgh by train.

On Thursday at noon

listen to bagpipes at Edinburgh Castle

He was listening to bagpipes at Edinburgh Castle.

On Friday

walk around Vienna

He was walking around Vienna

at 7.p.m. on Friday

listen to an opera at the Vienna Opera House

He was listening to an opera at the Vienna Opera House.

On Saturday at 1p.m.

 sleep at home

He was sleeping at home.

Last Saturday at 10 a.m.

Last Saturday at 7 p.m.

Last Sunday at 7 a.m.

Last Sunday at 2 p.m.

Last Sunday  at 9 p.m.