Author: Ezeji Joy Ukamaka | Published on 1 March 2023
Read what Ezeji says about this activity:
One way to help our learners to use the present continuous is by putting it into a context that is related to their lives, such as chores.
Stage 1: Preparation
Before the lesson, prepare pictures of people doing some chores, e.g. washing plates, sweeping, mopping, cleaning, washing cars, etc. and cards with the words written out on to match.
Stage 2: Lead in & Vocabulary
Show the learners the chores one by one and asks the learners what chores they can see. Get the learners to repeat the words after you. Bring out more flashcards with the words written on them, say the word and ask the learners to match the word to the picture. Finally, get the learners to repeat the words after you.
Stage 3: Practice
Act out some of the chores written on the board to the class and ask the learners to guess what word you are acting out. Pair the learners up. One learner does the action/chore while the other says the word. Then they swap roles and, if time, partner.
Stage 4: Grammar
Write a number next to each flashcard on the board and say full sentences about the flashcards using the present continuous. For example, The girl is sweeping the floor, The boys are arranging the tables, I am tidying my room. The learners shout the number that matches the teacher’s sentence. Then the teacher says the sentences again and asks the pupils to repeat after her. Finally, write full sentences on the board and ask the pupils to match the pictures to their right sentences. If possible, use different colours for each type of word (black for the subject, blue for be and red for the main verb) to help the learners see the difference.
Stage 5: Grammar Practice
Draw a scene of action taking place in a home of people doing different chores. Alternatively, share a picture of a scene. Encourage the learners to say what is happening in the picture and write some example sentences under the picture. Ensure the actions are the same as the ones presented in Stage 2. Next, ask the learners to draw their own scene of action taking place in their home. Encourage them to write the action that is taking place underneath the drawing using the present continuous. As they work, give assistance where necessary. For feedback, ask the learners to stick their drawings around the room and decide which one is best. Alternatively, ask them to describe their drawings to each other.