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Lesson Link: Basic

Lesson Plan 2: Present Continuous (1)

Oxford Practice Grammar Basic – Unit 5
The Oxford Practice Grammar Basic Lesson Plans and Worksheets has been published as a
resource for teachers to accompany the classroom use of the Oxford Practice Grammar series.
The Lesson Plans and Worksheets book includes 21 ready-prepared lessons each based on a
particular unit in the book. Each lesson provides the right amount of material for one lesson
and plenty of practice and extension activities to build confidence. Try this sample lesson from
the book with your class and see how they progress with grammar.

At a glance
1 This lesson focuses on the use of the Present 3 Exercises A and B in the book provide controlled
Continuous to describe: practice of the tense.
n actions and situations in progress now 4 The worksheet ‘An email to a friend’ extends
n actions and situations around now, but not Exercise B in the book, and also provides an
exactly now. opportunity for students to practise the two uses
of the Present Continuous in a freer writing
2 A noughts and crosses game focuses on the
spelling of the -ing form. activity.

Lesson length now.] Will he stop sleeping now or after now?

45–60 minutes [After now.]
Preparation 3 Ask: What tense is this? [Present Continuous.] Does
n Prepare a simple picture of a man sleeping (similar it describe George’s regular habit or the situation
to the first picture in Exercise A on page 10). The now? [The situation now.]
picture must be large enough so that all the * student support If students need further
students can see it on the board. information about the use of the Present Simple
n Photocopy enough Student A worksheets for half to describe regular habits, direct them to Unit 3
the class and enough Student B worksheets for the ‘Present Simple (1)’. For information and exercises
other half of the class. contrasting uses of Present Simple and Present
Continuous, see Unit 7.
Demonstration 1
Form (1)
1 Show a picture of someone sleeping. Say to the
class: This is my friend George. Point at your watch 1 Underline the be + -ing components of the
or a clock, and say: George eats a sandwich at Present Continuous on the board:
this time every day. Point to the picture of George
sleeping and say: What about today? Is it true George is sleeping.
today? [No.] Say: At the moment, … and see if the George isn’t eating a sandwich.
students can finish the sentence in either of these
two ways: … George is sleeping. … George isn’t 2 Direct the students to look at all the forms of the
eating a sandwich. Present Continuous on page 10.
2 If the class needs help, say the sentences yourself, Spelling of the -ing form (2, 3)
and tell students to repeat them. Then write the 1 Tell the students to close their books. Write the
sentences on the board. following verbs on the board and invite different
students to come to the board to write the -ing
Clarification 1 forms:
Use 1 – actions and situations in progress no (4)
1 Draw this timeline on the board: work read sit write

Past X Future 2 Leave the students’ spellings on the board. Tell

the students to look at page 10 to see whether
sleeping the spellings are correct or not. They should pay
2 Point to the X on the timeline and ask: What time particular attention to the irregular spellings. Let
is this? [Now.] Point to the wavy line and ask: Did students come to the board to make any adjustments
George start sleeping now or before now? [Before that are necessary.

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 Lesson Link: Basic – Oxford Practice Grammar – Present Continuous (1)

* student support If students need further Clarification 2

information about the spelling of the -ing form,
Use 2 – actions and situations around now, but
direct them to Appendix 2, page 243.
not exactly now (4)

Practice 1 1 Referring to your sentence from Demonstration

2, ask: Am I sleeping at my parents’ house at this
Warm-up (two teams) moment? [No.] and: Do I always sleep at my parents’
n Tell students to close their books. Draw the house? [No.] What about last night? [Yes.] And
following noughts and crosses grid on the board: tonight? [Yes.]
2 Draw this timeline on the board:
win shop travel
get dance play Past X Future
shine listen swim
sleeping
n Arrange students in two teams, O and X. Teams
take turns to choose a verb and spell the -ing form Use the timeline to show the students that the
correctly out loud. If the spelling is correct, put an Present Continuous can also be used to talk about
X or O in the appropriate square. Teams compete to actions and situations in progress around now but
not exactly at the moment we speak.
make a line of three Os or Xs.
n Play another round using the same verbs, or Practice 2
different ones from Appendix 2 on page 243.
Worksheet (individuals, pairs)
Exercise A (pairs)
an email to a friend
n Put the students in pairs to complete Exercise A. n Show the class the Student A and Student B
They should discuss the pictures before writing their worksheets and tell them that each of the two
sentences. Allow about ten minutes for this stage, worksheets has a different email on it. Divide the
then check the answers with the whole class. class into pairs, giving one student in each pair a
Student A worksheet, and the other a Student B
Exercise A Extension activity (pairs) worksheet. Give the class five to ten minutes to
memory game complete the emails by putting the verbs in brackets
n Put the students back into the same pairs, indicating into the correct form.
who is A and B in each pair. n Put the students into AB pairs to test each other.
Each student has the correct answers for their
n Student A closes her/his book. Student B chooses partner on their worksheet.
one of the sentences for one of the pictures, e.g.
They are sitting in the garden. Student A must say n Remind students that they have looked at two pieces
the other sentence from the exercise, e.g. They of writing containing different uses of the Present
aren’t working. Continuous in this lesson – a postcard and an email.
They are now going to do a short piece of writing
n After a few turns, Student B closes his/her book, themselves using this tense.
and is tested by Student A. n Direct the students to Exercise 2 on the worksheet.
Exercise B (individuals) Ask them to read the prompts. Give them a few
minutes to think about their ideas and to make
n Direct the students to Exercise B and the notes. Point out that they will need both uses of the
accompanying picture. Ask the students: What kind Present Continuous in their writing.
of text is this? Give them thirty seconds to find the
n When the students start writing, go round the class
answer. [A postcard.]
and give support and guidance where needed. It
n Give the students five to ten minutes to complete will probably take students about fifteen minutes to
the exercise. Allow them to compare their answers complete their texts.
with a partner before you check the answers with n Encourage students to read each other’s work when
the whole class. they have finished.

Demonstration 2 Exercise C
1 Refer the class back to Exercise A by asking: What’s n You might like to set this exercise for homework.
George doing? [He’s sleeping.] Say to the class: I’m * where student support or Appendix is suggested
sleeping at my parents’ house this week. Write it on please refer to appropriate pages in Oxford Practice
the board. Grammar Basic

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 Present Continuous (1) Worksheet

An email to a friend
Student A

1 Complete Pete’s email by putting in the correct form of the verb in brackets ( ).

Hi Jim
Thanks for your postcard. I think I need a holiday too – everything’s a bit crazy here at
the moment!
I’m sleeping in the living room because my aunt (1) (stay) with us this week.
Tom’s worried about his exam. He (2) (study) more now because he wants to get
a good mark. And my father’s not very happy. He (3) (take) some medicine
so he can’t drink beer at the moment.
One good thing – we (4) (eat) in a restaurant this week, because our oven
is broken!
See you soon, Pete

Student B’s answers

1 am sleeping 2 is working 3 is staying 4 am going

2 Write a short email to a friend. Use the Present Continuous to tell your friend about:
n the weather today
n how you are feeling
n what you are doing at the moment
n something that you are (or someone you know is) doing differently today or this week, and why.

Dear

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 Present Continuous (1) Worksheet

An email to a friend
Student B

1 Complete Zoe’s email by putting in the correct form of the verb in brackets ( ).

Hi Jenny
Thanks for your postcard. I think I need a holiday too – everything’s a bit crazy here at the moment!

My aunt is staying with us this week. She’s got my bedroom, so I (1) (sleep)

in the living room. Anna’s not in the office this week because she (2) (work)

at home. Jill doesn’t feel well, so she (3) (stay) at home today.

And I (4) (go) to work by bike this week, because my car’s in

the garage for repairs. I’m feeling really tired!

See you soon,
Zoe

Student A’s answers

1 is staying 2 is studying 3 is taking 4 are eating

2 Write a short email to a friend. Use the Present Continuous to tell your friend about:
n the weather today
n how you are feeling
n what you are doing at the moment
n something that you are (or someone you know is) doing differently today or this week, and why.

Dear

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