You need to prepare a PPP lesson plan, based on the PAST CONTINUOUS INTERRUPTED, with the information below. IMPORTANT NOTE: this is the first time the students have seen the past continuous.
You are not required to submit the actual materials, but do include a brief description of them. If necessary you can have another look at Unit 2 for a refresher on lesson planning and the PPP structure.
We’ve done an example lesson plan for you here that focuses on the present perfect simple to describe events that have happened at an unspecified time in the past, e.g. “I’ve swum in the Indian Ocean”, “She’s seen the Taj Mahal”, “We’ve flown a plane” etc. This will give you an idea of what you need to include.
Sample lesson guide
Sample lesson plan
See below for ideas for each stage of the lesson.
Lead-in
Teacher asks pairs to tell their partner 3 things they did that weekend. Feedback then board notes. S-S 5 mins
Reason: This will get students talking about the past, and will be a good transition into using present perfect.
OR
Pin up photos of places and activities around the back of room. When the students come into class, ask them to go around and memorise as many as they can. S-S 7 mins. Everyone in their seats (horseshoe). Get students to share as many as they remember. Go around each student.
Reason: This ensures they understand the places or activities. You revise useful language and set the scene, so you put students into the situation where they will need the TL. They find they haven’t got the language to express themselves here, and that’s when you jump into the presentation.
Presentation
Write 2 sentences on the board: “I have eaten snails” and “I ate snails yesterday”. Ask the students in pairs to discuss what the difference/similarities are between these two sentences in meaning and form.
After eliciting answers, review the differences and what the present perfect means: Talking about an action in the past without a time in the past. Write the sentence structure on the board, drill this a few times to practise the pronunciation/intonation and elicit and highlight form: have/has + past participle. Ask students to mark where it goes on a timeline including other tenses students have learned so far, just to double check they understand meaning. (12 mins) P/W & T-S
Reason: To encourage students to discover the meaning and form of the TL, and teach the correct pronunciation.
Important note
Concept check questions: Ask at least three questions using easier tenses than the language being taught to check students’ understanding. Remember these go at the end of the presentation stage, and they are to check understanding after teaching meaning. An example question for the sentence: “I have eaten snails” could be the present continuous: “Are you eating snails now?”. The answer is no, so if students say “no” then you know they understand the meaning of the tense. (3 mins) P/W & T-S
Reason: To check students understand the meaning of the target language before moving on. The questions go at the end of the presentation stage, after meaning, pronunciation and form.
Practice (controlled)
Activity on the board changing past simple to present perfect tenses, using some examples from lead-in if available. (18 mins) P/W
Reason: This will test the students to make sure they understand the form.
OR
Student worksheet on have/has with sentence completion. Correct as a class. (10 mins) P/W
Reason: Feedback and answers independently.
Production (free)
Pairs one is interviewer and the other a famous person. The interviewer asks about the famous persons past experiences…then swap roles. (22 mins) P/W
Reason: Teacher will elicit the use of the target language in a free practice setting.
OR
Tell students to get into pairs. They will be instructed to tell their partner two true facts about themselves and one lie using present perfect structure: “I have ridden a camel.” The partner will ask follow up questions and try to guess which fact is the lie. Teacher monitors then gives feedback. (10 mins) P/W
Reason: Students practice the target in a freer manner.
Your assignment
Now it’s your turn. Use the table below to complete your lesson plan. We’ve completed the pre-planning table for you which explains the target language you have to use (past continuous), the level, the length of the lesson and so on.
NOTE: there is no need to provide reasons like in the example plan.
Use this information to write your lesson plan. Here are a few check points for you to remember:
- Put the student/teacher interaction and timing at the end of each stage: e.g. S-S. (student to student), S-T (student to teacher) P/W (pair work) & G/W (group work).
- In the lead in; do not use the new TL.
- In the presentation stage; teach meaning, pronunciation and form (you must write the actual form so your tutor can see it). Note; you have to find a way for students to discover meaning, don’t simply tell them it.
- Don’t forget to actually write three concept questions at the end of the presentation stage. These are not to teach meaning, but to check understanding after they have learned meaning, pronunciation and form. Remember, when asking concept questions, we do not use the same structure we are testing.
Maximum 600 words
Lesson guide
Lesson structure
