Present Continuous Tense

Part 1 & 2
Language Learning | Second Language English
September 2010

TEACHERS OF INDIA
www.teachersofindia.org
Present Continuous Tense
Subject and Grade/Level:
English – Second Language for Grade 5-7

Duration: 4 hours (Part 1 - 2 hours & Part 2 - 2 hours)

Curricular Connection: State syllabus, Government of Karnataka. Applicable to all syllabi.

Introduction:

(i) The Need: Grammar is often taught in a vacuum as a set of rules to be memorized. It is often accompa-
nied by drill and practice. Neither the rules, nor the examples have anything to do with real life situations
and common every day usage. Drilling and practice of grammar is still sentence based and the context
is often missing. This is why even when the children do well in the exams they do not necessarily have
the confidence or the ability to speak or write in everyday situations. There is therefore a need to take
up grammar in an everyday context with examples from daily usage.

(ii) Importance: It is important for us to understand that we must open the doors of the class room to
look at the world of sign boards, hoardings, advertisements where grammar stares at us, signals us
and beckons us with an urgency of a hungry child. Only when this outside world is brought into the class
room or the class room is taken to the outside world that the marriage of the content and context takes
place and meaning is constructed. Then the grammar of language is revealed through everyday usage
resurrecting the missing link.

About the Author:

Nivedita Bedadur works as a Specialist, Academics and Pedagogy at Azim Premji Foundation, Bangalore.

Nivedita holds an M.Phil in English Language and Literature. She has worked for 27 years as a teacher,
Vice Principal and Principal in Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and as Principal of Dr D. Y. Patil Academy’s
Shantiniketan, Kolhapur. In recognition of her services she was given the Incentive Award for Teachers
in 2004 by the Human Resources Ministry.

Nivedita has contributed articles and poems for ‘Sangam’, the in-house magazine of Kendriya Vidyalaya
Sangathan. She has also written workbooks for the Maharashtra State Board syllabus and is presently
writing a structural and communicative grammar book for Class VII to be published by Encyclopedia
Britannica. Her areas of interest are ELT, teacher training and research.

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Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 2
 You can use the space
below to take your notes! Part 1
Present Continuous Tense
2 hours

Objectives:
1. The students will recognize the present continuous tense
2. The students will illustrate with examples the use of the present
continuous tense
3. The students will use the present continuous tense while role playing
‘The Hungry Wolf’
4. The students will sequence the events of the story and discuss it.
5. The students will use the present continuous tense to list a variety of
actions.

Support Material:
Keep the following material ready before starting the session.
• Copies of Resource 1
• Copies of Reading 1

Steps:
Step 1: Generating Interest

Start the session with the song ‘Brother John’. First sing it for them: “Are you
You can also create your sleeping, Brother John? Morning bells are ringing ding, dang, dong.” Ask the
own nursery rhymes. students to sing along with you.
Choose familiar topics.
What do children love?
What do they do? Here
are some topics: My red Step 2: Activity | Dramatization (40 minutes for a class of 16 children):
ball, my blue kite, Banu
is my friend, My Papa, My 1. Divide the class into groups of four. Give the text of the lesson to each
teacher, my mama……… group. Let them chose the roles and rehearse for a while. Practice dra-
matization.

2. Start the performance group-wise: While one group does the drama the
members of the other groups act as judges. They award marks out of 10.
You may use the following grid:

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 3
 Correct Clarity of Overall Total:
Acting:
Criteria/group Dialogue: speech: presentation: Out of 10
2 marks
4 marks 2 marks 2 marks marks

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

This activity can be done They will also write down the name of the best actor/actress – with the name
before or after teaching the
of the character. (This will help them to settle down while the other groups
lesson. If done before the
lesson, it becomes a trigger are presenting and not create indiscipline.)
for discussion and questions
and can be structured to help
critical and creative thinking.
The story is entirely in present Step 3: Recapitulation | Chain story (40 minutes for a class of 20 children):
continuous tense. Therefore
the objective of the drama is 1. Print out two copies of the dialogues from the lesson on cards as given in
to practice this tense. Resource 1

2. Divide the class into two groups and ask them to sit around in two circles.

Do not penalize the 3. Place the cards in the midst of each group and ask the students to sequence
students if the dialogues them. Then join the two circles and ask them to tell the story without referring
are not in present
to the text. Each student should tell one sentence of the story. They should tell
continuous tense. The
objective is to get the it in a dialogue form (in present continuous tense as far as possible).
students to use the
language without much Teacher’s Note:
conscious effort.
Form: The present continuous tense is formed in the following way: form of
the verb to be according to person + base form of the verb + ing = is singing
E.g.: The roof is leaking.
I am
you are
he / she/it is speaking
Source: www.ego4u.com

we are
they are

Function: The present continuous tense is used for:

a. Describing present action b. Describing future action

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 4
 You can use the space
below to take your notes!

Assessment:
Mime, a game

Step 1:

Ask the students to sit down such that they are all facing you. Instruct the
class to stay quiet while you mime five actions. After each mime give them
time to note down your action.
As mentioned above, the
present continuous tense is Step 2:
used for describing an action
which is happening. It is also Now ask the students to discuss which action you are going to do next. Write
used to describe an action their responses on the blackboard.
in the future usually with the
structure Verb to be + go +
ing. e.g. I am going to brush
my teeth. If your students
are ready for it you can also
discuss the concept of tense
and time. Tense is a gram-
matical category while time is
a functional category.

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 5
RESOURCE 1 1 of 4

Role play cards/chain dialogues cards:

Fox: Good morning Mr. Wolf.

Wolf: Good morning.

Fox: Why are you looking so dull, sir?

Wolf: I’m looking dull because I haven’t eaten anything for

three days.

Fox: Not eaten for three days! Why? There are so many
animals for you in the forest.

Wolf: There are. But, you see, I’ve grown old. I can’t kill big
animals. And small animals run away from me easily.

Fox: Oh, poor Mr. Wolf! What do you do now for your food?

Wolf: I’m going to the village to try my luck.

Fox: Wish you all the best.

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 6
RESOURCE 1 2 of 4

Wolf: Thank you. Are you coming with me to the village?

Fox: No, sorry, I’m going to the lake to drink water.

Wolf: (knocking at the farmer’s door)

Farmer: Why are you standing here?

Wolf: I’m very hungry. Bring me food. Be quick.

Farmer (standing still)

Wolf: What are you waiting for?

Farmer: I’m just wondering what I should give you. I have a

lot of rice, vegetables, bread and fruits in the house.

Wolf (shouting): Don’t be silly. Don’t you know that I don’t

eat rice, bread, vegetables or fruits? I eat only meat. Go
and get some.

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 7
RESOURCE 1 3 of 4

Farmer: I’m sorry Mr. Wolf. There isn’t any meat in my

house. I don’t eat meat.

Wolf: Kill your fattest goat and bring me all the meat.

Farmer (Thinking)

Wolf (shouting): Why are you standing there like an idiot?

Go quickly and get me the meat.

Farmer: I don’t have any goat or sheep on my farm.

(thinking) But I have a big fat horse. He is tied to the mango
tree. If you want you can kill him and eat his meat.

(The horse was surprised)

Horse: Who are you? What are you doing here?

Wolf: “I’m very hungry. I’m going to eat you. Get ready. Your
master who is standing there has permitted me to eat you.
He’s a fine man.”

(The horse looked at his master. He understood why his

master had sent the wolf to him.)

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 8
RESOURCE 1 4 of 4

Horse: Yes, My master is a fine man and a clever man too.

( to the Wolf )You see, Mr. Wolf, I’m eating this grass now.
I’ll finish it in a few minutes. Can you wait for some time,
please?

Wolf: No I can’t wait. I’m very hungry now.

Horse: If you are so hungry, you please stand behind me

and start eating me from the tail. After that you can kill me
and eat all my meat.

Wolf: Thank you, you are very kind. (It went behind the
horse and caught his tail in his mouth)

The horse jumped up at once and gave the wolf a hard

kick on his mouth. The wolf fell on the ground and started
howling in pain. Then he got up with great difficulty and
ran back to the forest with pain added to his hunger.

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 9
READING 1
The Hungry Wolf
Text of the Lesson: Lesson 5, Class 7: Karnataka State Board Text Book
“Good morning Mr. Wolf,” said the Fox.
“Good morning,” said the Wolf.
“Why are you looking so dull, sir?” asked the Fox
“I’m looking dull because I haven’t eaten anything for three days”, said the Wolf.
“Not eaten for three days! Why? There are so many animals for you in the
forest,” said the fox.
“Yes, there are. But, you see, I’ve grown old. I can’t kill big animals. And small
animals run away from me easily,” cried the wolf.
“Oh! Poor Mr. Wolf! What do you do now for your food?” asked the Fox.
“I’m going to the village to try my luck,” said the Wolf.
“Wish you all the best,” said the Fox.
“Thank you.” “Are you coming with me to the village?” asked the Wolf.
“No, sorry, I’m going to the lake to drink water,” said the Fox and went away.
The wolf went to the village and stood in front of the farmer’s house. The
farmer saw the strange visitor, came out of his house and asked him, “Why are
you standing here?”
The Wolf replied, “I’m very hungry. Bring me food. Be quick.”
But the farmer just stood still. The Wolf got angry and shouted, “What are you
waiting for?”
The farmer replied, “I’m just wondering what I should give you. I have a lot of
rice, vegetables, bread and fruits in the house.”
“Don’t be silly,” shouted the wolf. “Don’t you know that I don’t eat rice, bread,
vegetables or fruits? I eat only meat. Go and get some.
“I’m sorry Mr. Wolf,” said the farmer. There isn’t any meat in my house. I don’t
eat meat.”
“Kill your fattest goat and bring me all the meat,” ordered the wolf.

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 10
READING 1
The farmer stood there thinking. The wolf shouted. “Why are you standing
there like an idiot? Go quickly and get me the meat.”

The farmer said, “I don’t have any goat or sheep on my farm”. He thought for a
while and continued. “But I have a big fat horse. He is tied to the mango tree. If
you want you can kill him and eat his meat.”

The Wolf was very pleased. He went near the horse. The horse was surprised
to see the Wolf. The horse asked him, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
The Wolf replied, “I’m very hungry. I’m going to eat you. Get ready. Your master
who is standing there has permitted me to eat you. He’s a fine man.”

The horse looked at his master. He understood why his master had sent the
wolf to him.
“Yes, said the horse, “My master is a fine man and a clever man too.”
Then turning to the Wolf the horse said, “You see, Mr. Wolf, I’m eating this grass
now. I’ll finish it in a few minutes. Can you wait for some time, please?”
“No I can’t wait,” replied the wolf. “I’m very hungry now.”
“If you are so hungry,” said the horse. “You please stand behind me and start
eating me from the tail. After that you can kill me and eat all my meat.
“Thank you, you are very kind,” said the wolf and went behind the horse and
caught his tail in his mouth.
The horse jumped up at once and gave the wolf a hard kick on his mouth. The
wolf fell on the ground and started howling in pain. Then he got up with great
difficulty and ran back to the forest with pain added to his hunger.

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 11
You can use the space
below to take your notes! Part 2
Present Continuous Tense
Total time : 2 hours

Objectives:
1. The students will respond to questions in the present continuous tense.
2. The students will make sentences using the structure for the present
continuous tense
3. The students will give a running commentary of a cricket match
4. The students will describe pictures in the present continuous tense

Support Material:
• Resource 1: Copies of the cartoon / blow up of the cartoon.
• Drawing sheets, one for each child.
• Video clipping of a cricket match (with the sound on mute).

Steps:
Step 1: Generating Interest

Start the session with the song ‘Brother John’. First sing it for them: “Are you
sleeping, Brother John? Morning bells are ringing ding, dang, dong.” Ask the
students to sing along with you.

Step 2: Activity | Dramatization (40 minutes for a class of 16 children)

Word Map: Say the word ‘CRICKET’. Ask the students to say anything that
comes to their mind while thinking of the word 'cricket.' Build the word map
as the students provide the words. The students will require the map.

Cricket Commentary:

CRICKET
Fill in word
Fill in here
word
here

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 12
 a. Pair the students. Tell them that they will watch a video clipping of a cricket
match.

b. Before showing the video clip tell the students that they have to speak two
sentences describing what is happening on the screen like a commentary
while the match is on. Write the following questions on the board to guide
them. Who is batting? Who is bowling?

c. Let the students watch the clipping once or twice. Let them discuss the
vocabulary and target structure. Go around and help them with the target
structure.

d. Show the video clipping again. Now they come up in pairs and give a com-
mentary. Write the sentences on the blackboard.

Debrief:
Form and Function of the present continuous tense
Ask the students these questions:
• How is the present continuous tense formed?
• What are the uses of the present continuous tense?
Teacher’s Note:

Form: The present continuous tense is formed in the following way: form of
the verb to be according to person + base form of the verb + ing = is singing
E.g.: The roof is leaking.

I am
you are
he / she/it is speaking
we are

Source: www.ego4u.com
they are

Function: The present continuous tense is used for:

a. Describing present action b. Describing future action
Except for the last question,
in all the others the function
of the present continuous Step 3: Recapitulation Activity:
tense is to describe action in
the present. The last question Show or distribute copies of this cartoon and ask the questions given below
asks for an answer which
talks about the future time the cartoon. Except for the last question, in all the others the function of the
using the present continuous present continuous tense is to describe action in the present.
tense. Usually this function
of the present continuous
structure is limited to the
verb ‘go’. The structure is as
follows: Verb ‘to be’ + go + ing.
E.g. I am going to school.

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 13
You can use the space
below to take your notes!

Source: Children's Herald by Yogi Shettigar

1. Where is Suresh sitting? What is Suresh doing?
2. Where is Ramesh sitting? What is Ramesh doing?
3. Who is the teacher talking to? What is she asking?
4. What is the girl sitting next to Suresh doing?
5. Is the teacher aware of what Suresh and Ramesh are doing? Who is aware
of what they are doing?
6. What is going to happen next?

Assessment:
Mime, a game

Step 1:
Divide the class into two groups.

Group 1: Give a sheet of drawing paper to each child and ask this group to
draw a picture of a class. All of them will sit together and decide what to draw.
After that each one will draw the picture.

Group 2: Ask the other group to bring something they like, from the grounds to
the class. The group which has gone out will come back with their treasures
in their pockets. Give a sheet of paper to each member of that group.

Step 2:
Making a pair with one member from group 1 and the other from group 2:
Make a pair with one member from each group.

Step 3:
The pairs work together: giving instructions – drawing a class. The child who
has drawn the scene of a class will describe the scene without showing the

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 14
You can use the space
below to take your notes!
paper to the child who had gone out. The child who had gone out will draw
the scene according to the description.

E.g. the teacher is standing near the board. She is writing on the board. The
students are talking to each other.

Then ask them to compare the drawings and mark the differences.

What are you going to do with the treasure you have brought?

The child who gave the instructions will now ask the child who went out to
show what he brought. He will ask him what he is going to do with it. The child
will show the object and tell what he is going to do with it.

Debrief:

The two functions of the present continuous tense.

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 15
RESOURCE 1: CARTOON

Source: Children's Herald by Yogi Shettigar

1. Where is Suresh sitting? What is Suresh doing?
2. Where is Ramesh sitting? What is Ramesh doing?
3. Who is the teacher talking to? What is she asking?
4. What is the girl sitting next to Suresh doing?
5. Is the teacher aware of what Suresh and Ramesh are doing?
Who is aware of what they are doing?
6. What is going to happen next?

Present Continuous Tense | Nivedita Bedadur

September 2010   |  Teachers of India  |  Azim Premji Foundation 16