Blank Lesson Plan Template

Class: Past Continuous Tense Date_________________

Level and number of students:12 Intermediate

Lesson Duration:50 minutes
Aims/Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will have:
 Recognized the past continuous tense in authentic material
 Learned and been familiar with the forms and uses of the past
continuous tense
 Asked and answered questions in the past continuous orally
Assumptions: - The students studied the simple past grammar structure
- Are able to follow oral instructions
- Have the necessary vocabulary and fluency to ask questions during the oral task

Anticipated Problems: - Some students may struggle in recognizing the target structures during the
reading activity. In order to help this process, the teacher should provide
examples of what the students should be looking for, and help any students
who require more help individually if needed.
- Students may struggle with the grammatical rule that explains how to form
the past continuous. To prevent this, the teacher should write down key
points on the board while explaining, and leave them on the board for the
rest of the class if necessary.
- Students may not have the necessary vocabulary for the oral activity at the
end of the lesson. To help these students, the teacher should help them out
while they are thinking of the action to act out and provide suggestions if
needed.
Materials: - Picture
- Whiteboard
- Marker
- 12 copies of the worksheet

Warm-Up (5 min)
1. T greets Ss and asks them what they did last weekend.
2. After a few volunteers use the simple past to recount their weekends, T writes down the
following sentences on the board, making sure not to underline the verbs in the past
continuous tense yet.
- When we got to the house yesterday morning, the baby was drinking a bottle.
- He was waiting at home all day when she sent him the message.
- Alan was cutting the grass the other day when the snake appeared.
- I was not sleeping when you got home late last night.
3. T reads the sentences out loud, and ask Ss comprehensive questions about the sentences to
investigate their knowledge on the subject (e.g. When was the baby drinking a bottle?)

Introduction (5 min)
 1. T asks the Ss to get into pairs and write down which verbs they think indicate the longer
actions and which indicate shorter ones.
2. T goes over the answer with the students and underlines the verbs in the past continuous
tense.

Presentation (5 min)
1. T explains that the past continuous is formed by adding ‘was/were’ after the subject, then
adding ing after the main verb. T makes sure to write down the basic rule of the formation
of the tense (i.e. subject + was/were + main verb (+ing)
2. T goes back to the previous examples on the board and breaks down the sentences to help Ss
notice the application of the rule in the sentences they just read

Speaking Practice (5 min)

1. T displays the picture (at the end of the lesson plan) on the board and ask Ss to describe
what the people in the picture are doing, using the past continuous.
2. T provides feedback when necessary, encouraging the students that participate in the
activity.
Controlled practice (Worksheet) (15 min)
1. T hands out the worksheet for the Ss to complete in pairs.
2. T silently observes the Ss’ progress to make sure they are understanding how to form and
use the past continuous.
3. T then goes over the answers with the Ss, calling on different pairs to provide their answers
for different questions, in order to once again verify that the Ss understood the information
provided during the earlier parts of the lesson.

Production (12 min)

1. T divides Ss into two groups, by assigning each S a number and having odd numbered Ss be
part of group 1, and Ss with an even number form group 2. Ss should remember their
numbers.
2. T then uses the randomly assigned numbers to call one student from each group. Once the
two students are at the front of the class, T explains that the goal of the activity is for each
group to try and guess what their group member at the front was doing at the time
designated by T. In order to help their group out, the students at the front should act out
what they were doing, so their group can guess quicker. The group that answers correctly
the quickest wins the round. E.g. If T asks “What were you doing last Monday?”, the two Ss
at the front should whisper to the teacher what they did, and then Ss from each group
should try and guess what their group member did whilst the two at the front act out what
they did.
3. Call out different students, making sure everyone has a chance to act out and to provide
answers in the past continuous, until the allotted time is over.
Review (2 min)
1. T quickly reiterates the rule for the formation of the past continuous tense and makes sure
the Ss understand and have no questions.

Homework (1 min)
1. T asks Ss to write down five sentences that use one verb in the past simple and one verb in
the past continuous, so that they have 10 verbs total.
2. T dismisses the class.
Image

Worksheet (https://busyteacher.org/4943-past-continuous-worksheet.html):
 We make the Past Continuous with was / were+ …ing

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

I / he / she / it was singing I/he/she/it wasn´t singing Was I / he / she / it singing?

you / we / they were singing you / we / they weren´t singing Were you / we / they singing?

We use the Past Continuous to express:

a) Actions in progress at a moment in the past.

E.g.: last night at 9 o’clock I was reading a book.
b) Describing a scene.
E.g: It was an awful morning. It was raining heavily and the wind was blowing.

c) Actions happening at the same time in the past.

E.g.: My mother was cooking while I was reading a book.

CONNECTORS: as, because, when, while

A) What was Mark doing yesterday at …. ? Look at the pictures and write sentences .

Example: At 4 o´clock he was drinking wine.

1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
5. ______________________________
6. ______________________________
7. ______________________________
8. ______________________________
9. ______________________________
10. ______________________________

1. B)I Complete
_______(play)
with the cards while Mark
Past Continuous:
_______(watch) TV.

2. _______ (they listen)to music while they

_______(study)?

3. The bees _______(make) honey while the

Sun _______ (shine).

4. She _______(not/ learn) French while she

_______(live) with us.
C) Write sentences as the example using while.

Example : Mother / write / a letter – father / shave

My mother was writing a letter while my father was shaving.

1. Mark / ride / a bike – sister /play / piano

__________________________________________

2. Susan / draw / pictures – grandmother / tell / us / a story

__________________________________________

3. It / rain – we / play / tennis

_________________________________________

E) Write questions:

1. ______________________________________________________________________?
At 8 o’clock I was watching TV.

2. ______________________________________________________________________?
When I saw Mark he was playing football.

3. ______________________________________________________________________?
I was having a shower while my mother was cooking dinner.

4. ______________________________________________________________________?
When we arrived children were playing cards.

5. ______________________________________________________________________?
At midnight Mary and Sue were sleeping.

1. loudly / talk / very / Susan . _________________________________________________________

2. and / lunch / Mary / have / John _____________________________________________________
3.
D) accident
Build up /sentences
there to be/
withanthe
__________________________________________________________
correct word order. The verb should go into the Past Continuous.
4. write / she / not? ________________________________________________________________
5. with / she / go / who? ____________________________________________________________
6. the / stay / Linda / at / hotel? _______________________________________________________