D-04.04 Use the Present Continuous in Affirmative & Negative Statements, Questions, & Answers

Unit 6 (The Present Continuous: “What’s Happening?”) of the Original Scenario: English Grammar in Context, pages 59-68

10 pages 

Who It’s For: (Teachers & Helpers of) Beginning to Intermediate Language Learners      

Why It’s Useful: “Traditional” teachers of the Present Continuous (previously called “the Present Progressive Tense”) usually present/handle it as a way to express “action at the current moment” or in an “extended present time frame.” Verbs with “Non-Action” meanings appear in the simple form. Affirmative & Negative Statements & Questions are used to describe “Scenes in Which Many Things Are Going On,” pantomimed movements, and real-life actions. This classic segment illustrates how it “used to be done.”   

What You’ll Do: 

[1] In the Scenario: Homesickness, read (aloud) the two travel letters, noting uses of the Present Continuous. Then complete Comprehension Checks 1a-1c, go over rules and patterns (including those for spelling –ing Verbs), and do  the exercises that follow.

[2] For the “Talking It Over” Sections on pages 64 & 67 and the “Writing It Down” activities on page 68, choose appropriate levels of difficulty for participants. Follow instructions that interest you/your students. Omit, change, and/or add steps as called for. Overall, take advantage of tried-and-true but still effective ways of learning to use (new) sentence structures and follow grammar rules in realistic contexts. Then do whatever it takes to keep learners using them when called for in “real life.”