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Grade 7 Lesson Plan: The Present Continuous Tense

Lesson Plan · Grade 7 · English

Grade 7 Lesson Plan: The Present Continuous Tense

Lesson Plan: The Present Continuous Tense

1. At a Glance

  • Subject: English as a Foreign Language (EFL / ESL) — Aligned with Global Success 7
  • Topic: The Present Continuous Tense (Form, Uses, Spelling Rules, and Signal Words)
  • Thematic Context: Energy Conservation & Everyday School/Home Activities (Reading, Sports, Studying, Conserving Resources)
  • Target Audience: Grade 7 (Class size: 36 students)
  • Proficiency Level: CEFR A2 (Elementary / Waystage)
  • Allocated Time: 45 minutes (Single standard period)
  • Methodological Framework: PPP (Presentation – Practice – Production) embedded within Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) using a Guided Inductive Grammar Approach


2. Objectives & Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to achieve the following competencies:

A. Language Knowledge & Structure

  • Form: Accurately identify and form affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences using the Present Continuous Tense:
  • Affirmative:  Subject + am/is/are + Verb-ing 
  • Negative:  Subject + am/is/are + not + Verb-ing 
  • Interrogative:  (Wh-) + Am/Is/Are + Subject + Verb-ing? 
  • Time Expressions: Recognize and use at least four key time markers that signal actions happening now or in the current timeframe (now, right now, at the moment, at present, Look!, Listen!).
  • Spelling Rules: Apply three core spelling rules when adding -ing to base verbs (dropping silent -e, doubling single final consonants in CVC monosyllables, and retaining -y).

B. Communicative & Cognitive Functions

  • Usage: Differentiate between actions happening right at the moment of speaking (e.g., Minh is turning off the tap right now) and broader ongoing activities taking place around the present period (e.g., Our school is running a green campaign this month).
  • Contrast: Distinguish between habitual actions (Present Simple) and temporary actions in progress (Present Continuous).

C. Practice & Performance

  • Accuracy: Complete controlled conjugation drills and error-identification tasks with at least 80% accuracy.
  • Production: Fluently ask and answer questions about ongoing actions and energy-saving measures during a simulated classroom survey ("The Green Patrol").


3. Material & Resources Needed

  • Teacher Materials:
  • Laptop, multimedia projector, and speaker for audiovisual input.
  • Slide deck featuring warm-up photo comparisons, contextual comic dialogue, anchor charts, and visual prompts.
  • Whiteboard, erasable color markers (red for auxiliaries, blue for verbs, green for time markers).
  • Student Materials:
  • English 7 Textbook (Global Success) and notebooks.
  • Printed Student Handout (Controlled grammar exercises and error correction).
  • Set of 9 "Green Patrol Inspector" role-play cue cards (1 set per group of 4).
  • Printed Exit Ticket slips (36 copies).


4. Key Concepts & Anticipated Difficulties

Core Grammatical Summary

  1. Sentence Formulas:
  • Affirmative (+):  S + am / is / are + V-ing  (e.g., I am studying. / He is saving energy. / They are playing sports.)
  • Negative (-):  S + am / is / are + not + V-ing  (e.g., We are not wasting electricity. / She isn't reading.)
  • Yes/No Question (?):  Am / Is / Are + S + V-ing?  $\rightarrow$  Yes, S + be.  /  No, S + be + not. 
  • Wh- Question:  Wh-word + am / is / are + S + V-ing? 
  1. Spelling Conventions for V-ing:
  • Regular verbs: add -ing (read $\rightarrow$ reading, play $\rightarrow$ playing).
  • Verbs ending in silent -e: drop -e and add -ing (save $\rightarrow$ saving, use $\rightarrow$ using).
  • Monosyllabic verbs ending in Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC): double the final consonant (run $\rightarrow$ running, tap $\rightarrow$ tapping, stop $\rightarrow$ stopping).
  • Verbs ending in -y: keep -y and add -ing (study $\rightarrow$ studying, play $\rightarrow$ playing).
  1. Signal Words: now, right now, at the moment, at present, Look!, Listen!.

Anticipated Difficulties & Pedagogical Remedies

Anticipated Difficulty
Concrete Student Error
Pedagogical Solution & Teacher Intervention
1. Auxiliary Omission
Students omit am/is/are: "He saving electricity." or "They turning off lights."
The Twin-Engine Airplane Metaphor: Explain that the continuous verb is like an airplane with two engines: Engine 1 = Auxiliary ( am/is/are ) and Engine 2 = Action ( V-ing ). A plane cannot fly with only one engine! Use prompt fingers (two fingers held together) when eliciting corrections.
2. Spelling Oversights
Writing makeing, saveing, runing, or changing study to studying incorrectly.
Display an Anchor Chart on the board. Highlight the CVC pattern using colored markers. Have students chant: "One vowel, one consonant at the end $\rightarrow$ double it before -ing! Silent -e goes bye-bye!"
3. Tense Confusion (Simple vs. Continuous)
Confusing habitual routines with temporary actions: "Look! He turns off the fan."
Use a comparative visual timeline: a repeating circle for habits (every day $\rightarrow$ Present Simple) versus a flashing point in motion (right now $\rightarrow$ Present Continuous). Apply Concept Checking Questions (CCQs).


5. Instructional Sequence (45 Minutes)

Time & Stage
Stage Objective
Teacher Activities (Guiding Questions, CCQs & Error Handling)
Student Activities
Interaction Pattern
Materials & Media
Warm-up (5 mins)
Activate schema, introduce the energy-saving theme, and build curiosity.
- Projects Slide 1 displaying two contrasting classrooms: Classroom A: Empty room, bright daylight, 6 ceiling lights blazing, air conditioner running, computers idling. Classroom B: Students turning off switches, curtains open for natural sunlight, unneeded appliances unplugged. - Asks guiding questions: 1. "Look at Classroom A and Classroom B. What differences can you spot?" 2. "In which classroom are people saving energy? What is happening in Classroom B right now?" - Accepts student responses and revoices them naturally: "Yes! In Classroom B, they are switching off the lights! Today we will learn how to describe actions happening right now!"
- Observe the projected images attentively. - Spot the visual differences and call out observed vocabulary (lights, wasteful, save electricity, switch off). - Identify the positive environmental behavior and connect to the lesson topic.
Whole Class (T $\leftrightarrow$ S)
Laptop, Projector, Slide 1 (Comparative Classroom Visuals)
Presentation (10 mins)
Inductively discover grammatical form, spelling rules, time markers, and functions via contextual dialogue.
Step 1: Contextual Input - Projects a short comic dialogue between Lan and Minh on "Green School Day": Lan: Hi Minh! What are you doing in the science room? Minh: I am unplugging the laptop chargers right now. Lan: Look! The ceiling fans are running in Room 7, but nobody is sitting inside! Minh: Oh no! We are turning them off at the moment to save electricity. Step 2: Guided Inductive Discovery - Asks targeted Guiding Questions: 1. "Look at Minh's action. Is he unplugging the chargers every day as a habit, or is he doing it at this exact moment?" $\rightarrow$ (At this exact moment!) 2. "Which words in the dialogue show us the time of the action?" $\rightarrow$ (right now, Look!, at the moment). 3. "Look at the verb phrases: 'am unplugging', 'are running', 'is sitting', 'are turning off'. What two structural parts do all of them share?" Step 3: Handling Student Errors in Rule Deduction - If a student answers: "We just add -ing to the action verb." - Teacher Intervention: Points to the dialogue text: "Look closely at 'I am unplugging'. Can we say 'I unplugging'? No! What word comes before -ing?" Elicits am/is/are and introduces the Twin-Engine Rule. Step 4: Concept Checking Questions (CCQs) - CCQ 1: "Are these actions completed or still happening?" $\rightarrow$ (Still happening / in progress). - CCQ 2: "Can we say 'He are saving energy'? Why not?" $\rightarrow$ (No, 'He' takes 'is'). - CCQ 3: "What happens to the letter -e in 'save' when we add -ing?" $\rightarrow$ (Drop it $\rightarrow$ saving). Step 5: Board Synthesis - Writes formulas on the board in 3 colors: $(+)~S + \text + V\text$ $(-)S + \text + \text + V\text$ $(?)\text + S + V\text?$ - Summarizes the 4 key time markers: now, right now, at the moment, at present.
- Two students volunteer to read the dialogue aloud in character. - Underline target verb phrases and time expressions in their notes. - Answer inductive questions and collaboratively formulate the grammar rules. - Recite and record the formula, spelling tips, and signal words in their notebooks.
T $\leftrightarrow$ S, Pairs to Whole Class
Slide 2 (Comic Dialogue), Board, Multi-color Markers
Practice (12 mins)
Consolidate grammatical form and accuracy through controlled and semi-controlled tasks.
Part 1: Controlled Drill (5 mins) - Distributes the Student Handout. - Sets a 3-minute timer for Task 1 (5 fill-in-the-blank sentences focusing on verb conjugation and spelling changes: save $\rightarrow$ saving, run $\rightarrow$ running, study $\rightarrow$ studying). - Has students do a 1-minute peer swap check. Calls 2 pairs to write answers on the board; conducts rapid whole-class confirmation. Part 2: Semi-Controlled Practice (7 mins) — "Spot the Energy Action" - Projects Slide 3: An energetic campus scene depicting 5 numbered students: 1. Nam (turning off a dripping outdoor tap) 2. Tom & Duy (leaving the computer lab lights on without turning them off) 3. Mai & Hoa (collecting scrap paper into a recycling bin) 4. Phong (reading an environmental science book under a tree) 5. Linh (playing badminton on the sports court) - Directs students to work in pairs: Write 3 affirmative sentences describing students doing positive actions and 2 negative sentences identifying who is NOT wasting energy or resources. - Circulates dynamically, providing immediate non-intrusive feedback (e.g., pointing to the Twin-Engine cue card if an auxiliary is missing).
- Work individually on Task 1 (Handout Section A). - Peer-review answers with desk partner; self-correct mistakes in green pen. - Work in pairs for Part 2: discuss the campus picture, negotiate meaning, and write 5 descriptive sentences into Section B. - Share sentences aloud when selected by the teacher.
Individual (5 mins) $\rightarrow$ Pair Work (S $\leftrightarrow$ S, 7 mins)
Student Handout (Task 1 & 2), Slide 3 (Visual Campus Scene), Digital Timer
Production (13 mins)
Enable free communicative application of the tense in an authentic student-centered role-play.
Activity: "The Green Patrol Inspection" - Divides the class into 9 groups of 4 students. - Context: Each group represents a student "Eco-Inspection Team" checking various school zones during the morning break. - Role Distribution: - Inspector 1: Classroom Area (checking lighting & fans) - Inspector 2: Library (checking reading behavior & table lamps) - Inspector 3: Computer Lab (checking monitors & chargers) - Inspector 4: Sports Yard & Garden (checking water taps & tree planting) - Task: Inspectors interview each other about what students and teachers in their zones are doing right now using question cards: Model Exchange: Student A: "What is Phong doing in the library right now?" Student B: "He is reading a book and he is turning off his table lamp." Student C: "Are the students in the lab wasting electricity?" Student D: "No, they aren't. They are shutting down the computers at the moment." - Groups record notes on their "Green Inspection Log". - Teacher monitors without interrupting fluency, recording common grammatical and pronunciation slips for delayed feedback. - Calls 2 groups to perform their dialogue at the front of the class.
- Form assigned groups of 4 quickly. - Distribute role cards within the team. - Conduct communicative interviews using target questions ( Wh-  and  Yes/No ). - Fill out the group "Green Inspection Log". - Present role-plays with expressive intonation; listen actively to peer presentations.
Group Work (Groups of 4, S $\leftrightarrow$ S)
9 Sets of Role Prompt Cards, Green Inspection Log sheets
Wrap-up & Assessment (5 mins)
Consolidate learning, execute formative exit assessment, and assign thematic homework.
- 1-Minute Quick Fire Summary: 1. "Who can name three time markers for the Present Continuous?" 2. "How do we turn 'Minh is wasting paper' into a question?" - Delayed Error Correction: Writes 2 authentic errors heard during Production on the board anonymously (e.g., "They reading in library" / "Mai is saveing water"); guides class to identify and fix them. - Distributes the Exit Ticket (2 minutes individual work, collected as students leave). - Assigns and explains the "Home Energy Audit" homework task.
- Rapidly respond to teacher's wrap-up checks. - Analyze and correct anonymized board errors together. - Independently complete the Exit Ticket slip and submit it to the teacher. - Record homework instructions in notebooks.
Whole Class $\rightarrow$ Individual
Whiteboard, Exit Ticket Slips, Slide 4 (Homework Prompt)


6. Assessment and Evaluation Plan

A. Assessment Framework Overview

Assessment Type
Method / Tool
Assessed Skills & Competencies
Success Criteria
Diagnostic / Pre-Assessment
Visual prompt in Warm-up (Classroom A vs. B)
Prior vocabulary recall, understanding of ongoing actions
Students identify ongoing actions and recognize the need for a continuous tense form.
Formative Assessment (Controlled)
Handout Section A (Conjugation Drill & Error Spotting)
Morphological accuracy, auxiliary agreement, spelling rules
At least 80% of students accurately conjugate 4 out of 5 verbs and identify spelling anomalies.
Formative Assessment (Communicative)
Group Role-Play ("The Green Patrol") & Rubric
Fluency, question formation, situational vocabulary use
Students successfully conduct a 4-turn communicative interview using continuous structures.
Summative / Exit Assessment
Individual Exit Ticket (3 quick items)
Synthesis of form, negative conversion, time markers
85%+ class mastery on affirmative/negative transformations and signal word recognition.
Extended Application
Home Energy Audit Journal (Homework)
Real-world written production, transfer of learning
Written paragraph of 4–5 sentences correctly applying continuous verbs with signal words.

B. Speaking Assessment Rubric (Production Role-Play)

Criteria
Level 1: Developing (1 pt)
Level 2: Proficient (2 pts)
Level 3: Advanced (3 pts)
Grammatical Accuracy
Omits auxiliary verbs (am/is/are) or -ing in 3+ instances; structural errors impede clarity.
Minor slips in subject-verb agreement (e.g., they is); meaning remains clear throughout.
Consistently accurate use of affirmative, negative, and interrogative Present Continuous forms.
Vocabulary & Thematic Relevance
Uses generic verbs only (do, play); no energy-saving vocabulary incorporated.
Incorporates 2–3 relevant topic phrases (turn off, save energy, recycle paper).
Rich, accurate use of topic vocabulary (unplug charger, switch off fans, conserve power) and time markers.
Fluency & Pronunciation
Frequent long pauses; struggles with question intonation and sentence rhythm.
Speaks with reasonable rhythm and minor hesitations; question intonation is generally audible.
Smooth, natural communicative delivery; clear rising intonation on Yes/No questions and falling on Wh- questions.
Interactive Communication
Relies on reading directly from notes; fails to take spontaneous conversational turns.
Responds appropriately to partner's questions with minimal prompting; good turn-taking.
Dynamic, engaged interaction; active listening, eye contact, and natural peer responsiveness.


7. Differentiation Strategies & Contingency Planning

Differentiation Strategies

  • Support for Struggling Learners (Tier 1 / A2-):
  • Provide scaffolded sentence frames on handouts:  S + [is / are] + _______ (turn off) the lights. 
  • Supply a printed "Spelling & Auxiliary Help Desk" visual strip on student desks showing:  I -> am ,  He/She/It -> is ,  We/You/They -> are .
  • In the Production stage, pair struggling students with patient, supportive peers and assign them structured role-cards with guided question stems.
  • Challenge for Advanced Learners (Tier 3 / A2+):
  • Require advanced learners to expand their sentences with compound clauses using coordinating conjunctions (because, but, and): e.g., "Lan is turning off the computer because nobody is using it at the moment."
  • Designate stronger students as "Lead Eco-Investigators" responsible for asking unscripted follow-up questions during the Production activity (e.g., "Why is he doing that right now?").

Contingency Planning

  • If Activities Run Short (3–5 minutes spare):
  • Conduct an interactive TPR / Mime game: "Green Action Mime". One student acts out an eco-friendly action silently (e.g., planting a tree, turning off a dripping faucet, unplugging a TV). The class asks: "Are you turning off the tap?" $\rightarrow$ "Yes, I am! / No, I'm not."
  • If Activities Run Long (3–5 minutes delayed):
  • Shorten the group presentation phase during Production: invite 1 group to present instead of 2, and have other groups post their "Green Inspection Logs" on the side walls for a rapid 1-minute visual peer display.
  • Transition smoothly into the Exit Ticket without compromising individual assessment time.