Teaching Past Continuous

Level: Pre-intermediate to Upper-intermediate

Aim: Ss are able to use past continuous to  talk about past activites in progress

Warmer: Musical paper

-          Write these times in small pieces of paper. One time on one piece.

1.       (at 8 o’clock yesterday evening)

2.       (at 5 o’clock last Monday)

3.       (at 10.15 yesterday morning)

4.       (at 4.30 this morning)

5.       (at 7.45 yesterday evening)

6.       (half an hour ago)

-          Stick them on the wall around the class.

-          Play the music and ask Ss to walk in a circle.

-          Pause the music and ask pairs to come in front of the paper and ask what were they doing at that particular time.

-          Play the music again and repeat the procedure until all of the Ss come to different pieces of paper.

Pre-teaching:

Guessing game: play tennis, finished, began

Study: Presenting Past Continuous

Study this example situation

Yesterday, Karen and Jim played tennis. They began at 10 o’clock and finished at 11.30. So, at 10.30 they  were playing tennis.

Concept Checking Questions:

1.       Is it in the past, present or future?

2.       When did they start playing?

3.       When did they finished playing?

4.       What were they dpoing at 10.30?

5.       Are they in the middle of playing tennis at 10.30?

6.       What do you need before the verb?

7.       What do you add after the verb?

Drill: Sentence writing

1. Write one number in one piece of paper. Stick them on the wall around the class.
1. Matt phoned while we / have dinner.
2. We saw an accident while we / walk.
3. Ann fell asleep while she / watch TV
4. The doorbell rang while I / read a book.
5. The TV was on, but nobody / watch
2. Have Ss to move from one number to another number to write sentences based on the prompts (past continuous).
3. Check answers together after they have finished writing.

Controlled Practice (Give every s the handout of these questions)

Task: Complete the sentences by writing the correct form of past continuous from the verbs in the brackets.

1. Jenny ________________ (wait) for me when I arrived.
2. What _________________ (you/do) at this time yesterday?
3. How fast _______________ (you/drive) when the accident happened?
4. Sam took a photograph of me while I ___________ (not/look).
5. I haven’t seen Alan for ages. When I last saw him, he __________ (try) to find a job.
6. I ___________ (walk) along the street when suddenly I heard footsteps behind me.
7. Somebody __________ (follow) me. I was scared and I started to run.
8. Last night I dropped a plate when I __________ (do) the washing up. Fortunately, it didn’t break.

Communicative Controlled Practice: Class Survey (this time they need to use the correct form of past continuous)

Ask your classmates about what they were doing at these times. The is one example.

Name	at 8 o’clock yesterday evening	at 5 o’clock last Monday	at 10.15 yesterday morning	at 4.30 this morning	at 7.45 yesterday evening	half an hour ago
Ms Dellya	She was having dinner with her sister.	She was writing on her her blog.	She was cleaning the room.	She was sleeping.	She was waiting for her fiancé.	She was thinking about breakfast.

Freer practice: make a board game of past continuous for the students to practice more.