cala praca

TARNÓW STATE COLLEGE

INSTITUTE OF HUMANITIES

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Agnieszka TUMAN

TEACHING AND TESTING PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS

TENSE IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL

Project presented in part fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Licentiate in

Tarnów State College, written under the supervision of mgr Renata Kozioł.

TARNÓW 2009

CONTENTS

Introduction .........................................................................................................................1

CHAPTER ONE: What Is Grammar?...............................................................................2

1.1 Why to teach grammar? ..............................................................................................31.2 Ways of teaching grammar appropriate for primary school children (inductive or

deductive) ....................................................................................................................51.3 Stages in presenting grammatical structures in the classroom (including

Present Simple and Present Continuous Tense) ..........................................................6

CHAPTER TWO: Why To Test?.....................................................................................9

2.1 Qualities of a good test ................................................................................................92.2 Types of grammar tests .............................................................................................102.3 Kinds of exercises in a grammar test .......................................................................11

Lesson Plans .......................................................................................................................14

Lesson Plan 1 .......................................................................................................................14Lesson Plan 2 .......................................................................................................................18Lesson Plan 3 .......................................................................................................................23Lesson Plan 4 .......................................................................................................................28Test 1 ...................................................................................................................................32Test 2 ...................................................................................................................................36

Final conclusions.................................................................................................................40

Appendices .........................................................................................................................42

Works cited ........................................................................................................................48

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Introduction.

Teaching grammar is essential to reach a mastery in a language as every sentence

even the shortest one contains grammar. There may be some people who would not agree

and for them the ability to communicate is the most important. But being able to

communicate means to know even the most basic grammar and use it. Some may learn

fixed expressions but they may not be applied in a given situation. Therefore, grammar

should be taught in order to communicate and to expand the knowlegde on condition that it

is taught in moderate amounts. There are two major ways in teaching grammar: inductive

and deductive. The most suitable way of teaching grammar to primary school students is

the inductive way as these pupils do not possess analytical abilities and they better absorb

the knowledge as they discover it by themselves. In order to check what students have

learnt the teacher must test students. That is why teaching and testing are closely related

since the teacher needs to obtain feedback on how students progress and if they achieve

what was intended and to incorporate improvements if it is needed.

The first chapter will be about teaching grammar. It will be explained what is

grammar and why it is important to teach it. There will be presented some arguments for

and against teaching grammar. Then the attention will be drawn to ways of presenting

grammatical structures in the classroom. There will be discussed two major ways.

However, more attention will be devoted to inductive way of teaching because it is

advisable for primary school children. The last issue in this chapter will concern stages that

should be followed in presenting grammar structures which suit the inductive way of

teaching.

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The second chapter will be devoted to testing grammar. Firstly, the question of the

importance of testing will be answered. Then it will be proceeded to a short description of

qualities of a good test mainly validity, reliability and practicality, which should be taken

into consideration while producing a test. Later, the focus will be placed on types of

grammar tests like proficiency, achievement, diagnostic, placement and their puropses in

language learning. The last issue in this chapter will be about kinds of exercises in a

grammar test suitable for primary school pupils.

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1. Chapter 1: What Is Grammar?

According to Penny Ur “grammar may be roughly defined as the way a language

manipulates and combines words (or bits of words) in order to form longer units of

meaning”(4). Another definition of grammar that may be found in Longman Dictionary of

Contemorary English states that grammar may be defined as “the study and practise of the

rules by which words change their forms and are combined together into sentences”. The

last explantion provides two major features of grammar that is “the rules of grammar and

the study and practice of the rules” (Harmer 1). Another significant aspect of grammar

which is stated by Scott Thornbury is that “grammar is partly the study of what forms (or

structures) are possible in a language”(1). He also adds that grammar is “ conventionally

seen as the study of the syntax and morphology of sentences” (2). What is aditionally

raised by Thornbury is “the meaning – making potential of grammar” that is used when

“contextual information is lacking”(4). In order to create a complete explanation of

grammar it may be advisable to join these all features into one. Having connected it, the

term grammar may be more precisely explained as the study and practice of the rules by

which words are changed and combined into understandable and meaningful sentences.

1.1 Why To Teach Grammar?

Some may claim that “ grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages

and it is also one of the more difficult aspects of language to teach well” (qtd. in

“Teaching gammar” par. 1). This idea is supported by Penny Ur who states that grammar

and knowledge of its rules is indispensable in appropriate “mastery of language” – the

rules must be known in order to create correct sentences (4). However, there would be

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also those who would not agree with this. Stephen Krashen, whose words have been cited

in Scott Thornbury’s book, presents a different explanation of grammar: “the effects of

grammar teaching [...] appear to be peripheral and fragile”(Thornbury 14). As a result of

this discrepancy, in recent years there have been debates concerning the importance of

grammar in language teaching. The questions that have been raised are whether there is a

need for “ grammar exercises” or grammar rules should be “absorbed intuitively through

communicative activities”(Ur 4). Those who would be in favour of teaching grammar

have provided arguments for this.

The first is that “grammar is a kind of sentence making machine. It follows that the

teaching of grammar offers the learner the means for potentially limitless linguistic

creativity”(Thornbury 15). Another argument, which may support teaching grammar, is

that it may become “a kind of advance organiser for later acquisition of the language”. It

would mean that at the beginning the knowledge of grammar items may be insufficient for

the speaker but while communicating new grammar items may be encountered and there

is high probability to encourage the speaker to study them (Thornbury 16). The next

argument for grammar teaching is called “discrete item argument”. Under this statement

Scott Thornbury meant that thanks to grammar and its organisation into categories it may

be easy to comprehend the language, which seems to be “shapeless mass”(16).

On the contrary to proponents of grammar teaching, there are some people who

believe that grammar may not be taught at all. They introduce “acquisition argument ”, on

which basis they assume that if people are able to learn their mother tongue without being

exposed to its grammatical rules so the same case should be with the second language

learning” (Thornbury 19). What may be also raised against grammar is that it might be

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more valuable for learners to being exposed to “lexical chunks” rather than being thought

grammar in the traditional way (Thornbury 20).

Having taken all into consideration, now it may seen easier to answer a question

concerning reasons for teaching grammar. It is quite undoubtful that “the learning of

grammar should be in the long term one of the means of acquiring a thorough mastery of

the language as a whole, not as an end in itself”(Ur 5). However, Penny Ur also suggests

that at the beginning of the learning the teachers may want learners to practise some

structures by doing exercises but as soon as they reach a certain level of mastery the

emphasis should be put on “activities that use language meaningfully”(Ur 5).

1.2 Ways of Teaching Grammar Appropriate for Primary School Students.

Generally, there are two major ways of presenting grammar structures in the

classroom. These are deductive (explicit) and inductive (implicit) ways of teaching. The

first of them begins “with a presentation of a rule and is followed by examples in which

the rule is applied”(Thornbury 29). Using this method grammar structures may be taught

only to students above 12 years and for adults who are analytical learners and they need

first to understand the rules. What is appropriate for young students is the inductive way

of teaching. In this approach “without having met the rule, the learner studies examples

and from these examples derives an understanding of the rule” (Thornbury 49). Young

learners do not need to know the rule at the beginning to apply it because they are not

analytical. Moreover, the inductive approach is advisable as “learners are more actively

involved in the learning process[...]: they are therefore likely to be more attentive and

more motivated” (Thornbury 54). What is also priseworthy is that this approach

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“encourages learner autonomy. If learners can find out the rules for themselves then they

are making significant steps towards being independent” (qtd. in “Presenting new

language” p. 1). Additionally, through the process of discovering the rules students are

more prone to remember them. What is more, the inductive way of teaching “teaches a

very important skill – how to use real/almost real language to find out the rules about

English” (qtd. in “Presenting new language” p. 1).

There may be more benefits of using the inductive way of teaching but, as many other

things, it has also some disadvantages. One of them, which seems to be the most essential,

is that this may be time consuming and there would be too little time devoted to using

these rules in “productive practice” (Thornbury 54).

Having all things considered, despite of some negative points of the inductive way of

teaching, it should be used while teaching grammatical structures to primary school pupils

because it motivates and catches students’ attention to what is happening in the classroom.

1.3 Stages in Presenting Grammatical Structures in the Classroom (Including

Present Simple and Present Continuous Tense)

Before presenting grammatical structures in the classroom it should be carefully

preplanned. The most important issue about it is that the information and examples should

be selected cautiously to be understandable and clear. When it is finished, the next step,

which is the grammar lesson, may be done. There might be some discrepancy between

stages in presenting grammar and different names for it. Generally, there could be

numbered four main stages:

Presentation (lead – in) stage

Explanation

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Accurate reproduction (controlled practise)

Immediate creativity (communicative practice)

In the first stage, the new grammatical structure is introduced. The goal of this stage is

“to get the learners to perceive the structure – its form and meaning – in both speech and

writing and to take it into short – term memory”(Ur 7). This introduction may be

conducted in various ways although the age of students and the way of teaching should be

taken into consideration. As for primary school pupils, the most advisable is the inductive

way of teaching. Therefore, Present Simple Tense may be introduced to students in a short

text, a dialogue or in any kind of a text, which would be on the appropriate students’ level.

In some situations the presentation may be supplemented by using realia that would help

to understand better and it would involve them in the action of discovering the rules

(Thornbury 57). As far as Present Continuous Tense is concerned, the introduction of

grammatical structures may be conducted in similar ways. Moreover, the teacher may use

pictures depicting people in action, describe some of them and later ask students to do the

same. What the teacher may also do is to perform some actions and say what she/he is

doing and next encourage students to perform alike situations. At the end of this stage

there is also a necessity to “elicit the rule [...] from the students rather than simply telling

them the rule”(Celcia Murcia 30).

The second stage, which is explanation, “focuses on the grammatical items themselves

– what they sound and look like, what they mean, how they function – in short what rules

govern them”(Ur 7). Students are exposed to such a thing in order to perceive these rules.

In case of previously mentioned tenses, the teacher may help students to understand by

writing a set of sentences on the blackboard and highlighting or underlying the most

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“critical points”(Harmer 25). These tenses may be also explained by means of “time lines,

where a diagramatic representation of tense and aspect is given”(Harmer 25).

The next step in presenting grammar is accurate reproduction. At this point, students

only manipulate with the words given by teacher. The aim of this stage is to “gain control

of the form without the added pressure and distraction of trying to use the form for

communication”(Celcia Murcia 27). In this stage the drills may be used as they provide

students with immediate practice in using the learnt grammatical structure (Harmer 41).

However, it should not be used for too long because it at some point may become boring,

monotonous and it is not very creative (Harmer 41). There may be also used interaction

activities which may be more pleasurable and meaningful. “They are designed so that

students work together, exchanging information in a purposeful and interesting way”

(Harmer 43).

The last stage is called the immediate creativity or communicative practice. Here

students are encouraged to produce their own sentences with the learnt structure. Students

may be asked to write or say about their daily routine using Present Simple Tense.

All things considered, it should be said that presenting grammatical structures should

be thoroughly planned by the teacher. The method and activities ought to suit students

interests because when they are involved they learn better. What is also important is the

variation of activities. They should be diversified as to keep students attention.

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2. Chapter 2: Why To Test Grammar?

Testing is an important aspect that is inseparable from teaching (Heaton 5). It is

conducted in order to “ demonstrate [...] how well learners mastered the material they

have been learning” (Ur 9). What is also essential about testing is that it provides

feedback, which is indispensable in making progress (Ur 9). The next aim of testing,

which is closely related to the previous one, is the identification of these areas where

students may encounter some difficulty. It is important for a teacher to know it as more

practice may be applied (Heaton 6). Furthermore, testing is used to grade students and

give them a course grade as it is an institutional requirement. The last aspect of testing,

which is worth mentioning, is that:

“the classroom test is concerned with evaluation for the purpose of enabling teacher to increase their own effectiveness by making adjustments in their teaching to enable certain group of students or individuals in the class to benefit more”(Heaton 6).

Testing for many reasons is a very important aspect. That is why it is so crucial to

design tests that would provide valuable and reliable results.

2.1 Qualities of a Good Test

It has been already mentioned that testing is significant in grammar teaching and in

order to obtain credible results a good grammar test sholud possess such features as:

validity

reliability

practicality

The validity is “arguably the most important criteria for the quality of a test. The term

validity refers to whether or not the test measures what it claims to measure”(qtd. in “Test

validity” par.1). “There are different types of validity depending on the purpose of

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the test. Commonly used types of validity are face validity, construct validity, predictive

validity and content validity”(Shoemaker 4). However, the most suitable for assessing

students learning is content validity (Shoemaker 4).

“The reliability of a tets is its consistency”(Harrison 10). It means that students should

obtain the same results no matter which version of a test a student takes. Furthermore,

when a test is marked by two different people, the results should be the same (Harrison

10).

The next aspect of a good test is its practicality. Under this term it is understood that

“tests should be as economical as possible in time (preparation, sitting and marking) and

in cost (materials and hidden costs of time spent) (Harrison 13). Therefore, a teacher

should think over in advance about the length of a test, necessary equipment, costs of

producing materials etc.(Harrison 12).

2.2 Types of Grammar Tests

Generally there are several kinds of tests such as proficiency, placement, diagnostic

and achievement tests. Placement tests are designed to obtain information about students’

abilities in order to allocate them according to their language level (Hughes 14).

Proficiency tests are created in order to “measure people’s ability in a language regardless

of any training they may have had in that language” (Hughes 9). They are not designed

according to some objectives or contents but they are “based on a specification of what

candidates have to be able to do in the language in order to be considered proficient”

(Hughes 9). The next kind of tests, mainly diagnostic tests are used to define these aspects

where students have problems and in which they manage quite well. The aim of this test is

to establish these areas where additional work needs to be applied (Hughes 13). However,

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the most suitable test for testing grammar, which is the most frequently used in classes

and schools, is an achievement test. They are conducted after finishing a part of a

coursebook and their target is to “see if students have learned and acquired the language

they have been studying or have been exposed to” (Harmer 57).

2.3 Kinds of Exercises in a Grammar Test

“Grammar tests are designed to measure students proficiency in matters ranging from

inflections [...] to syntax” (Madsen 34). There are also used to “test awarness of the

grammatical features of the language” (Heaton 34). Bearing in mind these aspects, several

kinds of exercises may be enumerated: multiple choice items, gap filling items,

completion items, rearrangements items, transformation items, sentence writing items.

These kinds of exercises “test the ability to recognise or produce correct forms of

language rather than the ability to use language to express meaning, attitude , emotions

etc.”(Heaton 34). However, it is crucial for students to obtain mastery of grammatical

structures to be able to communicate. (Heaton 34).

The multiple choice task is based on completing the sentence by choosing one of four

or five alternatives (Madsen 38). This kind of task seems to be effortless to prepare but in

reality it is not. What is the most difficult in the creation of this exercise is “ to write

distractors (the three wrong answers), which are not either absurd – or possible – as well

as the correct answer”(Harmer 61). Therefore, a teacher needs to consider very carefully

as not to confuse students. What is also beneficial of multiple choice exercises is that

students may cheat. It is also easy to guess the correct answer or to copy it out from

another student. On the other hand, there are some advantages of this kind of task. Firstly,

from the teacher’s point of view, it is not difficult to score it because of the fact that there

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is only one answer correct. Furthermore, it “is a sensitive measure of achievement (and

like other multiple choice language tests, it allows teachers to diagnose specific problems

of students”(Madsen 43).

Gap filling is a kind of a task in which students are supposed to fill a blank with a

correct word. They may be given a set of separate sentences or a text to fill in. Providing

learners with a text is more advisable because it would enhance their comprehension skill

as well as the knowledge of grammatical items (Harmer 62). As far as testing tenses is

concerned students at the beginning level are given a word in brackets (usually a verb)

and they are to use it in the correct form.

The completion exercises “are a useful means of testing a student’s ability to produce

acceptable and appropriate forms of language” (Heaton 42). What is beneficial of this

kind of task is that it is not about recognition of grammatical structures but actually about

production. Therefore, it is more difficult but more “preferable to multiple choice items”

(Heaton 42). Another advantage of complection is that it is “generally easier to prepare

than multiple choice items” as there is no need for selecting distractors (Madsen 47). On

the other hand, completion is “more time consuming to correct [...]. Not only can poor

penmanship be a problem but also irrelevant errors beyond those being tested” (Madsen

47).

The rearrangement is a task in which students have to put items into correct order.

“This type of test item explores students’ knowledge of syntax” (Harmer63). It may be

useful in case of testing tenses especially when the knowledge of interrogative sentences

needs to be checked. However, students should be accustomed to such a kind of exercise

in order to avoid unnecessary stress during the test.

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The transformation exercise “ is extremely useful for testing ability to produce

structures in a target language” (Heaton 46). The aim of this task is to rewrite a given

structure, using another grammatical structure but to keep the same meaning (Harmer 63).

It would be appropriate for intermediate level or even above, as “the ability to transform

sentences correctly certainly implies quite a lot of grammatical knowlegde” (Harmer 64).

The sentence writing item is usually based on describing a picture. It may be suitable

for beginners to test their ability to produce correct sentences. As far as tenses are

concerned there may be a picture of people performing some actions and students are

supposed to describe it.

All things considered, kinds of exercises in a grammar test need to be cautiously

selected by a teacher. They should be appropriate for students’ level, age and not

confusing. They should be also diversified as to obtain reliable results and to point out to

the problems that may appear.

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Lesson plan 1

1. Class details:

The class consists of 10 students at beginner level.

2. Topic:

The Present Simple Tense – introduction.

3. Aims of the lesson:

To enable students to talk and write about their daily routines and permanent

activities.

To introduce a new grammar form mainly the Present Simple Tense and typical

expressions connected with this tense.

To teach students to form correct statements in that tense.

To make students aware about changes in the 3rd person singular.

4. Teaching aids:

A set of big flashcards presenting daily activities for the teacher and a set of small

ones for every student (see Appendix 1).

A chart with adverbs of frequency for every student.

A photo of a boy.

5. Lesson stages:

The teacher checks the attendance. (2 minutes).

Introduction: (8 minutes)

The teacher says that today they are going to talk about the daily routines by means of the

Present Simple Tense and he uses a set of flashcards and the chart with adverbs of

frequency in order to enunciate sentences about his daily routines in Present Simple Tense.

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I usually get up at 8 o’clock.

I always have breakfast.

I seldom have lunch.

Then the teacher asks some students to say about their daily routines.

Presentation: (10 minutes)

Later the teacher does the same with the pictures but he describes his sister’s daily routine

to express the changes in the 3rd person singular. The teacher asks students if they have

noticed any differences. To help students perceive the difference, the teacher writes on the

board some sentences:

I usually get up at 8 o’clock. My sister usually gets up at 7 o’clock.

I go to school every day. My sister goes to school every day.

I sometimes watch TV in the evening. My sister sometimes watches TV in the

evening.

I wash my hair twice a week. My sister washes her hair twice a week.

I often tidy my room. My sister often tidies her room.

The teacher asks students what they have noticed and when this tense will be used. Later

the teacher together with students explain the rules and write them down. The teacher also

writes on the board the chart with adverbs of frequency.

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Practice: (20 minutes)

The teacher provides every student with a set of small flashcards. Their task is to put them

in the correct order and say about their daily routines. Later the teacher (in order to practise

the endings in 3rd person singular) sticks a photo of a boy on the board.

The teacher asks students to invent (to develop their imagination) his day and write down

sentences by using their small flashcards (or their own knowledge). The teacher in order to

encourage students says that the most creative and correct description will be awarded. As

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students have finished, the teacher collects the descriptions, corrects them and awards three

students.

Sum up: (3 minutes)

The teacher asks every student to say one sentence about the boy’s daily routine (in order

to check if students add ‘ – s’ to the verb).

Homework: (2 minutes)

The teacher asks students to write about daily routines of one of their family members.

Evaluation of the lesson:

The lesson was conducted quite smoothly. The lesson was twice interrupted by

misbehaviour of two students. There was no problem connected with vocabulary as

students learnt them in the previous lesson. Students were very eager to answer teacher’ s

questions volunteerly. There were also students who were shy and hesitant but they were

involved by the teacher and the teacher helped them if it was necessary. Students enjoyed

this kind of learning grammar mainly through discovering the rules by themselves.

Students, also those who work at a slow pace, were provided with enough time to

complete their tasks. They were also involved personally by telling about their daily

routines. What students also liked was inventing the daily routine of a boy. They often

asked questions about more vocabulary as they wanted to write the best description. This

kind of “competition” and an award was very good because students tried very hard and

some works were really excellent. Students perceived the differences very quickly and

their guesses concerning the rules were very accurate. There were some cases when

students forgot to put “-s” at the end of a verb in the 3 rd person singular but it was

occasional and corrected by the teacher.

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Lesson plan 2

6. Class details:


7. Topic:

The Present Simple Tense – negative sentences and questions.


To enable students to ask other people about their routines.

To practise the Present Simple Tense – statements.

To teach to form negative sentences and questions in this tense.

To accustom students to rearrangement exercises.

9. Teaching aids:

A picture of Martha and a chart of her daily routines.

A set of two tables which miss different items (see Appendix 2).

A set of rearrangement exercises.

A board game for every group (see Appendix 3).

10. Lesson stages:



The teacher says that today they are going to learn more about The Present Simple Tense

and he says a couple of personal sentences and asks students if they do the same and he

explains that they should answer “Yes, I do” or “No, I don’t”:

I always get up at 7 o’clock. Do you always get up at 7 o’clock?

I usually go to school by car. Do you usually go to school by car?

I wash my hair every day. Do you wash your hair every day?

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Later the teacher asks one student to answer a guestion: “Do you often play computer

games?” and this student is to answer and create a different question and ask it to another

student. That student asks another student and the last student asks the teacher.


Later the teacher sticks on the blackboard a picture of Martha and a chart of her daily

routines.

Marta’s routines

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watch TV seldom Yesgo to bed late often Noplay football sometimes Yestidy her room usually Nogo to school always Yes

do homework always Novisit her granny often No

walk her dog usually Yes

The teacher asks two questions about Martha: “Does Martha often go to bed late?” and he

answers: “No, she doesn’t”. The teacher does the same with the second example: “Does

Martha seldom watch TV?” and he answers: “Yes, she does”. Then the teacher asks the

remaining questions but he points to students to answer. Later the teacher enquires students

what they have noticed, what is the difference between these questions and the previous

ones. The teacher writes the rules on the board and explains them.

Do you always go to school?

Yes, I do.

No, I don’t.

Does she often go to bed late?

Yes, she does.

No, she doesn’t.


The teacher asks students to work in pairs. The teacher gives every pair two tables about

the preferences in sports, which miss different aspects. The teacher explains that students’

task is to complete this table. Their task is to ask questions: “Does .....(name) play..........

(sport)?” and the other person answers (according to the table): “Yes, he/she does” or

“No, he/she doesn’t”. As they have finished, the teacher asks students about the people

from this table and as he obtains an answer he writes on the board: “Tom plays tennis” or

“Sue doesn’t play volleyball”. Later the teacher says that students are supposed to look at

the completed table and write down sentences about these people similar to those written

on the board. Then the teacher divides the class into 3 groups and gives every group a

board game. The teacher explains that student rolls the die, makes a question about

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the picture on which he stands for example “What does she/he do?” and answers it.

Sum up: (2 minutes)

The teacher asks students questions like: “Do you play football?”, “Does your friend play

volleyball?”, “Does your dad play tennis”.


The teacher gives students a sheet of paper with rearrangement exercises. He explains that

their task is to put these words in a correct order.

Put the words in the correct order.

1. doesn’t / she / my / school. / go / to

.............................................................................

2. does / live / Tarnów? / he / in

.............................................................................

3. every / Eddy / milk / morning. / drinks

.............................................................................

4. sometimes / students / trips. / have

..............................................................................

5. eats / a / dog / fish. / never

..............................................................................

6. don’t / we / usually / on / Sundays. / to / go / school

.......................................................................................

7. always / wash / Tom / does / the / dishes?

.....................................................................................

8. football? / you / do / like

....................................................................................

9. sister / sometimes / work / goes / my / to / car. / by

........................................................................................

10. Peter / do / homework? / does / always / his

.............................................................................

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The lesson was conducted without any big problems in accordance with a lesson plan.

There was some disturbance coming from students’ whispering but they were involved by

the teacher into the lesson. The teaching aids were appropriate for students level and their

interest. At the beginning students were not quite interested but when the teacher gave

them board games their interest enhanced. Students had a lot of fun while playing the

game. During this exercise the teacher walked around and monitored students. They were

not interrupted only when they made a big mistake. Talkative students enjoyed the exercise

in which they had to ask questions in order to get information. The majority of them do not

have problems to notice the rules and later incorporate them into speech. Those students

who did not understand it did not hesitate to ask questions. Some students had some

problems in accomplishing the rearrangement exercise therefore more practice should be

applied in the following lessons. Students expanded their knowledge about Present Simple

Tense. They learnt how to form positive and negative sentences as well as questions and

they managed quite well.

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Lesson plan 3

1. Class details:


2. Topic:

The Present Continuous Tense – introduction.


To enable students to talk and write about actions that take place at the moment of

speaking.

To introduce a new grammar form mainly the Present Continuous Tense and typical

expressions connected with this tense.

To teach to form correct statements and questions in this tense.

4. Teaching aids:

A set of big flashcards presenting people in action for the teacher and a set of small

ones for every student.

A board game for every pair (see Appendix 4).

A sheet with a lyric.

5. Lesson stages:



The teacher says that today they are going to talk about The Present Continuous Tense and

he performs some actions and says what he is doing for example: “I’m standing”, “I’m

sitting”. Later the teacher asks students a question: “What are you doing?” and encourages

students to perform some actions and say what they are doing.

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The teacher sticks to the board nine pictures presenting people in the act of doing

something.

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The teacher describes two pictures: “She is riding a bike” and the second picture: “They

are watching a video”. The teacher provides students with a sheet of paper containing

these nine pictures and he gives them a few minutes to think what these people are doing.

Then the teacher asks some students questions about the pictures for example: “What is

he/she doing?” or “What are they doing?”. Later the teacher asks students when this tense

will be used, how statements are formed and how questions are formed. Later the teacher

together with students explain the rules and write them down. The teacher also writes on

the board the expressions most frequently used in this tense mainly “now, at the moment”.


The teacher divides the class into pairs and gives every pair a board game. Students in

turns roll a die, ask a question about the picture and answer it. If a question and an answer

are correct a student gets two points. This student who has more points is the winner. The

teacher walks around and monitors students and if necessary corrects them.

Sum up: (10 minutes)

The teacher gives students a sheet with a lyric of a song “Sailing” by Rod Stewart, which

miss some words. The teacher plays the recording asks students to complete it.

“Sailing” by Rod Stewart

Put these verbs into the correct place in the Present Continuous.

try die fly sail

I ....................................., I.....................................home again across the sea.

I............................................stormy waters, to be near you, to be free.

I............................................, I ...................................like a bird across the sky.

I ............................passing high clouds, to be near you, to be free.

Can you hear me, can you hear me, through the dark night far away?

Tuman 26

I ..................................., forever ................................to be with you; who can say?

Can you hear me, can you hear me, through the dark night far away?

I ..................................., forever ................................to be with you; who can say?

We ...................................., we ..................................... across the sea.

We ..................................... stormy waters, to be near you, to be free.

Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free.

Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free.


The teacher gives students a text with gaps to fill entitled “Where’s the dog”.

“Where is the dog?”

I am looking (look) for my dog around the house. In the kitchen my

Mum .................. .............(cook) dinner. In the living room my

brothers ........................................(play) computer games. My dad ...................................

(read) a newspaper. ...............my sister ......................(walk) the dog? No, my

sister ..................................(talk) on the phone. And what .............my dog .......................

(do)? My dog ..................................(walk) alone!


The lesson was conducted smoothly. Students did not hesitate to perform some actions,

although some of them were not appropriate and were immediately corrected. They liked

describing pictures and playing the game therefore these activities should be extended. To

the teacher’s surprise, students enjoyed the song and they showed eagerness to learning

language through singing songs. They did not have problems in completing the lyric.

Students were quite interested in the lesson and therefore they behaved appropriately. They

mastered the new grammar structure with satisfactory results although they made

occassional mistakes mainly they forgot about conjugation of “to be”. However, in the

Tuman 27

course of the lesson most students were able to create correct sentences in Present

Continuous Tense. Weaker students had some problems with it and also with

accomplishing their homework and the teacher explained the rules once again. The

majority of students worked effectively independently. More ambitious students asked the

teacher for additional activities. The teaching aids were suitable for the students.

Tuman 28

Lesson plan 4

6. Class details:


7. Topic:

The Present Continuous Tense – negative sentences.


To enable students to talk and write about temporary actions freely.

To teach to form correct negative sentences.

To practise statements, questions and short answers.

9. Teaching aids:

A set of big flashcards presenting people in action for the teacher and a set of small

ones for every student.

A sheet with rearrangement exercises.

A set of two pictures for four groups (see Appendix 5 and 6).

A small ball.

10. Lesson stages:



The teacher says that today they are going to learn more about The Present Continuous

Tense and he chooses one student and asks him to sit down. The teacher asks the whole

class a question: “Is he dancing?” and he explains to students that they should say: “No,

he isn’t”. The teacher asks the class again “Is he sitting?” and he says: “Yes, he is”. Later

the teacher asks two students to stand up. He says: “Are they jumping?” and the teacher

Tuman 29

encourages students to say: “No, they aren’t”. He chooses two more students and asks the

whole class to answer his questions chorally.


The teacher divides the class into pairs and gives them a set of nine pictures.

One student chooses one picture but does not say which one and the other student by

asking questions should guess what the person is doing. Later the teacher sits down and

Tuman 30

says: “I’m not standing. I’m sitting” and then he writes something on the board and says

“I’m not sitting. I’m writing”. Later he points to one student and says “He isn’t standing.

He’s sitting”. Then the teacher asks students what will be the rule in forming the negative

sentences and later he writes down the rules.


The teacher writes nine false statements about the people in the pictures.

False statements:

1. She’s talking on the phone.2. She’s reading a book.3. He’s dancing.4. She’s watching TV.5. He’s having a shower.6. He’s playing tennis.7. They’re doing their homework.8. They’re swimming.9. They’re listening to the radio.

The teacher explains that students are supposed to correct these sentences and write them

down. The teacher shows how to do it with the first picture: “She isn’t talking on the

phone. She’s doing her homework”. As students have finished, the teacher asks students to

read the sentences. Later the teacher divides the class into 4 groups. Every group gets the

same set of two pictures. The teacher explains that their task is to write as many sentences

(using Present Contiunous Tense) as possible (negative, statements and questions).

Students have 5 minutes and the group which has the most sentences correct wins and this

group will get an award.

Sum up: (8 minutes)

The teacher throws a ball to one student and asks him a question like: “Are you standing?”

or “Is Tom singing?”. The student answers it and later throws the ball to another student

and asks similar questions.

Tuman 31

Homework: (2minutes)

The teacher gives students a rearrangement exercise.

Rearrangement exercise:

1. drinking / brother / my / is / coffee / now.2. they / basketball / are / playing / the / at / moment.3. now / mum / my / cooking / isn’t / dinner4. she / letter? / a / is / writing5. are / doing? / what / you


The lesson was conducted in accordance with the lesson plan. Because of students’

great involvement in the group work and competition between groups the time devoted to

this was expanded. Students were very willing to perform actions even those who seemed

to be shy. They also liked guessing what the other person was doing and the activity with

the ball. There were not any problems with student misbehaving as they were occupied all

the time. Students were quick at perceiving the rules and their guesses were good. They did

not have problems with doing the rearrangement exercise as students were accustomed to

it. The materials were suitable for students age and interest. The fact of competing with

other groups caused that students worked more effectively with others. Groups produced

satisfactory number of correct sentences. It was noticed that all students were involved in

this activity. There could be seen that there was a division between those who looked at the

picture and invented the sentences and those who wrote the sentences down. Some pupils,

especially the weaker ones, still made some mistakes mainly missing the verb “to be”

more often in a written form rather than in speech. The teacher provided students with

sufficient time to accomplish tasks. They appeared relaxed and at ease during the lesson.

Tuman 32

Objectives:

1. to test the usage of Present Simple Tense

2. to test the knowledge of syntax by involving students in rearrangement exercise

3. to test the ability to put the rules into practice by writing a description about

daily routines

4. to test the ability to recognise the correct form

Points to score: maximum – 40

Grading scale:Points Percentage Grade

38 - 40 95% - 100% 6

35 - 37 87% - 92% 5

30 – 34 75% - 85% 4

24 – 29 60% - 72% 3

17 – 23 43% - 58% 2

0 - 16 0% - 40% 1

Tuman 33

Test 1

Name: ..................................................................................Class: ...................................................................................

I. Put the words in brackets into the correct form. (10p.)Example:I don’t go (not/go) to school on Sundays.

1. I ...............................(go) to the theatre twice a week.2. My friend ..............................(work) in a restaurant.3. ................................................(they/play) football at weekends?4. My mum ...................................(not/like) volleyball.5. We ............................................(often/watch) TV in the evenings.6. .....................................................(Tom/drink) coffee in the mornings?7. My parents ....................................(not/go) to the cinema on Fridays.8. What .......................................(she/usually/do) after school?9. I ............................................(never/wash) dishes.10. Where .....................................(you/always/do) shopping?

II. Put the words in the correct order. The punctation mark indicates the last word in the sentence. (10p.)Example:to / I / the / cinema. / often / go I often go to the cinema.

1. you / wash / how / do / often / car? / your ................................................................................................

2. never / we / read / a / in / newspaper / the / afternoon.................................................................................................

3. swim / does / every / day? / she..............................................................................................

4. in / park. / the / sometimes / walk / they...............................................................................................

5. buys / always / fresh / vegetables. / mum / my...................................................................................................

6. swim / we / in / the / often / summer....................................................................................................

7. late. / does / she / not / to / bed / go / usually....................................................................................................

8. cycles / Tom / in / park. / the / seldom..................................................................................................

9. do / what / you / on / do / Thursdays?....................................................................................................

10. usually / do / they / not / piano / the / play / in / morning / the....................................................................................................

Tuman 34III. Circle the correct word. (5p.)

Example:I often go / goes to the dentist.

1. Do / does your grandfather play computer games?2. My mother often go / goes to Italy.3. Sara doesn’t / don’t understand Maths.4. My friends love / loves English.5. Do / does your parents like animals?6. Where does / do your sister work? 7. Students seldom does / do exercises in the morning.8. I don’t / doesn’t live in France.9. What time does / do they usually get up?10. My best friend don’t / doesn’t wash her hair twice a week.

IV. Look at the table. Using adverbs of frequency, write 10 sentences about Helen’s daily routine. (10p.)Example:Helen always gets up very early.

Helen

Nev

er

Sel

dom

Som

etim

es

Usu

ally

Oft

en

Alw

ays

get up very early wash her hair have breakfast go to school meet friends play tennis

tidy her room do homework

watch TV do the ironing go to bed late

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

Tuman 35V. Additional task:

Circle and correct mistakes.There is only one mistake in a sentence. (5p.)Example:They never reads books in the evening. They never read books in the evening.

1. She like ice cream. ..............................................................................................2. What time you get up? .........................................................................................3. Does your family lives in Warsaw? ......................................................................4. What do he do on Mondays? ..............................................................................5. Peter brushs his teeth every day. .........................................................................

Tuman 36

Objectives:

1. to test the usage of Present Continuous Tense

2. to test the ability to put the acquired knowlegde of the rules into practice by

describing a picture

3. to test the ability to recognise the correct form

4. to test students ability to translate sentences from their mother tongue into

English

5. to test the knowlegde of syntax in interrogative sentences

Points to score: maximum – 37Grading scale:

Points Percentage Grade

35 - 37 95% - 100% 6

32 - 34 87% - 92% 5

27 - 31 75% - 85% 4

22 - 26 60% - 72% 3

16 - 21 43% - 58% 2

0 -15 0% - 40% 1

Tuman 37

Test 2

Name: .....................................................................................Class: ......................................................................................

I. Put the words in the correct order. The punctation mark indicates the last word in the sentence. (10p.).Example:are / they / diving.They are diving.

1. is / sister / what / your / at / moment?/ doing / the..................................................................................................

2. Tom / dinner / cooking / is / now...................................................................................................

3. are / we / doing / not / now. / housework...................................................................................................

4. sleeping / is / his / in / the / basket?/ dog....................................................................................................

5. friends / making / my / are / sandwiches.....................................................................................................

6. not / brother / my / the / cleaning / bathroom. / is......................................................................................................

7. smiling? / these / are / why / boys.......................................................................................................

8. is / today. / not / her / working / mum......................................................................................................

9. my / jeans. / I / wearing / favourite / am........................................................................................................

10. moment. / is / Martha / the / dancing / at / not.........................................................................................................

II. Read the dialogue between Jenny and Steven and put the words in brackets into the correct form. (6p.)

Jenny: Hi, Steven.Steven: Hi, Jenny. How are you?Jenny: Fine, thanks. What are you doing (you/do)?Steven: I .....................................(do) my homework but my sister ........................... .........(listen) to music and my brother ......................................(play) a computer game. ......................................................(you/do) your homework?Jenny: No. Garth and Emma are here. We .......................................(watch) a video.Steven: What .....................................(you/watch)?Jenny: The Italian Job. It’s good. Do you want to come and watch it with us?Steven: Good idea!

Tuman 38

III. Use the clues and write sentences (questions, positive and negative sentences) in Present Continuous Tense. (6p.).Example:They / prepare / supper.They are preparing supper.

1. I / not / water / plants............................................................................

2. The children / play / in the garden............................................................................

3. Emma / read / a book / now?...........................................................................

4. We / not / cut / in the garden...........................................................................

5. What / the girls / write?..........................................................................

6. She / have / a shower / at the moment.

IV. Circle the correct form. (3p.)Example:They is / are preparing supper.

1. Why is / are the boys laughing?2. Our grandfathers are / is smoking.3. Bob’s brother is / are talking to Eva.4. Is / are Sally’s parents worrying?5. Where are / is the patients sitting?6. Mr Bean are / is waiting for you.

V. Look at the picture. Next to people there are letters from A to H. Write sentences about those people. (7p.)

Tuman 39A - ...............................................................................................................................B - ...............................................................................................................................C - ..................................................................................................................................D - .................................................................................................................................E - ..................................................................................................................................F - .................................................................................................................................

VI. Additional task:Translate the sentences into English (5p.)Example:Peter odkurza.Peter is vaccuming.

1. Co robi twój tata? ...........................................................................................Maluje obraz. ...............................................................................................

2. Moi dziadkowie budują nowy dom.........................................................................................................

3. Betty pomaga teraz cioci w kuchni........................................................................................................

4. Czy Tom gra teraz w gry komputerowe?...........................................................................................................

Tuman 40

Final conclusions:

Having taken everything into consideration, teaching grammar in an entertaining and

involving way as well as testing how well students mastered a grammatical structure is

significant to acquire the knowledge about the language. However, it should be

remembered that teaching grammar is not the only thing and that there are other aspects of

language to teach. Furthermore, at the beginning the grammatical structures should be

introduced from the simplest ones and they should be presented in such a way as to interest

students. There is a variety of activities such as using realia, pictures which students enjoy

and what follows they absorb the knowledge easily and with pleasure. These activities also

need to be adjusted to students’ age since below the age of twelve such pupils are not able

to think analytically. Therefore, these students should be taught inductively and in a

peaceful atmosphere and they obtain better marks in tests.

In accordance with testing, it is undoubtful that it is necessary as it provides the

teacher with information about students’ mastery of a given structure. The tests should be

carefully planned. Every test should possess three features (reliability, validity and

practicality) in order to be successful. Teachers also need to take into consideration what

kind of a test should be applied and a variety of tasks in a test. This sort of exercises

should be known to students as not to cause anxiety while doing the test. Moreover, tasks

should be constructed to test students knowledge about structures as well as their ability to

use the learnt structure in speech or in open ended exercises.

Both aspects mentioned above mainly teaching and testing grammar are indispensable

in acquiring the language. Therefore, if the teaching techniques (inductive way of

teaching), aids and materials are appropriate for students it may be assumed that

Tuman 41

they will perform better during the test than those students who were not taught inductively

and with unsuitable materials.

Tuman 42

Appendices:

Appendix 1:

Tuman 43

Tuman 44

Appendix 2:

Sport

NameTom

Sue

Mike

Lisa

Tuman 45

Sport

NameTom

Sue

Mike

Lisa

Sport

NameTom

Sue

Mike

Lisa

Tuman 46

Appendix 3:

Tuman 47

Appendix 4:

Tuman 48

Appendix 5:

Tuman 49

Appendix 6:

Tuman 50

Works cited:

Celce – Murcia, Marianne. Techniques and Resources in Teaching Grammar. OUP:

Oxford, 1988

Harmer, Jeremy. Teaching and Learning Grammar. Longman Group UK: London,

1993

Harrison, Andrew. A Language Testing Handbook. Macmillan Publishers Ltd:

London, 1989

Heaton, John Brian. Writing English Language Tests. Longman Group UK: London,

1990

Hughes, Arthur. Testing for Language Teachers. CUP: Cambridge, 1999

Madsen, Harold S. Techniques in Testing. OUP: Oxford, 1983

Thornbury, Scott. How to Teach Grammar. Pearson Education Limited: England,

1999

Ur, Penny. Grammar Practice Activities. CUP: Cambrigde, 1989

“Teaching grammar”. The Essentials of Language Teaching. 23.04.09 05.03.09

<http://nclvc.org/essentials>

“Presenting New Language”. Teaching English. 07.11.07 16.04.09

<http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/presenting-new-language>

“Test Validity”. Professional Testing Inc. 14.04.09

<http://www.proftesting.com/test_topics/pdfs/test_quality_validity.pdf

http://nclvc.org/essentials

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