Past Continuous Grammar Lesson: Understanding and Practicing the Tense

This lesson teaches learners about the past continuous tense in grammar, including its formation, uses, and how to practice it. The lesson includes various materials such as flashcards, whiteboard, PowerPoint, pictures, video clips, and worksheets.

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Institution
Instructor:
Author:
Date:

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PPP GRAMMAR LESSON TABLE
What is the target form? (F)
Understanding English grammar specifically tense, i.e. the past tense and the past
continuous tense.
What are the negative and question forms? Negative forms are the sentences with a contracting word like ‘not.'
For example,
a) I will not come today.
b) Do not light the lamp without your mother's directives.
Question forms are the sentences which end with a question mark. They are by the
inversion of was/ were and subject. For instance;
a) Were they studying when he called?
b) Do you know how to write your name?
What is the function? (M) The grammar sharpens one’s language and a good way of expression.
What do students need to know about the Students should only know the rules of pronunciation.

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pronunciation? (P)
What is the context I will use to introduce
the form? (M)
It is formed using were/was a +present participle.
How will I try to elicit the past continuous
from the students?
Give the students questions to attempt.
How will I encourage students to analyses
the form (S+V) themselves rather than just
telling them what it is? (F)
The students should be able to identify the parts of speech from a given sentence.
Therefore, the ‘S+Verb’ will come out clearly.
What concept questions will I ask to check
students understand how the form is being
used/what it means?
Continuous tense verbs.
What timeline can I use to help students
understand sentences such as 'He was
having a shower when the phone rang.'
2-3 weeks

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How will I get students to practice the
pronunciation?
Pick them randomly.
What controlled practice activities will the
students do?
Make the students busy throughout and capture their attention.
What freer practice activities will the
students do?
Writing down some verbs.
Board plan for 50minutes lesson of past continuous.
Description
During this lesson, learners will learn about past continuous in grammar. The lesson will start by reviewing the previous lesson about
tenses then introduce the past continuous.
Materials to use during the lesson.
Flashcards
Whiteboard

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Powerpoint(slides)
Pictures
Video clips.
worksheets
Main Aim
Train the students on how to practice past continuous.
Procedure
Lead to (5-6minutes) – I will remind the learners the previous because it will require continuation of this lesson. I will guide them
through jotting the main points we learned on the whiteboard, and ask a learner to give more about it. Write on the board will help the
learners figure out the points clearly.
Review the grammar (6-10minutes). Discuss past simple tense the ones the students know for will lead us to the next step. I will let the
students elicit about form and tense in the sentence. Past simple tense will aid the learners in understanding the past continuous forms
in sentences.

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Grammar input (5-10minutes). Introduce the past continuous as well as practicing it.
I will be quoting some sentences from the flashcards and making the students elicit more about tense and come up with answers
through PPP method. These sentences will create a good position of the students understanding the tense more clearly and easily.
Work to do 1. (10-20minutes). Propagate understanding of past continuous as well as reading. I will be setting an example and have a
volunteer from the students and the relia, either a pen or a book. After this exercise I will ask the students to look at sentences from the
text, look at how the past continuous tense has been used.
Grammar activity (5-15minutes) let students understand the past continuous, its meaning and practice. Here I will issue a flash card
which will be having pictures as well other flash cards with questions. I will group the students into groups to discuss the questions
before coming up with the answers. The pictures
Work to do 2. (5-10minutes). Students practice use of the past continuous without a challenge. The learners will be given a worksheet
which will be containing questions and the required answers will be in the past continuous.
Teacher language.
How are you students? today we are going to discuss about the past continuous using construction of sentences. The following
sentences will guide us in identifying the past continuous. Can you look the sentences on the board.

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a) who was beaten by the policemen?
b) The policemen were beating by the thieves.
c) Where were they living initially?
d) They were living in the United Kingdom.
e) For how long was he working a day?
f) He was working utmost 2 hours a day.
g) Who was she talking to?
h) She was talking to her manager.
When you look the following sentences, the underlined part of the sentences shows the action in past continuous form. The
underlined action is formed from past tense of ‘be’ with –ing form of a verb. May you now pick out the past continuous phrase and
identify the verb. Therefore, the verbs are added –ing to show the continuous form of the action. Now you can now write sentences
following the same format. I can see most of you have understood the concept. may you put the concept in practice till we meet
next lesson. Have a good day.
Student’s response: likewise
A 50 minutes’ lesson plan.

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Lesson Objectives:
a) By the end of the lesson, the learner should understand what is ‘past continuous.'
b) By the bend of the lesson, the learner should be able to use past continuous in speech.
TIME TOPIC SUB-
TOPIC
TEACHING
RESOURCES
(Materials)
LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
(Students’
participation)
TEACHING
ACTIVITIES
(Teachers’ role)
5mins INTRODUCTION Review of the
previous lesson.
Number of
students
12
Teenagers (14-16
Tense Flash cards
Board.
The learner raises
his/her hand and
attempts to remind
the other students
about the meaning
of tense and give
some example.
The teacher
The teacher writes on the
board the meaning of the
‘tense.'
‘’ Thank you for your
explanation. Expressions
of verbs according to the
time of speaking is the one

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years old) ‘tense is the
category which
expresses the time
references
regarding speaking
moment.
we refer to ‘tense. For
example, the verb ‘write’
when we construct
sentences according to
yesterday (past),
today(present) and
tomorrow (future)’’
Yesterday I wrote a letter
to our class teacher.
He writes well.
I will be writing the duty
roster tomorrow.
20mins BODY Tense Past
continuous
Pictures
Board
Learners are
listening and
Past continuous tense is
formed from past tense of

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tense taking down notes
from the
chalkboard.
They are observing
the pictures on how
past continuous
tense is formed.
Learners are giving
their verbs in past
continuous tense
after acquiring
knowledge from
the photographs
and written outline
of past tense on the
board.
‘be’ with –ing form of a
verb (Alice, 1995, p. 5).
When we use past
continuous tense, we refer
to the past for something
continued before and after
another action (Beth,
1993, p. 13).
For example;
a) The men were
digging the holes
when I arrived
home.
b) The children were
watching the
television during

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the daytime.
20mins Functions
of the
continuous
PowerPoint
board
The learners watch
the slides of the
features of the
functions.
Learners take
down notes on
their exercises.
A learner is given
an opportunity to
construct
sentences. Learners
are making groups
for better
understanding.
The teacher displays the
functions of past
continuous on the wall by
use of the power-point.
Past continuous is used to
show something has
continued for some time
(Tottie, 2002, p. 15).
For example;
a) My leg was aching
severely when the
cow stepped on
me.
b) The people were

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Learner using the
common verbs
they frequently use
daily, for example,
eat, talk, walk,
dance learn.
The learner to
identify the past
continuous in the
sentences written
on the board.
shouting.
The past continuous is
also used to show
something which was
happening again and again
(Swan, 2005, p. 7).
For instance;
a) He was practicing
daily, four times a
day.
b) We were
discussing secretly
after school.
The past continuous is
also used with the verbs
that show growth or

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change (Peters, 2004, p.
17).
a) The siblings were
growing up
rapidly.
b) Her Kiswahili was
improving.
What Past
Continuous
Uses
(Quirk,
1985, p. 9).
Board
Power point
Video clips
The learner listens
keenly and as well
watches the video
clips identifying
the different forms
of the past
continuous.
Leaners are taking
Learners, we are going to
discuss what past
continuous uses. I would
like you, learners, to listen
keenly, take down the
well.
First, the past continuous

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down notes as the
teacher writes on
the board.
Learners in groups
to help each other
in picking out the
past continuous.
Learners are
writing down their
example on their
exercise book.
tense uses interrupted
action in the past (Peters,
2004, p. 10). Continuous
tense indicates that more
extended action in the past
was interrupted. This
interruption continues
shortly in the simple past.
For example,
a) She was watching
a movie when he
called.
Secondly , past continuous
can be used as per the
atmosphere (Beth, 1993,
p. 11). The English

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atmosphere expressed by
the past continuous often
uses a chain of actions
which are parallel to each
other to describe a specific
time of the past hence
describing the atmosphere
(Peters, 2004, p. 7). For
instance;
a) When he stepped
into the cyber, few
attendants were
tight up scanning
documents, several
were
communicating

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through their
mobile phones, the
supervisor was
giving the
directions, and the
clients were eager
to be served. Two
of the customers
were screaming at
the secretary as
well as waving her
hands. Most of
them were
unhappy to one
another about the

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lousy service.
10mins CONCLUSION Past continuous. Summary
of the
lesson.
Board Two learners
volunteer to
attempt giving the
summary of the
lesson.
One of the students
writes the main
points on the board
as the others help
him/her.
Today we have learned
about the past continuous
in grammar series.
Past continuous is formed
by Past continuous tense is
formed from past tense of
‘be’ with –ing form of a
verb.
I urge you, learners, to
continue practicing the
roles of past participle in
grammar. Now you will
go to the library and do
such research on past

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continuous.
References.
Alice, M. (1995). The Dynamic interpretation of Tense and Aspect. Representing Time in Natural Language, 2, 34.
Beth, l. (1993). A Preliminary Investigation. English Verb Classes and Alternations, 2, 56.
Meyer, C. (2002). An introduction to the past continuous. English Corpus Linguistics, 2, 93.
Peters, P. (2004). The past continuous. The Cambridge Guide to English Usage., 3, 45.
Quirk, R. (1985). A Comprehensive Grammar of the Englis Language, 4, 56.

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Swan, M. (2005). Tense. Practical English Usage, 1, 53.
Tobin, Y. (1993). Process and Result in Language. Aspect in the English verb, 1, 43.
Tottie, G. (2002). Past continuous. An introduction to American English, 42.