TESOL Diploma: Assignment 5 - Lesson Plan Expressing Future Plans

This assignment details a 60-minute lesson plan designed to teach beginner-level ESL students how to express future plans using the present continuous tense within the Communicative Approach. The lesson follows a Presentation-Practice-Production (PPP) format and includes a cover page with learning objectives, aims, assumptions, and anticipated problems with solutions. The presentation stage involves a diagram and example sentences to introduce the concept, followed by a group practice activity where students formulate future sentences. The final production stage involves a role-play activity where students create and perform skits incorporating future expressions. The lesson incorporates various techniques such as discussion, group activities, and conversational role play, and includes detailed procedures for each stage, along with teacher and student activities. The plan also considers pronunciation and production problems, providing solutions to address potential student difficulties.

ASSIGNMENT 5: Lesson plan - Expressing future plans
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Task: to develop a grammar lesson plan using the PPP model of the Communicative Approach.
Purpose: In this assignment you are required to
 demonstrate comprehension on the topic of a grammar lesson plan using the P-P-P format of the
Communicative Approach, as described in the corresponding chapters and shown in the different
sample lesson plans.
 demonstrate your ability to apply theory into practice in all stages of this lesson plan.
You have some basic information on the topic you have to teach (see below). You may want to add
more aims, assumptions, anticipated problems and solutions. Feel free to do so. Include all the stages
in a lesson (presentation-practice-production), the skills and techniques you will use in each step.
Remember to use concept questions and varied techniques to teach vocabulary. You can write this
lesson plan completing the columns in the template below (chart format) or, if you prefer, in a linear
format, as shown in some sample lesson plans. Whatever template you choose, make sure to include
all the required headings (See example below).
If you do not yet feel comfortable writing a lesson plan using the Communicative Approach, it is
recommended that you review Chapters 3 to 8.
If you want to add more items to the headings in the cover page, please make sure you
highlight them to show your tutor that you have added them.
You may need to use more than one page to write the plan of this lesson.
Submit the lesson plan to your tutor. Wait for your tutor’s correction of this assignment
before submitting assignment 6.
Cover Page

Level: Beginner
Lesson objectives: By the end of the lesson, my students will be able to talk about future plans using
the present continuous.
Main Aims:
Communicative Aim: To present the function of talking about future plans
Grammatical/Structural Aim: Present Continuous/Progressive as future.
Present Continuous/Progressive as future [S + ‘be’ (is-am-are) + verb in Present Participle (-
ing) form]
Pronunciation Aim: Students will be able to use appropriate articulation of –ing forms of
verbs in tandem with future expressions.
Sub-Aims:
To review adverbials of future time: ‘tomorrow’, ‘next week’, ‘next Saturday’, etc.
To provide controlled and semi-controlled practice of the function and structure (tense).
Assumptions: Students are familiar with the present continuous tense with the function of talking
about an action happening now; i.e., “I am watching TV now.”, “What are you doing?”, “He is running
to school.” Students know the days of the week, and might be familiar with future time adverbials such
as ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next week’.
Anticipated problems and solutions:
Communicative Aim: Students may confuse the uses of the present continuous (action now vs.
future plans).
I will make sure that I demonstrate the difference using concept questions with examples and
diagrams.
Pronunciation Problems: Students may have difficulty pronouncing the ‘ing’ sound or the contracted
forms of the auxiliary verb ‘be’ (‘I’m’, ‘he’s’, etc.).
I will make sure that I model these sounds, show articulation, and drill them with a variety of
sentences.
Production problems: Students may not be able to correlate the use of –ing form with the future
expressions like ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next week’, this being their first experience with future using present
continuous.
I will make sure that I provide ample examples to support their concept and understanding.
Time: 60 minutes
Aids and materials: White board, marker, paper and pens / pencils, action cards (pictures of eating,
drinking, sleeping etc.)
Procedure page

Stage in the lesson Teacher activity Student activity
Name of step:
Presentation
Aim: To teach the
students the basic
concept of merging
future expressions with
present continuous forms
and using them to form
sentences denoting
future actions.
Technique: Discussion
Skill/s: Understanding
Interactive Pattern: T - S
Time: 20 minutes
At the very beginning of the
class, the teacher will draw a
diagram on the board, in which
she will draw a horizontal line
with an arrow in the right end.
She will divide the line in
between, on the top pf the left
side, she will write today and on
the right she will write future.
Afterwards, she will highlight a
small section on both the sides
and place one action card on
each section.
She will then instruct the class
that a certain action will happen
tomorrow just like something is
happening today.
Afterwards, she will write the
following sentences on the
board:
I am visiting my friend today.
I am visiting my friend
tomorrow.
I am visiting my friend next
Sunday.
She will then explain each of the
sentence with reference to the
first sentence, stating that the
first sentence is the action
happening in the present while
the next two sentences are
actions happening in the future
because they are planned.
Finally she writes the
grammatical structure as
follows:
Subject + ‘be’ (is-am-are) + verb
The Students will carefully
observe the diagram and take
note of what the teacher is
saying.
They will ask queries in class
and respond to any question that
the teacher asks.

in Present Participle (-ing) +
Predicate.
Name of step: Practice
Aim: Students will
practice formation of
future constructions with
present continuous,
using the same diagram
and action cards
provided to them, in
groups of four.
Technique: Group activity
Skill/s: Problem
understanding and
solving, memory and
recall, teamwork.
Interactive Pattern: S - S
Time: 20 minutes
The teacher will divide the class
into groups of four and provide
papers and pens to each student.
She will then ask the students to
replicate the drawing on the
board on the papers.
Each student will be given a set
of action cards and they will be
asked to randomly select two
each and place it o n two sides of
the diagram according to what
the teacher drew.
The students will then use the
pictures and the time of action to
formulate a future sentence
using the action as the present
continuous
The students will draw the
diagram drawn by the teacher on
the board, on the paper they are
provided. They will also use the
action cards they are provided to
place on either side of the line.
Using the action card as the base
for the verb, the students will
use the present continuous forms
of the verb to formulate
sentences expressing future
tense and utilising present
continuous.
Once done, the students in each
group will exchange the cards
they are provided and form more
sentences
Name of step:
Presentation
Aim: Students will
present their
understanding of using
present continuous to
express future actions
Technique:
Conversational Role Play.
Skill/s: Speaking,
memory, recall.
Interactive Pattern: S –
Class / T
Time: 20 minutes.
The teacher directs the students
towards presenting their
understanding till now. The
teacher looks at the action card
each student has within each
group and suggests some ideas
for making up a small skit using
these action cards. The Students
use 10 minutes to come up with
a small play. The teacher helps
them assign dialogues within
each other.
The teacher also checks their
presentation as well as dialogues
for pronunciation issues and
grammatical discrepancies.
After the performance the
teacher provides constructive
feedback.
Each group goes to the front of
the class and performs a small
skit.
Within their dialogues they
incorporate future expressions
using present continuous.
Some examples include:
S1: I can’t stay for long. I am
fishing with my grandpa this
afternoon.
S2: Oh that’s great, I am hiking
with my cousin tomorrow.
S3: I am sleeping tomorrow.
Hey what about the movie?
S4: Yeah are we watching it this
Sunday?