Further Practices in the uses of Tenses Like Present Tense, Past Tense, Present Continuous tense and Past Continuous Tenses English Grammar Primary 4 First Term Lesson Notes Week 8

Class: Primary 4

Subject: English Grammar

Topic: Further Practices in the uses of Tenses

Sub-topic: Present Tense, Past Tense, Present Continuous Tense, Past Continuous Tenses

Duration: 45 minutes

Term: First Term

Week: 8

Previous Knowledge: Students should have a basic understanding of tenses, especially present and past tenses.

Set Induction: Begin by engaging students in a simple discussion. Ask them about their activities today, yesterday, and at this moment. This helps to introduce the idea of different tenses.

Behavioral Objectives:

• To understand and distinguish between various tenses.
• To practice using present, past, present continuous, and past continuous tenses.
• To construct sentences using the correct tenses.
• To identify the time frames for each tense.

Embedded Core Skills: Grammar, writing, communication, and critical thinking.

Learning Materials: Chalkboard, chalk, visual aids (pictures or flashcards representing different actions), markers, and a whiteboard.

Teaching Methods: Interactive discussion, storytelling, and group exercises.

Content:

Present Tense: The present tense is used to describe actions, events, or situations that are happening now or are generally true. It is used to express actions that are currently taking place or facts that are always true. For example, in the sentence “She sings beautifully,” “sings” is in the present tense, indicating that the action is happening right now.

Past Tense: The past tense is used to describe actions, events, or situations that have already happened and are no longer occurring. It is used to express actions or states that took place in the past. For example, in the sentence “They visited the museum yesterday,” “visited” is in the past tense, indicating that the action occurred in the past.

Present Continuous Tense: The present continuous tense (also called present progressive tense) is used to describe actions or situations that are happening at the current moment or around the present time. It is formed by using the present tense of the verb “to be” (am, is, are) and adding the base form of the verb with an “-ing” ending. For example, in the sentence “I am reading a book,” “am reading” is in the present continuous tense, indicating that the action is ongoing.

Past Continuous Tense: The past continuous tense is used to describe actions or situations that were in progress at a specific point in the past. It is formed by using the past tense of the verb “to be” (was, were) and adding the base form of the verb with an “-ing” ending. For example, in the sentence “She was watching TV at 8 PM,” “was watching” is in the past continuous tense, indicating that the action was ongoing at a particular time in the past.

Present Tense:

• In the present tense, we talk about things happening now. For example, “She sings beautifully.” In this sentence, “sings” shows that she is singing right now.

Past Tense:

• In the past tense, we talk about things that happened before. For example, “They played soccer.” Here, “played” tells us they did it earlier, not now.

Present Continuous Tense:

• This tense talks about things happening at this moment. For instance, “He is dancing.” The “is dancing” part means he is dancing right now.

Past Continuous Tense:

• It tells us about actions that were ongoing in the past. For example, “She was painting.” The “was painting” shows she was doing it at some point in the past.

Remember, when we change the tense, we change the way we tell when things happened – either now, before, or at some point in the past.

Present Tense:

1. He works in a hospital.
2. Cats chase mice.
3. The sun rises in the morning.
4. They live in a big house.
5. She eats delicious food.

Past Tense:

1. She finished her homework.
2. They visited the zoo last week.
3. It rained yesterday.
4. He played soccer with his friends.
5. I watched a great movie last night.

Present Continuous Tense:

1. She is reading a book.
2. They are playing in the park.
3. It is raining outside.
4. He is painting a picture.
5. I am cooking dinner.

Past Continuous Tense:

1. She was studying all night.
2. They were watching TV when I called.
3. It was raining when I left.
4. He was reading a story.
5. I was walking in the park.

Presentation:

Step 1:

• Start by discussing what tenses are and why they are important in English.
• Introduce the four tenses (present, past, present continuous, and past continuous) with simple examples.
• Use visual aids or flashcards to represent actions in different tenses.

Step 2:

• Engage the students in a storytelling session. Tell a short story using different tenses, and encourage students to identify the tenses used.
• Discuss the importance of context in choosing the correct tense.

Step 3:

• Divide the class into groups and provide each group with a list of verbs.
• Instruct each group to create sentences using the given verbs in different tenses (present, past, present continuous, or past continuous).
• Groups will present their sentences to the class.

Teacher’s Activities:

• Facilitate the discussion and storytelling.
• Monitor group activities and provide guidance as needed.

Learners’ Activities:

• Actively participate in discussions.
• Create sentences in their groups and present them to the class.

Evaluation:

1. Assess the students’ understanding by reviewing their sentences in the group activity.
2. Ask individual students to construct sentences in different tenses.
3. We __________ (play) football every Sunday. a) play b) playing c) played d) will play
4. She __________ (sing) a beautiful song yesterday. a) sing b) is singing c) sang d) will sing
5. Right now, they __________ (swim) in the pool. a) swim b) swims c) swam d) are swimming
6. He __________ (read) a book when the phone rang. a) read b) reads c) is reading d) was reading
7. The cat always __________ (purr) when it’s happy. a) purr b) purring c) purred d) will purr
8. We usually __________ (eat) dinner at 7 PM. a) eat b) eating c) ate d) will eat
9. The kids __________ (build) a sandcastle at the beach now. a) build b) builds c) building d) are building
10. Yesterday, she __________ (dance) at the school party. a) dance b) dances c) is dancing d) danced
11. Birds __________ (sing) lovely songs in the morning. a) sing b) singing c) sang d) will sing
12. I __________ (watch) a movie when the lights went out. a) watch b) watches c) watched d) am watching
13. He often __________ (run) in the park after school. a) run b) runs c) running d) ran
14. They __________ (paint) the house last summer. a) paint b) paints c) is painting d) painted
15. While I __________ (study), my friend called me. a) study b) studying c) studied d) am studying
16. The bakery always __________ (bake) fresh bread in the morning. a) bake b) bakes c) baking d) baked
17. Tomorrow, we __________ (go) to the zoo with our class. a) go b) goes c) going d) went

Conclusion:

• Summarize the importance of using the correct tenses in English.
• Encourage students to continue practicing tenses in their daily conversations and writing.

This lesson aims to reinforce the understanding of different tenses and provide opportunities for students to practice using them in various contexts.