Present Continuous and Present Simple: Understanding the Difference

Present Continuous and Present Simple: Understanding the Difference

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to differentiate between Present Continuous and Present Simple tenses and use them correctly in sentences.

Introduce the learning objective to the students and explain what they will achieve by the end of the lesson.

What do you already know about Present Continuous and Present Simple?

Present Simple

The Present Simple tense is used for general truths, habits, and routines.

Explain the rules for using Present Simple tense and give examples. Ask students to give their own examples.

Present Continuous

The Present Continuous tense is used for actions happening at the moment of speaking or around the time of speaking.

Explain the rules for using Present Continuous tense and give examples. Ask students to give their own examples.

Forming Present Continuous

Present Continuous is formed by using the verb 'to be' in the present tense and adding the present participle of the main verb.

Explain how to form Present Continuous tense and give examples. Ask students to form Present Continuous tense for different verbs.

Forming Present Simple

Present Simple is formed by using the base form of the verb.

Explain how to form Present Simple tense and give examples. Ask students to form Present Simple tense for different verbs.

Keywords for Present Simple

Some keywords that indicate Present Simple tense are: always, usually, never, every day, etc.

Explain the keywords that are commonly used with Present Simple tense and give examples. Ask students to make sentences using these keywords.

Keywords for Present Continuous

Some keywords that indicate Present Continuous tense are: now, at the moment, today, this week, etc.

Explain the keywords that are commonly used with Present Continuous tense and give examples. Ask students to make sentences using these keywords.

Uses of Present Simple

Present Simple is used for general truths, habits, and routines.

Explain the uses of Present Simple tense and give examples. Ask students to make their own sentences using Present Simple tense.

Uses of Present Continuous

Present Continuous is used for actions happening at the moment of speaking or around the time of speaking.

Explain the uses of Present Continuous tense and give examples. Ask students to make their own sentences using Present Continuous tense.

Practice Exercise 1

Choose the correct tense for the sentence: My brother _______ (play/plays) football every Saturday.

Give an exercise to the students to practice using Present Simple tense. Ask them to choose the correct tense for the given sentence. Provide feedback.

Practice Exercise 2

Choose the correct tense for the sentence: They _______ (watch/watches) TV right now.

Give an exercise to the students to practice using Present Continuous tense. Ask them to choose the correct tense for the given sentence. Provide feedback.

Review

Review the rules and uses of Present Continuous and Present Simple tenses.

Recap the main points of the lesson and ask students if they have any questions. Provide extra examples if needed.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.