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Texas Adult Education Standards and Benchmarks
for ABE ASE and ESL Learners

esl LESSON PLANS

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Texas Adult Education Standards
Lesson Plan

Before you begin

Title: A Special Use of the Present Tense

Setting: ESL

NRS Level(s): Level 4: Low Intermediate

Open entry/exit: Yes

Context: Academic

Standard(s): ESLConvey Ideas in Writing

Benchmark(s): 1.4, 2.4, 3.4, 4.4

Objective: To improve the mastery of verb tenses by reading and reflecting back on a story.

Materials: Chalkboard/chalk, paper, pencil

Estimated time needed to prepare for this lesson plan: 30 minutes

Estimated time needed to complete this lesson plan: 2 hours

The Lesson Plan

Introduce the lesson:
Review fundamentals of using the present tense with the class. Discuss how the present tense is used to convey information about activities or events that are happening at the current moment. Class discussion should lead students to the realization that by using the present tense, they can make a story “come alive” for the reader or the listener.

Teach the lesson:
As a class, have students share a story with others in the class. One way to interest students to share their stories is to relate to a specific time of season (Halloween, Christmas, etc.). During Halloween students might be asked if anyone can share a ghost story they had learned growing up. Another way to illicit stories is to ask if anyone would like to share a scary movie they have seen. As the student tells the story, the teacher will write it down on the chalkboard, converting each sentence to the present tense. Halfway through the story, the teacher will stop the student and then ask everyone in the class to write, "What happens next?" Students will copy the sentences already written on the board and use them as a model for how to continue the story. They will then continue writing the rest of the story.

Practice the lesson:
As a class, students can think of other situations when the present tense may be the most appropriate tense to make the topic “come alive” (e.g. telling about an exciting sports match, telling about an automobile accident they witnessed or were involved in, etc.). Students can then write individual short papers to reinforce their learning of using present tense verbs.

Assess the lesson:
Students will individually revise their writing based on instructor assistance and feedback. After rewriting, students might share their stories with the class. Observing classmates' reactions to the use of the present tense is useful for gaining self-confidence in applying this technique to storytelling.

Apply the lesson to the real world:
Students can apply this lesson to any real-world situation where using the appropriate verb tense in writing is required. Application might also be extended to situations that students need to convey in writing an event that has been witnessed or observed.

Submitted by: Judy Dean

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