We, unfortunately, have all the noise distractions of being on a busy road, but the view from my classroom windows has very little human activity, as a rule. I like the idea of going around the building and listing activities going on, though. We could also stand on the front steps to get a view of a busy road and shopping area. Thanks for the idea!
Cheryl Thornett
ESOL & Literacy tutor
Birmingham UK Adult Education




----- Original Message ----- 
  From: dtaylor at buffalo.edu 
  To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 5:39 PM
  Subject: [EnglishLanguage 4302] Re: Using group games to teachthe presentcontinuous


  One way I help students focus on the present continuous isn't exactly a game, but I assign pairs or small groups of students to go to different parts of the school and report back what is happening. We have 6 floors in our building, so it's easy to assign each group a floor and a specific number of activities to report (e.g., 3 - 5 activities per team). I give them a time limit, and when students return to the classroom, they write sentences about the activities on the board, large chart paper, overhead transparencies, or a computer attached to a projector. Each team then reports out. As they report out, we make corrections to their sentences and discuss any issues or questions that come up. For example, a team might report, "The student is knowing the answer," and we talk about non-progressive verbs.

  Prior to the above activity we often write a collective short story about what is happening outside our window. Fortunately, our classroom is located on a busy street corner! As a follow-up the students write a short paragraph about what is happening inside their house, at their job or outside their window.

  As to the implicit/explicit question - I usually do both. I've found that many students want to know The Rule, so I do spend time explicitly teaching a specific grammatical form, such as the present continuous, and guidelines for using the form with lots of examples. However, I try to include activities in class that focus on function or meaning with a less rigid focus on form and getting it exactly grammatically correct. Generally, I focus on form more with writing and meaning more with oral activities.

  Dorothy Taylor

  Educational Opportunity Center

  SUNY/University at Buffalo








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