Loading…
Teaching or studying this?
All lesson plans
Lesson planA140 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
What Are You Doing? present continuous for now
Students learn the present continuous to describe what people are doing right now, then write about activities happening at home, work or in the street.
Present continuous now · Daily life · Morning
Or download everything as a ZIP (2 PDFs)This lesson plan and its PDFs are free.
Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use present continuous accurately
- Learn and use 12 words and phrases in 2 sets: Getting ready, Now, bring and take
- Read for detail: Monday morning
- Writing task: Right now
Stages · 40 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about daily life and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–4
- 5 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
Click a page to preview it, download it or open it in a new tab.
Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Present continuous (now)
- am / is / are + verb-ing: I am waiting. She is having a shower. They are brushing their teeth.
- Use it for things happening now: at the moment, right now, Look!, Listen!
Negatives and questions
- I'm not working. She isn't sleeping. They aren't waiting.
- Are you waiting for the bus? What are you doing? Why is the baby crying?
Spelling
- make → making, take → taking (drop -e)
- swim → swimming, get → getting, sit → sitting (double the last letter)
Study tips
- Present continuous = now. Present simple = every day: I have a shower every morning. I'm having a shower now.
- Look out of the window and write three sentences: A man is waiting for the bus…
Glossary
- Getting ready6 items
- Now, bring and take6 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Busy mornings
Choose the correct word.
- a
Can you ___ me a glass of water from the kitchen, please?
- b
Please ___ these books back to the library for me.
- c
We're late for school! ___!
- d
Please ___! You're driving very fast.
- e
I always ___ my sister after school, and then we go home together.
2
What's happening?
Choose the correct answer.
- a
Look! The bus ___.
- b
I can't talk now. I ___ a shower.
- c
Where are the children? — They ___ their teeth.
- d
Shh! The baby ___.
- e
We ___ for a taxi at the moment.
- f
My dad ___ breakfast right now.
- g
Hurry up! Everyone ___ for you.
- h
Look! He ___ in the sea.
3
Negatives and questions
Choose the correct word.
- a
What ___ you doing?
- b
She ___ working today. She's at home.
- c
___ they watching TV?
- d
I ___ having breakfast now. I'm in the car!
- e
___ he waiting for the bus?
- f
Why ___ the baby crying?
- g
What ___ your brother doing at the moment?
4
Find the mistake
One sentence has a mistake. Choose the correct sentence.
- a
Choose the correct sentence.
- b
Choose the correct sentence.
- c
Choose the correct sentence.
- d
Choose the correct sentence.
- e
Choose the correct sentence.
- f
Choose the correct sentence.
- g
Choose the correct sentence.
- h
Choose the correct sentence.
- i
Choose the correct sentence.
- j
Choose the correct sentence.
5
Read: Monday morning
Read the text. Then choose the correct answer.
It's eight o'clock on Monday morning, and the Green family is very busy. Mrs Green is in the bathroom. She's having a shower. Tom is brushing his teeth, and his sister Lucy is getting ready for school. She can't find her shoes! Mr Green is in the kitchen. He's making sandwiches for lunch. "Hurry up, everyone!" he says. "The bus is coming!" Grandpa is sitting in the garden. He isn't busy. He's reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of tea. At the moment he's waiting for his friend. They play chess every Monday.
- a
Where is Mrs Green?
- b
What is Lucy doing?
- c
What is Mr Green making?
- d
Why does Mr Green say "Hurry up"?
- e
Who is Grandpa waiting for?
6
Write: Right now
Write about what is happening now.
Write about what people are doing right now — at home, at work or in the street. (6–8 sentences) What are you doing? What are two other people doing? What aren't they doing? Use am / is / are + -ing. Word box: have a shower · brush your teeth · get ready · wait for · hurry up · bring · take · at the moment · still Example: At the moment I'm sitting in the kitchen. My brother is having a shower. My mum is still getting ready for work.
Suggested minimum: 35 words
0 words · aim for at least 35
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 12 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 2 sets.
Getting ready
- have a shower
- to wash your body under water
- brush your teeth
- to clean your teeth with a brush
- get ready
- to do everything before you go out
- hurry up
- to go faster
- wait for
- to stay in a place until a person or thing comes
- late
- after the right time
Now, bring and take
- at the moment
- now
- still
- the same as before, and now too: I am still at work.
- bring
- to come here with something
- take
- to go with something to another place
- now
- at this time
- right now
- at this exact time
How was this lesson plan?
One tap helps other teachers find the best lessons, and helps us improve them.