Are your students learning the present progressive tense for the first time? Have you explained the difference between the simple present and the present progressive? If yes, then they know that one use of the present progressive is to describe temporary actions that are happening right now.

After you’ve introduced a specific use of a verb tense, it really helps to get the grammar off the paper. Help your students learn a specific use of the present progressive tense by getting them to visualize it. Keep in mind that this is how native English babies learn the present progressive. They see something happening, and their parent or caregiver points and says, “What’s Daddy doing?” or “What’s Daddy eating?“. At first, the child might respond with the word “apple”. The parent probably praises the child, saying, “You’re right! Daddy is eating an apple.” Eventually, the child will respond in a full sentence using the present progressive.

Here are three activities for getting your students to visualize the present progressive tense:   (more…)