1.4.3 Present Simple (Questions) Lesson Plan
In the BrainPOP ELL movie, Does He Bite? (L1U4L3), we meet Moby’s new dog. As Ben asks Moby questions about his pet, students discover how to form questions in the present simple tense. In this lesson plan, adaptable for grades K-8, students match questions to short answers, ask each other questions to find missing information in a story, and place adverbs of frequency on a continuum.
Students will:
- Ask questions in the present simple to match short answers.
- Ask each other questions in the present simple to complete information in a simple story.
- Arrange adverbs of frequency on a continuum.
Materials:
- BrainPOP ELL
- Index cards
Vocabulary:
Preparation:
-
Make copies of the story “A New Dog,” found below. Half the class will receive version 1 and half will receive version 2.
- Prepare enough adverbs of frequency word cards for each pair of students, to use in the Extension Activity: always, never, usually, often, sometimes.
Lesson Procedure:
- What Does Fighter Do? Before watching the whole movie Does He Bite? (L1U4L3), show a picture of the first scene. Tell the class that in the movie, Ben asks many questions about Fighter. Ask them what questions they have about Moby’s dog. Have students write down three questions they would ask Moby about his new pet. After the movie, compare their questions to Ben’s questions. If there are questions that Ben didn't ask, students can ask and answer them.
- Yes or No. Write the following short answers on the board: Yes, he is. No, he isn’t. Yes, they do. No, they don’t. Yes, he does. No, he doesn’t. After watching the movie, Does He Bite? (L1U4L3), have students write questions about Fighter that go with the short answers. When they have finished, they ask and answer the questions with a partner.
- A New Dog. Distribute two versions of the following story to pairs of students. Make sure that each partner has a different version. Have partners ask questions of each other to find the missing information and complete their stories.
A New Dog #1
My friend Kenny has a new dog. The dog’s name is ________ (1). Kenny and Rocky live in New York. They do many things together. They ___________ (3) in the park every day. They play games in ______________ (5) every day, too. Rocky is a friendly dog. He plays with _____________ (7). Rocky ______(8) in the bedroom. He doesn’t fight and he never bites.
A New Dog #2
_____________ (2) has a new dog. The dog’s name is Rocky. Kenny and Rocky live in ___________ (4). They do many things together. They walk in ___________ (6) every day. They play games in the yard every day, too. Rocky is a friendly dog. He plays with children. Rocky sleeps in the __________(8). He doesn’t fight and he _________ (9) bites.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Adverbs of Frequency Continuum
Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something happens. Since the present simple tense is used to talk about habits or regular activities, we often use adverbs of frequency like always, never, usually, often, sometimes. Distribute the set of 5 cards to each pair of students, or have them make their own. Ask them to arrange the words in a continuum, from the most to the least frequent. Encourage questions and discussion as they arrange the words. When they have finished, ask for examples of sentences using the adverbs.
Vocabulary Activity: Brave Word Map
Because the word brave or bravery relates to a concept, it's a good word to use in a Word Map. Components for the four quadrants could be any of the following: examples, non-examples, synonyms, antonyms, related words, sentence, or picture.
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