Participles in Context

Overview

Lesson 5 of 9 in “Spanish Tenses and Commands.” Students revisit the present gerund, compound gerund, and past participles, connecting them to progressive and perfect constructions while narrating a visual story about what people were doing and what had or has happened.

Learning intentions

• Students will explain the difference between a gerund and a past participle.
• Students will use progressive forms with estar and gerunds.
• Students will use perfect constructions with haber and past participles.
• Students will connect sentences to describe a visual narrative.
• Students will reflect on how grammatical choices affect meaning and time.

Success criteria

• I can form and use present gerunds, including common irregular forms.
• I can use estar + gerund to describe an action in progress.
• I can use haber + past participle to describe completed actions.
• I can use gerunds and participles accurately in connected sentences.

Curriculum links

• Communication: interpret visual and written meaning, then present connected ideas in Spanish.
• Language: understand how grammatical structures communicate time, sequence, and aspect.
• International-mindedness: explore how people, routines, and experiences can be represented from different perspectives.
• Approaches to learning: communicate clearly, think critically about language choices, and reflect on progress.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Visual hook and retrieval Open with the visual hook and retrieval slides. Show a busy scene and ask: “¿Qué estaba haciendo cada persona?” Students first write two possible answers, then share with a partner. Briefly elicit the difference between estaba hablando and ha hablado.

2. 5–12 minutes – Focused grammar review Use the grammar comparison slides to review:

• Present gerund: hablar → hablando; comer → comiendo; vivir → viviendo
• Common irregulars: leyendo, durmiendo, diciendo
• Compound gerund: habiendo terminado
• Past participle: hablado, comido, vivido
• Perfect constructions: ha llegado, habían salido

Emphasize that the gerund describes an action in progress or accompanying another action, while the participle works with haber to form perfect tenses. Note that past participles used with haber do not agree in gender or number.

3. 12–20 minutes – Guided oral rehearsal Display the substitution frames in the sentence-frame practice slides. In pairs, students transform prompts such as La estudiante / estudiar into:

• La estudiante está estudiando.
• La estudiante ha estudiado.
• La estudiante había estudiado.

Each student produces at least four sentences. Partners listen for the correct auxiliary, form, and meaning, then ask one follow-up question: “¿Cuándo?” or “¿Qué pasó después?”

4. 20–32 minutes – Visual story practice Distribute the visual story and grammar practice worksheet. Students study a six-frame sequence involving preparation, an unexpected event, and its result. They write one sentence for each frame, using at least two progressive forms, two perfect constructions, and one participle used adjectivally, such as la puerta cerrada. Encourage students to connect ideas with mientras, después, ya, todavía, and porque. Pause halfway for a two-minute partner check.

5. 32–39 minutes – Narrative exchange Students work in pairs, with one student narrating the first three frames and the other narrating the final three. The listener records one accurate gerund and one accurate participle heard. Partners then improve one sentence by adding time or sequence information. Invite two pairs to share contrasting interpretations of the same image.

6. 39–45 minutes – Independent exit reflection Return to the plenary and exit-question slides. Students complete three oral or written prompts:

• One sentence with estar + gerund.
• One sentence with haber + participle.
• One sentence explaining when each form is useful.

Collect responses or hear them individually as students leave. Address one recurring error in the next lesson.

Resources

• the complete introduction, teaching, practice, and plenary slide deck
• the visual story and grammar practice worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Student notebooks and pens
• Board or shared digital writing space
• Optional timer for pair activities

Assessment

• Listen during oral rehearsal for accurate auxiliary verbs, gerund formation, and participle formation.
• Review the visual narrative for connected meaning, appropriate tense choice, and grammatical accuracy.
• Use the exit response to identify whether students can distinguish progressive and perfect constructions independently.

Differentiation

• Provide picture sequences, chunked examples, oral rehearsal, and substitution frames before requiring independent writing.
• Offer accessible fonts, generous spacing, short lines, and color-coded auxiliaries and verb forms on the worksheet and slides.
• Permit students to demonstrate the narrative orally, dictate sentences, or use speech-to-text; pair students strategically and allow additional processing time.
• For EAL learners and students needing support, provide a verb bank and sentence starters. Challenge advanced learners to vary time frames, include habiendo + participle, and justify why each form is appropriate.

Extension

Students create a two-paragraph visual narrative using multiple participle forms. The first paragraph must include progressive forms describing actions in progress; the second must include perfect constructions describing what has or had happened and the resulting situation.