Simple Present Routines

Overview

Curriculum Area:

World Languages (Modern Language Acquisition) – High School Level (11th Grade)
Aligned with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards.

Proficiency Level:

Intermediate-Low to Intermediate-High (students will communicate on familiar topics using phrases and simple sentences).

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Lesson Objectives

Aim:

Enable students to describe their daily routines and ask about others' routines using the simple present tense.

Sub-aim:

Develop confidence in forming and answering questions with proper word order and pronunciation.

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Personalized Teaching Style Considerations:

The teacher has indicated a student-centered approach. The lesson is interactive, with a focus on meaningful communication and clear scaffolding, ensuring error correction feels supportive rather than intimidating.

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Materials Needed:

1. Built-in Adobe Connect Features:
   • Visual slides showcasing daily routine activities (wake up, eat breakfast, study, etc.).
   • Whiteboard for modeling sentence/question structure.
   • Breakout rooms for pair work.
2. Audio files of short daily routine sentences for pronunciation demonstration.
3. PDF handout (displayed on-screen) with structured prompts such as:
   • “What time do you ___?”
   • “When do you ___?”
   • “I usually ___ at ___ o’clock.”

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Lesson Timing and Methodology

1. Engagement (5 minutes)

• Interaction Pattern: Teacher-to-Students (T-S).
• Goal: Activate students’ prior knowledge and set a relatable context through visuals.
• Procedure:
  1. Greet students warmly and display a slide with vibrant visuals of daily activities (e.g., brushing teeth, eating breakfast, specific hobbies such as skateboarding or gaming).
  2. Ask light conversational questions, e.g., “What time do you usually leave for school?” or “Do you have breakfast every day?”
  3. Write students’ quick answers on the digital whiteboard as complete sentences, which models correct structure.

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2. Study: Grammar and Practice (15 minutes)

Instruct (5 minutes)

• Interaction Pattern: Teacher-to-Students (T-S).
• Goal: Teach question formations with "do/does," word order, and practice pronunciation of routine-related sentences.
• Procedure:
  1. Explain question formation rules:
     • Use "do" for plural subjects and "does" for singular subjects (e.g., "What time does she wake up?").
     • Reinforce time-related vocabulary (e.g., o’clock, morning, afternoon, evening).
  2. Play audio files of sample sentences with clear, slow pronunciation; students repeat chorally and individually.
  3. Write two sample exchanges on the whiteboard:
     • “What time do you wake up?”
       “I wake up at 7 o’clock.”
     • “When does she do her homework?”
       “She does her homework at night.”

Guided Practice (10 minutes)

• Interaction Pattern: Students-Speaking (S-S).
• Goal: Reinforce learning through sentence construction while encouraging peer interaction.
• Procedure:
  1. Display visuals of four routine activities (e.g., eating breakfast, walking a dog, going to a class, playing video games) along with question prompts on-screen.
  2. Students take turns asking and answering questions with the teacher facilitating.
  3. Teacher provides pronunciation corrections and encourages authentic interaction, like follow-up answers (e.g., if the student says they wake up late, the teacher might ask: "Wow, do you feel rushed in the morning?").

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3. Activation: Pair Work (7 minutes)

• Interaction Pattern: Students-to-Students (S-S).
• Goal: Allow students to communicate naturally with immediate teacher feedback.
• Procedure:
  1. Place students into pairs via breakout rooms on Adobe Connect.
  2. Assign the task: “Ask your partner three questions about their daily routine. Use the question list provided (see handout on-screen for examples like ‘What time do you eat lunch?’). Take notes on their answers.”
  3. Monitor breakout rooms discreetly. Offer individual feedback in real time if necessary.

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4. Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

• Interaction Pattern: Teacher-to-Students (T-S).
• Goal: Reinforce key grammar/vocabulary points and reflect on participation.
• Procedure:
  1. Ask students to return to the main session and share one new thing they learned about their partner.
  2. Summarize the lesson’s grammar focus on the digital whiteboard (e.g., "Do" vs. "Does").
  3. Conclude with an encouraging remark, such as: “Well done today! Next time, we’ll use this grammar to talk about your favorite hobbies.”

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Key Teaching Tools

Target CCQs (Concept Checking Questions):

• Do you use “do” for “you” or “does”? (Do)
• What word do you need to ask about time? (What time?)
• Is this correct: “What time does they wake up?” (No, use “do” instead of “does.”)

Target ICQs (Instruction Checking Questions):

• Are you working alone or with a partner during activation? (With a partner.)
• How many questions do you need to ask? (Three.)
• Do you need to write notes about your partner’s answers? (Yes.)

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Anticipated Problems and Proactive Solutions

1. Mistakes in word order:

   • Use scaffolding: Write step-by-step examples during "Study" stage.
   • Repeat CCQs actively.

2. Pronunciation issues with third-person singular ("does," “wakes”):

   • Play audio files and drill collectively to practice stress patterns.

3. Shyness or reluctance to participate in pair work:

   • Assign clear, simple tasks in activation phase. Monitor carefully and offer praise to build confidence.

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Homework Suggestion (Optional):

Ask students to write 3-5 sentences about their daily routine using the simple present tense and submit via the online platform. Prompt: “Write about your favorite routine: What do you do? When do you do it? Why is it your favorite?”

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This high-energy, student-centered, and interactive approach ensures purposeful communication while giving real-time support, offering a fresh approach that will excite students and engage first-time AI-using educators.