8B Unit 8 Grammar
The Past Continuous Tense
Ⅰ. Analysis of the Teaching Material
This lesson is the 3rd period of this unit and it is about the past continuous tense, which is an important verb tense that students are required to master according to the new English Curriculum. The use of this verb tense have been found in the sentences from “Reading” section and “More Practice” section, like “When we were staying at the hotel recently, my children watched the fish outside their bedroom window.”, “I was staying at Hotel Whale with my friends last week.”, and so on. The two reading passages provide lots of sentence examples in which the targeted grammar items have been presented properly. The learning of the past continuous will also help students get a better understanding of the two reading passages.
II. Analysis of the Students
The students have learned the simple past tense and the present continuous tense before. Therefore, most of them are familiar with the rule of changing the basic form of a verb into its -ing form, which may help them learn the past continuous tense more easily. However, they may get confused with the differences between the simple past tense and the past continuous tense.
Although the students have been encouraged to work out the grammatical rules by themselves in their past experience of grammar learning, some of them are still poor at using this important strategy and need more chances to practice it.
The students are junior high school students from Grade 8. Most of them find it difficult to study effectively and get enough time to relax because of their poor time management ability. It is time for them to cultivate the good habit of arranging time properly and taking good care of themselves.
III. Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Understand the form and usages of the past continuous tense.
Improve the ability of working out grammatical rules in context.
Develop a stronger sense of making full use of time.
IV. Key Points and Difficult Points
Key point: To understand the form and usages of the past continuous tense.
Difficult point: To improve the skill of working out grammatical rules in context.
V. Teaching and Learning Approach
Teaching Approach
Inductive Approach
Situational Approach
Learning Approach
Cooperative Language Learning Approach
Communicative Language Learning Approach
VI. Learning Procedures
Steps Learning Activities Purposes
Lead in Get to know Sophie, an international student from Tsinghua University, and guess what she was doing last night according to the photo shown by the teacher. Arouse students’ interest in the lesson. Introduce the situational background to help students learn in a real-life scenario.
Presentation Task 1: Listen to what Sophie said in her vlog, fill in the blanks, and answer the questions on the worksheet. Provide a scenario in which the past continuous tense is properly presented. Raise students’ awareness of time management.
Check the answers and analyze the verb tense in the sentence examples. Learn three usages of the past continuous tense by analyzing the use of the tense in three different contexts. Get a deeper understanding of the different usages of the tense by reading more sentence examples. Read the sentence examples and work out the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the tense. Help students understand the common usages and different forms of the past continuous tense. Train students’ ability to work out grammatical rules by themselves.
Practice Task 2. Fill in the blanks in the proper forms of the given words and complete the sentences. Help students consolidate their understanding of the tense.
Production Task 3. Interview their partners and talk about how they spent the day last Saturday. Use the given sentence patterns for help and complete the table on their worksheet. Task 4. Give a report about how their partners and they spent their day last Saturday and talk about who has better time arrangement and why. Provide chances for students to use the past continuous tense in context. Guide students to have reflections on their own time arrangement in their daily life. Encourage students to learn from each other.
Summary Summarize what has been learned in this lesson with teacher’s help. Have a self-assessment about whether they have achieved the learning objectives of this lesson. Help students review what they learned. Help students get a sense of achievement through checking out their learning outcomes.
Homework Required part: Do the exercise in Part A and Part B on Page 121-122 of the textbook. Optional part: Make a video report about how you spent your day today and talk about how you plan to improve your time management ability. Help student facilitate information retention. Help students develop a stronger sense of making full use of time.(共28张PPT)
8B Unit 8 Grammar
The Past Continuous Tense
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
understand the usages and form of the past continuous tense.
improve the ability of working out grammatical rules in context.
develop a stronger sense of making full use of time.
The
past continuous
tense
form
usages
Lead in
Sophie
What was Sophie doing last night
She was making a vlog and sharing some tips about time management.
Task 1： Fill in the blanks & answer the questions.
Sophie
1. Where was Sophie sitting from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night
2. Was Sophie reading in the library last night
3. Were Sophie and her classmates preparing for a charity show last Saturday morning
Hello, everyone. I’m Sophie. Today, I’d like to share some good ways to improve our time management ability.
First, keep a record of how we spend our day. Then we will quickly find out the problems with our time management. Look! I (1)______________ in the library from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night. However, I (2)______________ any reading because I was so tired. From the note, I learnt that it is not wise for me to study at night.
Second, always have a plan B so that you can stick to your schedule. Last Saturday morning, my classmates and I (3)_______________ for an outdoor charity show. We (4)______________ for the audiences when it suddenly rained. Luckily, we had a plan B. We then gave our show online and raised quite a lot of money.
Finally, we can do some other things while we are doing housework. For example, I (5)______________ to English broadcast while I (6)______________ my room yesterday morning.
Time is valuable. I hope my suggestions will be helpful to you!
was sitting
was not doing
were preparing
were waiting
was listening
was cleaning
In the library.
No, she was not.
Yes, they were.
I was sitting in the library from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night.
We were waiting for the audiences when it suddenly rained.
I was listening to English broadcast while I was cleaning my room yesterday morning.
Where was sophie sitting from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night
Were Sophie and her classmates preparing for a charity show last Saturday morning
Let’s work out the rules!
the basic form of the past continuous tense:
subject + was /were + doing.
Let’s learn!
The
past continuous
tense
usages
More examples：
At this time yesterday, I was sleeping on my bed.
My brother was playing basketball with his friends at 6 p.m. last Friday.
From 8 o’clock to 10 o’clock this morning, Lily and her sister were shopping.
Let’s learn!
actions that were happening in a particular(特定的) time in the past
was sleeping
was playing
were shopping
1
I was sitting in the library from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night.
Last Saturday morning, my classmates and I were preparing for an outdoor charity show.
More examples：
She was taking pictures while her father was driving.
While we were having a picnic, the wind was blowing gently.
I was listening to English broadcast while I was cleaning my room yesterday morning.
Let’s learn!
two actions that were happening at the same time in the past.
2
More examples：
I was sleeping when you called.
Lily and I were walking when we saw Jack.
We were waiting for the audiences when it suddenly rained.
Let’s learn!
an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted by another action
3
the past continuous
the simple past
Let’s learn!
The
past continuous
tense
form
usages
1. actions that were happening in a particular time in the past
2. two actions that were happening at the same time in the past
3. an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted by another action.
Let’s learn!
the basic form of the past continuous tense:
subject + was /were + doing.
I/He/She/It was watching TV at eight o’clock last night.
You/We/They were
affirmative(肯定形式)
I was sitting in the library from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night.
We were waiting for the audiences when it suddenly rained.
Let’s learn!
the -ing form of a verb:
most verbs:
sleep → sleeping play → playing
verbs ending with “e”:
have → having drive → driving
some verbs ending with a stressed closed syllable: cut → cutting shop → shopping
verbs ending with “ie”:
lie → lying tie → tying
the negative form of the past continuous tense:
subject + was/were + not + doing.
Let’s learn!
negative(否定形式)
I was not doing any reading because I was so tired.
= I wasn’t doing any reading because I was so tired.
They were not working together at that time.
= They weren’t working together at that time.
Let’s learn!
interrogative(疑问形式)
She was reading in the library.
→ Was she reading in the library
Yes-No question
- Was she reading in the library
- Yes, she was./No, she was not.
Let’slearn!
interrogative(疑问形式)
They were sleeping when the phone rang.
→ Were they sleeping when the phone rang
Yes-No question
- Were they sleeping when the phone rang
- Yes, they were./No, they were not.
the interrogative form(Yes-No question) of the past continuous tense:
Was/Were + subject + doing ...
Yes, subject + was/were.
No, subject + was/were not.
Let’s learn!
interrogative(疑问形式)
Where was Sophie sitting from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night
Who was playing the guitar at this time last Friday
What were they doing when the earthquake happened
WH question
the interrogative form(WH question) of the past continuous tense:
Wh- + was/were + subject + doing...
Let’s learn!
I/He/She/It was(not) watching TV at eight o’clock last night.
You/We/They were(not)
affirmative(肯定形式) & negative(否定形式)
interrogative(疑问形式)
Yes-No
questions
WH
questions
was I/he/she/it watching TV at eight o’clock last night
were you/we/they What was I/He/She/It doing at eight o’clock last night.
were You/We/They Yes, I/he/she/it was.
you/we/they were.
No, I/he/she/it was not.
you/we/they were not.
Let’s practice!
1. Mike and I _______________ (play) basketball at that time yesterday afternoon.
2. ________ they ________ (have) a meeting at noon yesterday
Task 2. Fill in the blanks in the proper forms of the given words and complete the following sentences.
were playing
Were
having
Let’s practice!
3. - Could you tell me what he said just now
- Sorry, I ________________ (think) what was happening outside.
4. - Why did the teacher get angry with Jack
- Because Jack ___________________________ (not listen) carefully when the teacher asked him to answer a simple question.
Task 2. Fill in the blanks in the proper forms of the given words and complete the following sentences.
was thinking
was not listening
=wasn’t listening
Let’s practice!
5. While Mr White ______________ (water) flowers in the garden, his wife _______________ (cook) in the kitchen.
6. Lily ________________ (write) her diary when her mother _________ (come) into her room.
was watering
was cooking
was writing
came
Task 2. Fill in the blanks in the proper forms of the given words and complete the following sentences.
Let’s practice!
7. -What ________ you _________ (do) when the light suddenly went out
- We _______________ (have) dinner at that time.
8. - Did you enjoy your picnic this morning
- No, we didn’t. It ____________(rain) when we got to the park.
were doing
was raining
were having
Task 2. Fill in the blanks with the proper forms of the given words and complete the following sentences.
Let’s interview!
last Saturday I my partner
8:00 - 10:00
10:00 - 12:00
14:00 - 16:00
16:00 - 18:00
18:00 - 20:00
20:00 - 22:00
II. Interview your partners about how you spent your day last Saturday. Use the following sentence patterns to help you and complete the table below.
A: From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. last Saturday, I was having a dancing class. What were you doing at that time
B: I was lying and playing with my mobile phone on my bed.
A: What were you doing from...to...
B: I ......
Let’s share!
Hello, everyone. I’m_________. Today, I would like to share how my partner ______(your partner’s name) and I spent the day last Saturday.
From ... to ..., I _____________________.
While he/she..., I ...
We were ......
I think I/my partner made better use of time, because__________.
Task 3. Give a report about how your partner and you spent the day last Saturday and who you think made better use of time.
Let’s share!
Task 4. Give a report about how your partner and you spent your day last Saturday. Use the following sentence patterns to help you.
Homework.
Required
Optional
All learners:
→ Do the exercise in Part A and Part B on P121-122 of the textbook.
Intermediate & advanced learners:
→ Make a video report about how you spent your day today and talk about how you plan to improve your time management ability.
Summary
The
past continuous
tense
form
usages
1. actions that were happening in a particular time in the past
2. two actions that were happening at the same time in the past
3. an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted by another action.
affirmative
sb.+ was/were + doing...
interrogative
negative
sb. + was/were + not + doing...
Yes-No question
Was/Were + sb. + doing...
WH question
Wh- + was/Were + sb. + doing...
Let’s check our learning outcome!
I have understood the form and usages of the past continuous tense.
2. I have improved the ability of working out grammatical rules in context.
3. I have developed a stronger sense of making full use of time.
THANK YOU!Worksheet
8B Unit 6 Grammar: The Past Continuous Tense
Name:_________ Class:_________
I. Listen to what Sophie said in her vlog. Fill in the blanks and answer the questions.
Hello, everyone. I’m Sophie. Today, I’d like to share some good ways to improve our time management ability.
First, keep a record of how we spend our day. Then we will quickly find out the problems with our time management. Look! I (1)______________ in the library from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night. However, I (2)______________ any reading because I was so tired. From the note, I learnt that it is not wise for me to study at night.
Second, always have a plan B so that you can stick to your schedule. Last Saturday morning, my classmates and I (3)_______________ for an outdoor charity show. We (4)______________ for the audiences when it suddenly rained. Luckily, we had a plan B. We then gave our show online and raised quite a lot of money.
Finally, we can do some other things while we are doing housework. For example, I (5)______________ to English broadcast while I (6)______________ my room yesterday morning.
Time is valuable. I hope my suggestions will be helpful to you!
Questions:
1. Where was Sophie sitting from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock last night
2. Was Sophie reading in the library last night
3. Were Sophie and her classmates preparing for a charity show last Saturday morning
II. Fill in the blanks with the proper forms of the given words and complete the sentences.
1. Mike and I ______________ (play) basketball at that time yesterday afternoon.
2. ______________ they ______________ (have) a meeting at noon yesterday
3. - Could you tell me what he said just now
- Sorry, I ______________ (think) what was happening outside.
4. - Why did the teacher get angry with Jack
- Because Jack ______________ (not listen) carefully when the teacher asked him to answer a simple question.
5. While Mr White ______________ (water) flowers in the garden, his wife ______________ (cook) in the kitchen.
6. Lily ______________ (write) her diary when her mother ______________ (come) into her room.
7. - What ______________ you ______________ (do) when the light suddenly went out
- We ______________ (have) dinner at that time.
8. - Did you enjoy your picnic this morning
- No, we didn’t. It ______________ (rain) when we got to the park.
III. Interview your partner and talk about how you spent the day last Saturday. Use the following sentence patterns to help you and complete the table below.
last Saturday I My partner
8:00 - 10:00
10:00 - 12:00
14:00 - 16:00
16:00 - 18:00
18:00 - 20:00
20:00 - 22:00
IV. Give a report about how your partner and you spent the day last Saturday and who you think made better use of time.
