Past Continuous Lesson Plan for ESL Learners

Learning the basic structure and usage of the past continuous is usually not that difficult for most students. Unfortunately, this is not the case when it comes to actively integrating the past continuous into everyday conversations or written communications. This lesson is aimed at helping students actively use the past continuous in speaking and writing. This is done through the use of the past continuous as a descriptive tense to paint a picture in words of the moment when something important occurred. Aim To increase active usage of the past continuous Activity Speaking activity followed by a gap fill exercise and  creative writing Level Intermediate Outline Begin teaching the past continuous by telling a story with exaggerated details through the use of the past continuous. For example: I remember that day well. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the children were playing games peacefully. At that moment, I saw Alex and fell in love. Point out how the past continuous is used to paint a picture of the scene.Quickly review the past continuous structure with the class. Go over differences in usage between the past simple and past continuous. Point out that the past continuous focuses on a specific moment in the past.Write various examples on the board of sentences combining the past simple and past continuous to illustrate the idea of an interrupted past. For example, I was walking through the park when I met David. Ask students to comment on what function the past continuous plays in the example sentences.Have students divide into small groups of 3-4.Ask students to complete the activity by providing an appropriate response with the past continuous to describe an action that was interrupted.Next, have students first conjugate verbs in the past simple to complete the story. Next, ask them to insert past continuous clauses into the appropriate place in the story.Correct this exercise as a class. Make sure to note differences between the past continuous and past simple as you review.Ask students to complete the written exercise focusing on a special day in their lives.Once theyve written their paragraph, ask students to find a partner. Each student should read their paragraph and ask questions to check to understand.   Interrupted Actions Use the verb suggestion to complete the sentence with an appropriate phrase expressing an interrupted action: I (watch) ____________ when her boss called with a job offer.My friends (play) _____________ when they felt the earthquake.When I walked in the door, they children (study) _________________.We (eat) _________________ when we heard the news.My parents (travel) ________________ when I telephoned that I was pregnant.   Use of the Past Continuous in Writing Put the following verbs into the past simple: Thomas _______ (live) in the small town of Brington. Thomas _______ (love) walking through the beautiful forest that surrounded Brington. One evening, he ____ (take) his umbrella and _____ (go) for a walk in the woods. He ______ (meet) an old man named Frank. Frank _______ (tell) Thomas that, if he _____ (want) to become rich, he should invest in a little-known stock called Microsoft. Thomas ______ (think) Frank _____ (be) foolish because Microsoft ____ (be) a computer stock. Everybody _____ (know) that computers _____ (be) just a passing fad. At any rate, Frank _______ (insist) that Thomas _____ (be) wrong. Frank _______ (draw) a wonderful graph of future possibilities. Thomas ______ (begin) thinking that maybe Frank ______ (understand) stocks. Thomas _______ (decide) to buy some of these stocks. The next day, he ______ (go) to the stock brokers and _____ (buy) $1,000 worth of Microsoft stock. That _____ (be) in 1986. Today, that $1,000 is worth more than $250,000! Improve the Story Insert the following past continuous fragments into the above story: As Frank was drawing the graph, ...... while he was walking to work,it was raining, so...While they were discussing the stock, ...When he was returning from his walk, ...As he was walking through the woods, Written Exercise Write a description of an important day in your life. Include the most important events that occurred during that day in the past simple. Once you have written the important events using the past simple, try to include a description of what was happening at some of the specific moments when those events occurred to provide more details.Write out a few questions about your important day.  Make sure to include a few questions in the past continuous. For example, What was I doing when I found out about the job?Find a partner and read your story twice. Next, ask your partner your questions and discuss.Listen to your partners story and answer their questions.

The Relevance of Black and White in To Kill a Mockingbird...

The Relevance of Black and White in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee This essay deals with the topic of black and white and its relevance with the novel. As much as we may despise racism it was still however a cornerstone of the novel. I shall attempt to explain how the quote from Atticus encapsulates this theme so well. The rigid class structure and social discrimination of Maycomb County had a profound effect on the events in the novel. The impact of this class structure was especially evident in the trial of Tom Robinson, a Maycomb Negro. The extreme prejudice of the town eventually led to the unjust conviction of Robinson for a crime he did not commit. The society of Maycomb County†¦show more content†¦All blacks were included in this group. Prejudice ran deep in Maycomb County. Although many classes existed within the black community, one of colour must always be in the lowest class. The blacks lived apart from the whites in their own section of town and seemed to have a society separate from the whites. The strong prejudice of Maycomb County and the negative effects of its social system were demonstrated by the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom was a hard-working, warm-hearted Negro who went out of his way to be kind and helpful to some poor white trash. He helped Miss Mayella because he felt sorry for her. His major shortcoming was the fact that he was black. Bob Ewell, a white drunk, who was a blemish and problem to the town, accused Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella. Atticus made it immensely clear to the jury that Tom was innocent. It was actually Mayella who made sexual advances towards Tom, and as a result was beaten by her father for kissing a black man. However, despite the obvious, undeniable facts of the case, the all white jury found in favor of the Ewells and sentenced Tom Robinson to death. Tom eventually died when he was shot in attempt to escape from prison. The two lowest classes in Maycomb were involved in the case. It was the Ewells who were white trash against Tom Robinson, a kind, black man. The jury’sShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Nature In To Kill A Mockingbird1394 Words   |  6 Pagesmessage to life. As shown in To Kill a Mockingbird, nature and various aspects of humanity are associated in the form of a mockingbird. As it relates to the novel, A mockingbird represents a commonality of an understood sin. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is well known, classic novel originally published in 1960. Though the novel was written in a different time span, its plot vividly details and expresses the events, emotions, and issues during the 1930s. Lee isolated her novel’s setting toRead MoreRelationship between How to Kill a Mockingbird and Mississipi Burning2129 Words   |  9 PagesFeature Article: If you aint better then a nigger, then who you better then? What is a nigger? Used as a disparaging term for a Black person in the modern world, calling a black man, a nigger would be offensive and would be racist. What is racism? Racism is a form of discrimination based on race, especially the belief that one race is superior to another. Racism may be expressed individually and consciously, through explicit thoughts, feelings or acts, or socially and unconsciously throughRead MoreEssay on Prejudice in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird6287 Words   |  26 PagesPrejudice in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was written by Harper Lee in 1960. Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama, a city of about 7,000 people. She studied law at the University of Alabama and one year at Oxford University. After giving up working as a clerk for an airline she moved into a cold-water apartment in New York to concentrate on writing. She first handed this book to a publisher in 1957 but it was rejected so sheRead MoreNovel vs. Film: To Kill a Mockingbird Essay1364 Words   |  6 PagesNovel vs. Film: To Kill a Mockingbird Its a sin to kill a mockingbird, explains Atticus Finch to his children (To Kill Dir. Robert Mulligan). Neither the novel nor film version of To Kill A Mockingbird is better than one another, just different. Its no secret that adapting a novel to film can be a perilous affair. A movie, even when its good, doesnt often conveyRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird Argumentative Essay881 Words   |  4 PagesTom Robinson, a black man in To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the main characters in this story that causes controversy because of his skin color. Is the story’s relevance based on Mr. Robinson and his skin color? In my opinion yes, the book revolves all around his skin color and racism of the time. Tom Robinson is treated unfairly because he was black not because of what he supposedly did. The controversial subject matter in this book is immense in numbers, but out of all them, racism stands outRead MoreThe True Meaning of Courage1131 Words   |  4 Pagessignificant trait that has benefitted mankind in many ways. In relevance to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters show courage such as Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose, and Boo Radley by either standing up for morals and beliefs of what is correct even if society proves them wrong, battling a drug addiction, or coming out of a certain comfort zone in order to do the right thing. By looking at Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that the theme courage is depicted throug h certainRead MoreEssay about To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee1139 Words   |  5 Pages To Kill A Mockingbird Courage, the mental or morale strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty, is displayed in many different ways throughout Harper Lee ¹s only published novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. To some, the courage manifested by the characters in this book is either offensive, or frivolous, but to those who realize the true meaning of this word, the fortitude and bravery exhibited by certain individuals is considered uncustomary. In fact, To Kill A MockingbirdRead MoreLoss of Innocence in Raisin in the Sun and To Kill a Mockingbird1974 Words   |  8 Pages Recently, I have read both a Raisin in the Sun and To Kill a Mockingbird, both considered literary classics. They share a number of similar themes and character that face similar situations. Ultimately, they have extremely different plots, but address the same issues; some that were common around the time they were published, and some that carry relevance into current times. What I wish to bring to light in this essay is that in both novels, there are many characters that lives’ hit a shatter-pointRead MoreReading Notes On Kill A Mockingbird3311 Words   |  14 PagesMarcus Djuhadi Mrs. Dunn P.D. American Literature, Period 6 To Kill A Mockingbird - Reading Notes Summary // Style Language // Response // Other PART ONE Chapters 1-3 Main character introduced: Jean Louise Finch (â€Å"Scout†) Her older brother: Jeremy Finch (â€Å"Jem†) Father: Atticus Finch, works as a lawyer Mother died when Scout was 2, Jem remember her but Scout does not Jean Louise explains her ancestral roots; her family seems financially secure Maycomb, Alabama is the exposition - fictional, butRead MoreBelonging Essay4112 Words   |  17 Pagesrelated texts as you will have more to discuss. You do not have to read a full book; a story from an anthology can be enough. You can also choose a poem, a picture book, film or photographs. Remember though that you will need to discuss at length the relevance of the chosen piece to write about how belonging is represented in the text, how are the ideas about belonging brought out, how does the language of the text develop/convey those images? Suggestions for related or supplementary material Fiction

Crack Babies Essay Research Paper David HesterIris free essay sample

Crack Babies Essay, Research Paper David Hester Iris Barbour English 111 June 23, 2000 Mothers are Responsible for Crack Babies Drugs have been a lasting job for the American society. Not merely adolescents, but besides pregnant adult females use drugs to a great extent. To unborn kids female parents taking drugs are harmful. In all cases female parents are be responsible for cleft babes. The female parent is responsible for her mistakes. This job has been looked over, but it is of import in its entireness. The cleft babes are genuinely ill. We will write a custom essay sample on Crack Babies Essay Research Paper David HesterIris or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The female parent of a cleft babe neer has been held responsible for jeopardizing her kid? s life. Besides there is a permanent job with the cleft babes being labeled in school and in society. This job is non to be over looked, and female parents are responsible for their kid because drug usage is their pick. Crack babes are genuinely ill. A cleft babe is frequently times one Born prematurely with low gestational birth weight. Harmonizing to ( Turner ) the Neonate Addiction is no more than a show of forms of both irritability and lassitude, appear to be more stressed, and fail to follow certain stimulations, such as rattling or bell, compared to non-exposed babies. This Neonate Neurological Syndrome is a syndrome in neonates characterized by unnatural slumber forms, shudders, hapless eating, crossness, occasional ictuss, and an increased hazard or incident of sudden baby decease syndrome. Besides little caput perimeters, Low birth weight from premature birth like babe James who was born at a weight of three and a half lbs. Besides trouble eating which can harm the kids and strip them of acquiring the nutriment they need. This leads to kiping upsets plus other jobs ( UNL ) . After words this kid is normally addicted to the drug and goes through backdown. Then in the remainder of the life o f the kid the child is a slow scholar. All in all medically talking a cleft babe is truly ill. Since this is infact true female parents have to be held responsible. The female parent of cleft babes has neer been held responsible for T heir kids? s good being. Well as it stands now there are no Torahs for the female parents of cleft babes to be held responsible for their kids. But there are measures seeking to acquire through but as it stands no 1 has been of all time brought up on charges for anything. Even when new testing has help decide confusion about babies born to adult females who use cleft during gestation ( Turner ) . This is more than adequate grounds to convey a female parent up on charges. Not to advert that cleft produces excitable, stressed babies but have cause bleedings lesions and encephalon harm. Plus the fact that babies fails certain stimulations such as a rattling or a bell, compared to non-exposed babies. Crack intoxicant and marihuana can do all of these symptoms but, the chief ground is that these are drugs and they are seting the unborn kid in danger of non merely of these symptoms but besides Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. With all this evidences if there was a jurisprudence she would be b rought up on charges but does she acquire the decease punishment. Does a female parent that has been prosecuted and found guilty for jeopardizing her kid? s life or slaying. Still as I stated before there are no Torahs against female parents and utilizing drugs. Well even if there were a decease punishment for this offense, the female parent is non traveling to acquire it be cause adult females merely constitute 1.5 % of the entire decease row population ( DPIC ) . It is merely uneven that a female that is found guilty for the same offense, as a male will non acquire either the same sentence or the decease punishment. America has a manner to demo prejudice for offenses. There can be a manner to alter this if the sentences in America were unbiased. In decision female parents can be held responsible for their kid? s good being. This is a serious topic and can non be merely over looked. These babes are genuinely ill as babies. They have to travel through backdown and, are faced with being stressed. For this the female parent is be responsible. She has put her kid at hazard of decease. This is to be punishable by decease because badness of the charge. From my position the female parents that choose to set her babe in danger of decease should be punished and be in danger of decease.

Time And Culture Essays - Circadian Rhythm, Anthropology, Zeitgeber

Time And Culture In The Dance of Life: The Other Dimension of Time Anthropologist Edward T. Hall entitles his first chapter "Time as Culture." An extreme stance perhaps, especially given the potency of nature's rhythms, but it is instructive of the extent to which experiences and conceptualizations of time and space are culturally determined. Unlike the rest of nature's animals, our environment is primarily man-made and symbolic in quality. As Bronowski observed in The Ascent of Man, instead of being figures of the landscape, like antelopes upon the African savanna, we humans are the shapers of it. Geographical space and natural time are transformed into social space and social time, around whose definitions human beings orient their behaviors. For instance, instead of being governed by the natural rhythms of the sun and seasons, our behaviors are governed by such cultural temporalities as work schedules, age norms, and by the "open" hours of shopping malls. Culture is a shared system of ideas about the nature of the world and how (and when) people should behave in it. Cultural theorists argue that culture creates minds, selves and emotions in a society as reliably as DNA creates the various tissues of a living body. Culture also creates the rhythms of a society that echo within the very biology of its members. Observes Irving Hallowell ("Temporal Orientation in Western Civilization and in a Pre-Literate Society, American Anthropologist 36, 1955), "It is impossible to assume that man is born with any innate `temporal sense.' His temporal concepts are always culturally constituted" (pp. 216-7). A 1974 study by William Condon and Louis Sander showed that within a few days, infants flex their limbs and move their heads in rhythms matching the human speech around them. By the time a child is three months old he has already been temporally enculturated, having internalized the external rhythms (called Zeitgeber, meaning "time giver" in German) of his culture. These rhythms underlie a people's language, music, religious ritual (the Buddhist mantra, for instance, is not only one's personal prayer but one's personal rhythm), beliefs about post-mortem fate, and their poetry and dance. These rhythms also serve as a basis of solidarity: humans are universally attracted to rhythm and to those who share their cadences of talk, movement, music, and sport. Thus socio-cultural systems can be likened to massive musical scores: change the rhythm-- such as putting a funeral dirge to a calypso beat--and you change the meaning of the piece. Cultures differ temporally, for example, in the temporal precision with which they program everyday events (ask any American businessman trying to schedule a meeting in the Middle East) and in the ways various social rhythms are allowed to mesh.

All Ready and Already - Glossary of Usage

All Ready and Already - Glossary of Usage Your spellchecker doesnt know the difference between the homophones all ready and already, but you should know the difference. Definitions The adjective phrase all ready (two words) means completely prepared. The adverb already (one word) means previously or by this time. Also see the usage notes below. Examples Our bags have already been inspected.​We are all ready to board the plane.​They were already in the downtown area, and they were all ready to walk from bar to bar.(Gonzalo Celorio, And Let the Earth Tremble at Its Centers, trans. by Dick Gerdes. University of Texas Press, 2009). Usage Notes and Memory Tricks Already means before now or before then: The game had already started by the time we got there.Do not confuse already with all ready as two separate words: Are you all ready? ( Are all of you ready?)(George Davidson, Penguin Writers Guides: Improve Your Spelling. Penguin, 2005)LISTEN: Mentally say the sentence you are about to write. If you pause between all and ready, use two words, all ready.VISUALIZE CONNECT: Visualize runners ready to start a race. Think, All ready? All set? Go!VISUALIZE CONNECT: Visualize yourself waiting for a friend and looking at your watch, distressed. Think, Its almost 8:00 and were already late!(Nancy Ragno, Word Savvy: Use the Right Word Every Time, All The Time. Writers Digest Books, 2011) Practice (a) The ballplayers have _____ taken batting practice.(b) The players are _____ to start the game. Answers to Practice Exercises (a) The ballplayers have  already  taken batting practice. (b) The players are  all ready  to start the game. Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words

The Secret Six, the Men Who Financed John Browns Raid

The Secret Six, the Men Who Financed John Browns Raid The Secret Six was a loosely affiliated group which provided financial backing to John Brown before his raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry in 1859. Money obtained from the northeastern abolitionists of the Secret Six made the raid possible, as it enabled Brown to travel to Maryland, rent a farm to use as a hideout and staging area, and procure weapons for his men. When the raid on Harpers Ferry failed and Brown was captured by federal troops, a carpet bag containing documents was seized. Inside the bag were letters establishing the network behind his actions. Fearing prosecution for conspiracy and treason, some members of the Secret Six fled the United States for a brief period. None of them were ever prosecuted for their involvement with Brown. Members of the Secret Six Gerrit Smith: Born into a wealthy family in upstate New York, Smith was a vigorous supporter of various reform causes, including the American abolition movement.Thomas Wentworth Higginson: A minister and author, Higginson would go on to serve in the Civil War, commanding a regiment of black troops, and would write a classic memoir based on the experience.Theodore Parker: A minister and prominent public speaker on reform topics, Parker had been educated at Harvard and was affiliated with the Transcendentalist movement.Samuel Gridley Howe: A medical doctor and advocate for the blind, Howe was active in the abolition movement. His wife, Julia Ward Howe, would become famous for writing The Battle Hymn of the Republic.Franklin Benjamin Sanborn: A Harvard graduate, Sanborn was connected to the Transcendentalist movement and became involved in anti-slavery politics in the 1850s.George Luther Stearns: A self-made businessman, Stearns was a manufacturer and was able to financially support var ious causes, including the abolitionist cause. Actions of the Secret Six Before John Brown's Raid All the members of the Secret Six were involved in various ways with the Underground Railroad and the abolition movement. A common thread in their lives was that, like many other northerners, they believed the Fugitive Slave Law passed as part of the Compromise of 1850 had made them morally complicit in slavery. Some of the men were active in what was called vigilance committees, which helped protect and hide fugitive slaves who otherwise could have been arrested and taken back to slavery in the South. Discussions in abolitionist circles often seemed to focus on theoretical ideas which would never be implemented, such as plans to have New England states secede from the Union. But when New England activists met up with John Brown in 1857, his account of what he had done to prevent the spread of slavery in what was called Bleeding Kansas made a convincing case that tangible actions had to be taken to end slavery. And those actions could include violence. It is possible that some members of the Secret Six had dealings with Brown going back to when he was active in Kansas. And whatever his history with the men, he found an attentive audience when he began talking about a new plan he had to launch an attack in hopes of bringing an end to slavery. The men of the Secret Six raised money for Brown and contributed funds of their own, and the influx of cash made it possible for Brown to see his plan into reality. The vast slave uprising which Brown hoped to spark never materialized and his raid on Harper Ferry in October 1859 turned into a fiasco. Brown was arrested and put on trial, and as he had never destroyed documents which could implicate his financial backers, the extent of his support quickly became widely known. The Public Furor John Browns raid on Harpers Ferry was, of course, highly controversial, and generated enormous attention in the newspapers. And the fallout over the involvement of New Englanders was also a topic of considerable discussion. Stories circulating naming various members of the Secret Six, and it was alleged that a widespread conspiracy to commit treason went far beyond the small group. Senators known to be opposed to slavery, including William Seward of New York and Charles Sumner of Massachusetts were falsely accused of having been involved in Browns plot. Of the six men implicated, three of them, Sanborn, Howe, and Stearns, fled to Canada for a time. Parker was already in Europe. Gerrit Smith, claiming to suffer a nervous breakdown, admitted himself to a sanitarium in New York State. Higginson remained in Boston, defying the government to arrest him. The idea that Brown did not act alone inflamed the South, and a senator from Virginia, James Mason, convened a committee to investigate Browns financial backers. Two of the Secret Six, Howe and Stearns, testified that they had met Brown but had nothing to do with his plans. The general story among the men is that they did not fully comprehend what Brown was up to. There was considerable confusion about what the men did know, and none of them was ever prosecuted for involvement in Browns plot. And when the slave states began seceding from the Union a year later, any appetite for prosecuting the men faded.

Assessment Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assessment Evidence - Essay Example And the various seasons: summer, fall, winter, spring. Students will have an oral test at the end of this unit to test their understanding. The purpose of the test will be to test whether they can differentiate and describe various element of weather and seasons. Some of the issue that the student will be asked to describe are: what is whether and why do we care? Describe the various elements of weather and seasons? How do season and whether affect our environment? How do seasons and weather affect the way we live? Student will be given an opportunity to ask questions to clarify anything. After every lesson student will be asked to do home work about a part discussed in class in class. The homework will be an activity question; the student will be allowed to engage their brothers, sister, and parents. The aim of the homework will be to ensure the student develop interest in with the environment. And ensure they discuss it even out of class. Example of such assessment is: 3) The teacher will describe the various season and weather experienced in the different place, and the activities carried out there, then give advantages and disadvantages of living in such places, Ask students if they would enjoy living in a place like that. Let the student explain their