Level
High-Beginner to Advanced

Language Focus
Grammar, speaking (primary focus); listening, writing (secondary focus)

Goals
Students will orally use the future progressive tense to ask and answer questions regarding the United States President’s schedule on an upcoming visit to their country. Students will take notes during the questioning and use those notes to complete a newspaper story.

Materials

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, infographic in Appendix 1, President’s schedule in Appendix 2, newspaper story in Appendix 3, a timing device.
• Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.
• Infographic: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.

Preparation

1. Read through all the materials carefully.
2. This activity is an information gap activity where student B will ask questions to student A to fill in a newspaper story of the President’s schedule. For more information on using information gaps in the classroom see June’s Teacher’s Corner: Click here
3. In this activity students will be in pairs. Student A will be the President’s Press Secretary. This student will have the President’s official schedule to deliver to newspaper reporters. Student B will be a newspaper reporter who needs information to complete the story. Print enough copies of the schedule in Appendix 2 and the newspaper story in Appendix 3 for each student.
4. Read through the President’s schedule and newspaper story carefully.
   
   a. a. In the President’s schedule student A must fill in the missing information. This information has been left blank so students can fill in information specific to their country.
   b. b. In the newspaper story students must use the verb in parentheses and write the correct verb tense. For example, “The President _____(attend)____________________” can be completed as “The President will be attending”.

Procedures

1. Place the Future Progressive Infographic in Appendix 1 on the board. Point to the green box on the infographic highlighting actions at specific times. Ask the students:
   
   a. What will you be doing tomorrow from 18:00-19:00?
   a.i. In their answers stress the use of will + be+ verb(ing)
2. Ask the students a few more questions about their upcoming schedules using the future progressive tense.
   
3. After the students have practiced progressive tense have the students remain in their pairs or have them form new pairs.
4. In each pair give student A the President’s schedule (Appendix 2) and give student B the newspaper story (Appendix 3).
5. Give student A several minutes to fill out the information in the schedule. Students can use information specific to their town or country to fill out the form.
6. While student A is filling out the schedule, have student B read the newspaper story and begin preparing questions they will ask student A.
7. Once the students are ready, have student B begin asking the questions needed to fill out the information in the newspaper story.
8. Monitor the students as they complete the information gap activity and provide help as needed in constructing questions using the future progressive tense.
9. Once students have completed the activity have them switch roles and fill out new schedules and new news reports. Encourage students to role the play by using formal introductions and act out the role of Press secretary and newspaper reporter.

Level
High-Beginner to Advanced

Language Focus
Grammar, speaking (primary focus); listening, writing (secondary focus)

Goals
Students will use the past progressive tense to increase fluency using the past progressive while speaking. Students will take notes during the questioning and compare those notes with other groups at the end of the activity. Students will practice critical thinking and deduction skills to draw conclusions.

Materials

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, picture (Appendix 1), past progressive infographic (Appendix 2), a timing device.
• Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.
• Infographic: Found in Appendix 1 with a higher quality version included at the end of the activity materials.

Preparation

1. Read through all the materials carefully.
2. Consider the number of students in your class and the best way to divide the students. This activity will require two groups. Group A will be the robbers and should be a small group. Group B will be the police and should be a larger group. Ideally, the robbers are ¼ of the class (for example, in a class of 12 students 3 are suspects and 9 are police officers). If you have a large class you may want to consider dividing the class into two large teams and from these teams make Groups A and B.
3. This activity will encourage students to be detailed oriented and ask specific questions. The goal of each group is to outwit the other group. Encourage the suspects to be specific in their alibi and encourage the police to ask very specific questions to the suspects.
4. During this activity students will role play the police and suspected robbers of a bank. Vocabulary useful for this exercise are:
   
   a. Suspect - a person thought to be guilty of a crime or offense.
   b. Alibi - a claim or piece of evidence that proves one was elsewhere when an act, typically a criminal one, is alleged to have taken place.
   c. To arrest – to seize by legal authority and take into custody.
d. Cop – an informal word for police officer. This word is used frequently in spoken English as is not considered impolite.
e. Robber – a person who takes property unlawfully from a place or another person by force or by threatening force.

Procedures

1. Place the Past Progressive Infographic (Appendix 1) on the board. Point to the purple box on the infographic highlighting actions at specific times. Ask the students:
   
   a. What were you doing at 6:00pm (18:00) last night?
   a.i. In their answers stress the correct formation of the past progressive: was + verb(ing)
2. Ask the students a few more questions using the past progressive form. After a few questions of practice ask them:
   
   a. Was anyone robbing a bank last night?
3. Place the pictures from Appendix 2 on the board and ask students what is happening in each of the pictures. Tell the students that today they are going to role-play as cops and robbers.
4. Divide the class into two groups. One group will be the police and one group will be the suspects in a robbery. Encourage students to volunteer to be the suspects and have them come to the front of the classroom.
5. Explain to the students that last night there was a bank robbery. Tell the students who volunteered to be robbers that they are suspects (the police believe they robbed the bank) in the crime. Ask them:
   
   a. Do you want to get caught by the police?
6. Inform the suspects if they do not want to get caught they need to have a good alibi.
   
   a. A good alibi should have a detailed account of what they were doing last night.
7. Have the suspects move to a corner of the room or, if possible, leave the classroom. Give them 5 to 10 minutes and as a group create an alibi, or story, about their activities last night. They want to convince the police that they were not involved in the crime.
8. While the suspects work on their alibi, have the police break into smaller groups. Ideally there is one group of police officers for each suspect (for example: if there are three suspects, then there should be three groups of police). Have the police write down questions to ask the suspects during their interview.
9. Have the suspects come back into the room and have one suspect go to a team of police. Have the police question the suspect. For example:
   
   a. Police Officer: Where were all of you last night?
   b. Suspect: We were watching a movie at the movie theater.
10. Have the police take notes on what the suspect says. After 5-7 minutes have the suspects rotate so that each is questioned by a new group of police officers. Encourage the police to ask more detailed questions to try and find holes (gaps in the logic of the story) in the suspect’s alibi. For example:
    
    a. Police Officer: What color shirt was Susan wearing?
    b. Suspect: She was wearing a blue shirt.
    When the police question the suspect Susan, they can ask questions to see if she gives the same answer. Encourage the police to underline or highlight answers the suspects give that are different.
11. After the police have questioned the suspects have the suspects come to the front of the room and give the police time to compare notes. Did the stories of the suspects match well? Police can determine if the stories match enough to suggest innocence. If the stories do not match they can place the suspects under arrest! Just be sure to tell the police to treat the suspects kindly – even criminals have rights!

Level

High-Beginner to Advanced

Language Focus

Speaking, writing, grammar (primary focus); listening (secondary focus)

Goals

Students will increase their understanding of the present progressive tense in two activities. The first activity places students in the role of party host and a lost guest where students will develop both their speaking and listening skills through a map reading exercise. In the second activity, students will practice their writing skills through writing a letter home about their study abroad in the United States.

Materials

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, infographic (Appendix 1), city map (Appendix 2), location cards (Appendix 3), a timing device.
• Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.

Preparation

1. Read through all the materials carefully.
2. The first activity is a speaking activity. The second activity is a writing activity. These activities can be done in the same class, or you can choose one activity depending on the needs of your classroom.
3. Students work in pairs for the first activity. Print one map (Appendix 2) and one set of location cards (Appendix 3) for each pair of students. If you plan to do the activity twice, with students switching roles, have enough copies of the map and location cards so that each student receives one of each
4. The speaking activity has an opportunity for expansion. If you decide to do this expansion students will choose a local landmark that they can describe to their partner. Prior to class brainstorm some locations with which students are familiar. If students have trouble deciding on a landmark, they can choose from those prepared prior to class.
5. This activity uses pair/group work. If you would like to learn more on how to pair or group students see the April 2015 Teacher’s Corner.

Activity 1 Procedures

1. Place the Present Progressive Infographic (Appendix 1) on the board. Point to the green box on the infographic highlighting actions happening now. Ask the students:
• What are you doing right now?
• In their answers stress the use of will + be+ verb(ing) “I am studying English.”
2. Have the students practice the form by brainstorming an action. For example: riding a bike. Tell the students to keep their action a secret.
3. Have a volunteer come to the front of the class and act out their action to the class.
4. The other students should guess the action using the present progressive “You are riding a bicycle.”
5. After students have had time to practice the present progressive structure, have the students brainstorm a location in the city that is well known. Tell the students to keep the location a secret.
6. Next, have the students stand-up if possible to move around the room and form pairs. If not, have them pair up with a partner sitting nearby. In each group, designate one student as A and the other student as B.
7. Pass out the map (Appendix 2) to student A. On the map are a number of empty spaces. Have each student A choose an empty space and mark it as their house. Instruct them to keep it secret from student B.
8. Give a location card to each of the students in role B. This card should be kept secret from student A.
9. In this activity, student A is having a party. The party has begun, but student B has yet to arrive.
10. In each pair, Student B got lost on the way to the party! Now Student B needs to call their partner on the phone to help them get directions!
11. Have the students role play as party host (student A) and the lost guest (student B). Student B can use the clues on the location card to communicate their location to student A. Student A can then find the location on the map and then give directions to student B to find their house.
12. Encourage students to use the progressive tense as they engage in the role play. For example:
• Student A: “Where are you? We are having a party.”
• Student B: “I was walking to the party and got lost! Can you help?”
• Student A: “Can you describe where you are?”
• Student B: (looking at location card) “Well, people are sitting outside drinking coffee and tea.”
• Student A: “Oh, you are near the coffee shop! I live next to Pleasant View Apartments across the street!”
13. For an added challenge, have the students face away from each other and rely on voice alone like in an actual phone call.
14. Once students have finished, have them switch roles. Pass out new maps and location cards and do the activity again.
15. Optional Expansion: For additional practice have students brainstorm a location in their own town. They can then repeat the activity without a map and location cards and instead do the activity based on their own community.

Activity 2 Procedures

• This activity can be completed in class or used as a homework activity to practice the present progressive.
• Have the students brainstorm a location in the United States where they would like to complete a study abroad.
• Write a date in the near future on the board. Inform the students that they will leave for the United States on this date.
• Next, write a date six months from the first date on the board. Inform the students that they have been in the United States for six months now and they are going to write a letter home to their family or a friend.
• In the letter the students should describe what they are currently doing in the United States. They should include what they are doing in school as well as any hobbies or activities they are doing outside of school as well.
• Encourage students to be as creative as they can using as many details and activities as possible.
• Once students have written their letter, they can “send” it to a classmate. After they have traded letters and read them, the students can they report on the activities of their friend in the United States to provide extra speaking opportunities.

As we saw last week, you can systematically build a virtual PLN by taking steps such as defining your purpose, making connections in a manageable way, observing interactions, “spiraling out” from useful contacts and resources, and then consuming, producing, and sharing content in your network. Your virtual network will grow considerably over time. At that point, teachers may feel like their network is too big to manage or that they spend too much time trying to keep up with all of the information their network provides.  This week, we will address a few common concerns related to maintaining a mature PLN.

Also, in addition to using the tips below to maintain your virtual PLN, you can organize and curate your entire PLN (virtual and face-to-face components) by using a graphic organizer like the PLN Action Planner provided as a downloadable resource in this week’s Teacher’s Corner content. This planner is designed to help you set short-term and long-term goals for your network and to encourage you to reflect on your current interest areas for informal professional development. This tool is a helpful resource for EFL teachers who are new to PLNs and those who have a well-established network. Be sure to check it out!

Maintaining Your Virtual PLN – Addressing Common Concerns

Concern 1:  Network Fatigue – “I don’t have time for this!”

• Use “dead time”: If you have mobile access to content in your virtual PLN, bus rides, waiting in line, and similar situations are great times to check in on your network. Even if you can’t read a full article or post that catches your eye, you can bookmark it and return to it later.
• Make appointments with yourself:  Consider setting aside dedicated time each week to review content in your professional network.  For example, you may block off three 30-minute chunks per week in your calendar to focus on connecting with your network.
• Set “bite-sized” goals:  It is impossible to keep up with all of the information and people in your network every day.  Set small, manageable goals to make your network work for you.  Remember that this your personal learning network for informal learning.  You decide how and when to use it.  

Concern 2:  Fear of Missing Out   
Once some teachers establish a PLN and start to see benefits from it, they feel anxious if they aren’t constantly monitoring it because they don’t want to miss any of the useful information that is circulating.  This fear of missing out can cause unnecessary worry.  It is important to occasionally unplug and reevaluate how you are using your network.  Your PLN isn’t going to feel neglected if you take a break.  Again, you decide how much and how often to engage with your PLN – it shouldn’t rule your schedule.

Concern 3:  “Echo Chambers”
One of the benefits of your PLN is that you can connect with people around the world that share your professional interests and beliefs.  However, believe it or not, this can also be a drawback.  If your network always reinforces what you already believe, is it challenging you to grow as a professional?  This situation is called an “echo chamber” because what you think and believe is constantly mirrored or repeated by information sources in your network.  Be sure to seek out diverse connections that don’t always agree with you:  use your PLN to connect with teachers in different cultures and contexts, explore alternative opinions, and examine new or controversial issues in the TEFL/Applied Linguistics field.

Concern 4:  Overgrown networks
Some teachers are tempted to try every new networking tool and have several hundred connections in their network.  Managing these “overgrown” systems can be difficult and may lead to network fatigue.  Schedule occasional network clean up sessions to remove unneeded contacts, tools, and resources that aren’t directly helping you reach your professional development goals.  You can’t hurt a virtual networking tool’s feelings – if it isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to let it go.

Concern 5:  Managing a network of networks
Even after you have streamlined your PLN’s contents, you may still be left with several networking tools, websites, and resources that benefit your teaching.  It can be time extremely time-consuming to log in and check each system individually.  To save time, consider using an aggregator (from “to aggregate,” which means “to bring together”).  Aggregators are websites or tools that let you monitor several networking resources from one place.  Feedly, Symbaloo, Flipboard, and Hootsuite are examples of sites with aggregation functions.  Do a search for social network aggregators, explore them, and decide if any of them can increase your efficiency and save time as you manage your PLN.

Disclaimer:  Names of non-U.S. Department of State websites and social media platforms mentioned in this Teacher’s Corner resource are provided for illustrative purposes only; their inclusion here should not be seen as an endorsement of their content, views, or privacy policies.