ESL / EFL

Grammar

Pre-teens (9-12)

45 min

📖My Busy Week: Mastering the Present Simple

This lesson introduces pre-teen learners to the Present Simple tense for describing daily routines and habits. Students will progress from recognizing third-person ‘-s’ endings to successfully conducting a role-play about their weekly schedules.

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Lesson plan

Objectives

I can use the Present Simple to describe my daily routine and hobbies.
I can correctly apply the third-person '-s' or '-es' ending to verbs in the affirmative.
I can form simple negative sentences using 'do not' and 'does not'.
I can ask and answer yes/no questions about habits using 'Do' and 'Does'.

Materials

Flashcards showing daily actions (wake up, eat, study, play)
Digital whiteboard or printed grammar charts
Reading passage: 'A Day in the Life of Maya'
Student worksheet with gap-fill exercises
A soft ball for the 'Action Chain' warm-up
Timer for speaking activities

Warm-up

Start the class with an 'Action Miming' game. The teacher mimes a common daily action like brushing teeth or eating breakfast, and students shout out the verb. Once the energy is high, throw a soft ball to a student; they must name one thing they do every morning before throwing the ball to a peer. This activates prior knowledge of daily verbs in a low-pressure environment.

Presentation

Draw a timeline on the board to show that the Present Simple is for things that happen regularly, not just right now. Use a clear table to show 'I/You/We/They eat' versus 'He/She/It eats'. Explain the spelling rules for third person: add -s (walks), -es for words ending in ch/sh/s/x (watches, washes), and change -y to -ies (flies). Introduce the auxiliary verbs 'do' and 'does' for negatives and questions, emphasizing that the main verb loses its extra 's' when 'does' is used.

Guided practice

Distribute the grammar worksheet. Begin with a choral drill where the teacher says 'I play' and the students respond with 'He plays'. Then, students complete a 'Find the Mistake' activity on the board. Work through five sentences together, such as 'She like pizza' or 'They does not go to school', and have students come to the board to correct them using colored markers.

Freer practice

Students work in pairs to create a 'Dream Routine'. They must negotiate and write five sentences about what a famous superhero or athlete does every day. For example: 'Spider-Man eats ten eggs for breakfast.' Afterward, pairs join together to present their routines, and the other students must listen for the correct use of the third-person '-s'.

Wrap-up

Conduct a 'Three Facts and a Lie' session. Each student writes three things they regularly do and one thing they don't do. The class guesses which one is the lie. Conclude by asking students to share one thing they found difficult about the '-s' ending.

A Day in the Life of Maya

Maya is an eleven-year-old girl who lives in a small, sunny town by the ocean. Every day, her life follows a very busy but exciting routine. Her morning starts very early because her dog, Bruno, jumps on her bed at six o'clock. Maya wakes up, rubs her eyes, and gives Bruno a big hug. She usually gets out of bed quickly and puts on her school uniform. After that, she goes to the kitchen where her father prepares a healthy breakfast. Maya eats oatmeal with fruit and drinks a glass of orange juice. She knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so she never misses it. At half-past seven, Maya grabs her blue backpack and walks to the bus stop. She meets her best friend, Leo, there. They talk about their favorite video games or the homework for their science class until the yellow bus arrives. At school, Maya studies many different subjects. She loves mathematics and art, but she does not like history because she thinks it is a bit boring. Her teacher, Mr. Thompson, is very kind and helps the students when they find the math problems difficult. During the lunch break, Maya and her friends sit under a large oak tree. They eat sandwiches and share stories about their pets. School finishes at three o'clock in the afternoon. Maya does not go home immediately after class. On Mondays and Wednesdays, she attends a swimming club at the local sports center. She swims very fast and wants to win a medal one day. On other days, she goes to the library to read adventure books. She finds the library very quiet and peaceful. When she finally returns home, she helps her mother in the garden. They water the flowers and pull out the weeds. Maya likes the smell of fresh earth and the colors of the roses. In the evening, the family has dinner together at seven o'clock. They sit at the wooden table and talk about their day. Maya's mother is a great cook and often makes pasta or fish. After dinner, Maya washes the dishes while her brother dries them. Then, she does her homework in her bedroom. She tries to finish everything before nine o'clock. Before she goes to sleep, she reads a few pages of a book or writes in her diary. Finally, she turns off the light and goes to sleep, ready for another busy day tomorrow.

Comprehension

What time does Maya's morning start?
Answer: Her morning starts at six o'clock.
What does Maya have for breakfast?
Answer: She eats oatmeal with fruit and drinks orange juice.
Who does Maya meet at the bus stop?
Answer: She meets her best friend, Leo.
Which school subject does Maya dislike and why?
Answer: She does not like history because she thinks it is boring.
Where do Maya and her friends sit during lunch?
Answer: They sit under a large oak tree.
What does Maya do on Mondays and Wednesdays after school?
Answer: She attends a swimming club.
How does Maya help her mother at home?
Answer: She helps her mother in the garden by watering flowers and pulling weeds.
What is Maya's evening routine after dinner?
Answer: She washes the dishes, does her homework, and reads before going to sleep.

Grammar — Present Simple Affirmative and Negative

We use the Present Simple to talk about habits, facts, and routines. For 'I, You, We, They', we use the base form of the verb (e.g., 'I run'). For 'He, She, It', we add -s, -es, or -ies to the verb (e.g., 'He runs'). To make a negative sentence, we use 'do not' (don't) for 'I/You/We/They' and 'does not' (doesn't) for 'He/She/It'. Remember: after 'doesn't', the verb goes back to its base form. Example: 'He doesn't play soccer.'

She (walk) to school every day.
Answer: walks
They (not / like) cold weather.
Answer: do not like / don't like
My cat (sleep) on the sofa in the afternoon.
Answer: sleeps
He (watch) TV after he finishes his homework.
Answer: watches
We (play) football on Saturdays.
Answer: play
The teacher (not / give) us much homework.
Answer: does not give / doesn't give
I (drink) milk for breakfast.
Answer: drink
Sarah (study) English at the library.
Answer: studies
You (not / listen) to the radio.
Answer: do not listen / don't listen
It (rain) a lot in the winter.
Answer: rains

Pronunciation

Focus: The three sounds of third-person -s (/s/, /z/, and /iz/)

Minimal pairs

hiss / his
cats / dogs
picks / pigs
gets / gives
snakes / snails
wants / wears

Drill

Explain that -s sounds like /s/ after voiceless sounds (p, t, k, f). It sounds like /z/ after voiced sounds (b, d, g, v, l, m, n, r). It sounds like /iz/ after sounds like sh, ch, s, x, z. Group students and practice saying these words slowly: 1. Walks, Eats, Sleeps (/s/). 2. Plays, Runs, Cleans (/z/). 3. Watches, Washes, Relaxes (/iz/).

Conversation — Two new classmates are meeting during their first lunch break. They want to find out if they have similar hobbies and routines so they can hang out after school.

Role A

You are a student who loves sports. You wake up early to run. You want to find someone to play basketball with on Tuesdays. Ask about your partner's hobbies and their afternoon schedule.

Role B

You are a student who loves technology and indoor activities. You play video games and read comics. You don't like waking up early. Explain your routine and see if you can find a shared activity.

Useful phrases

What do you do after school?
Do you like playing...?
I usually go to the...
What time do you wake up?
I don't really like...
On Tuesdays, I always...
Me too!
I prefer to...

My Family and Me

Write five sentences about your daily routine using frequency adverbs (always, usually, often).
Interview a family member about their day. Write three things they do and three things they don't do.
Draw a 'Routine Comic Strip' with four panels showing your morning, and label each with a Present Simple sentence.
Correct the mistakes: 'She watch TV', 'He do not like cats', 'The dog run fast'.
Record a 30-second voice note describing what your best friend does on the weekend.

Vocabulary

Routine: A sequence of actions regularly followed.; "My morning routine includes brushing my teeth."
Usually: Under normal conditions; generally.; "I usually walk to school, but today I took the bus."
Prepare: To make something ready for use.; "My dad prepares lunch for me every day."
Attend: To go regularly to a place like a school or club.; "She attends piano lessons on Fridays."
Subject: An area of knowledge studied in school.; "Math is my favorite school subject."
Immediately: At once; instantly.; "Please come home immediately after the game."
Healthy: Good for your body and physical fitness.; "Apples are a very healthy snack."
Arrive: To reach a place at the end of a journey.; "The train arrives at the station at 9:00 AM."
Quiet: Making very little noise.; "The library is a very quiet place to study."
Habit: Something that you do often and regularly.; "Biting your nails is a bad habit."
Finish: To reach the end of a task or activity.; "I finish my homework before dinner."
Every: Used to say how often something happens.; "I go to the park every Sunday."

Activities

Classroom Survey · 12 minutes
Students receive a list of habits. They must walk around the room and find someone who does each habit. When they find someone, they write the name down and ask a follow-up question. Encourage full sentences.
The Mystery Routine · 12 minutes
Students work in pairs. Student A chooses a famous person or animal (but keeps it secret). Student B asks 'Does he/it...?' questions to guess who it is. After five guesses, they switch roles.
Daily Routine Dice · 12 minutes
Roll two dice. The first die represents a Person (1=I, 2=He, 3=She, 4=We, 5=They, 6=My friend). The second die represents an Action (1=cook, 2=study, 3=go to gym, 4=watch movies, 5=clean room, 6=read). Produce a sentence.

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