HAMEL 1

English for Specific Purposes: Workplace English

Brief description of classroom setting:
This lesson is intended for 10-15 ESL students who work as either housing or dining
employees at Colorado State University. The number of students ranged each class due to
students varying schedules, from work-related absences to family-needs. Their proficiency
levels also ranged from novice-mid to intermediate- mid. The students were from Mexico and
Uzbekistan, so their first languages were Spanish and Uzbek, respectively. The class met twice
per week on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15-4:15pm. Following each class, my internship
advisor, co-teacher and I would meet for an hour to reflect on and plan lessons. This Workplace
English program is offered to these students with the intention of improving three areas of
communicative competency: health and emergencies, workplace vocabulary and social
interactions. The purpose for focusing on grammatical forms, like verb tenses, is so that students
can be understood in all settings when making reference to different periods of time.
Pre-less inventory
Lesson Goal:
Students will understand when and how to use present, past and future verb tenses.
Lesson Objectives:
Students will be able to recognize time frames in sentences to determine the appropriate
verb tense needed.
Students will be able to produce sentences in the past, present future tenses.
Materials:
White board
Markers
Present or Past Worksheets
Calendar Worksheets
Assignments to collect from students:
Past accomplishments and future goals worksheet.
Warm-Up: Pronunciation: Present or past? (10 minutes)
Purpose:
Students will determine whether present or past tense is used based upon the
pronunciation of the verb. Students will also practice pronouncing the various past tense endings.
Procedures:
Present or past worksheets are distributed to students.

HAMEL 2

Students must listen to 8 sentences to determine whether or not past or present tense was
used.
Answers are gone over as a class. When discussing, questions to discuss are:
o Why is it important to be able to distinguish between present and past tense when
listening to someone?
o Are there any other indicators in the sentence that tells you if its in past or
present tense?
Once answers have been corrected, students must pair up and read the sentences to one
another to practice the varying past tense pronunciations.

Transition:
Remember, your pronunciation of these verb tenses are important to indicate to the
person that youre speaking to which time-frame youre talking about. However, its not
the only indicator for listeners. Lets have a look at how time frames can be used to do
this.
Activity 1: Practice with Time Frames (10 minutes)
Purpose:
Students will practice identifying time frames in sentences in order to determine the verb
tense needed.
Procedures:
Volunteers will write one sentence from their past accomplishments and future goals
worksheet on the board.
o They are asked to underline the time frame they used in their sentences.
As a class, we discuss if the time frame and the verb tense match. Time is also taken to
correct errors.
Transition:
Okay, so weve had some practice with recognizing time frames in sentences. Now, lets
practice writing sentences in the past, present or future based on these time frames.
Activity 2: Time-frame Game (25 minutes)
Purpose:
Students will write sentences in the past, present or future based upon the given time
frame.
Procedures:
Students are placed into three teams (~3-4 people per team).
Each student takes a turn writing a complete, correct sentence based upon the sentence
starter (which includes a time frame); whichever student finishes first, their team then
gets a point.
o Only one student is allowed at the board at a time.
o If a student needs to ask their group for help, they need to go to them and talk to
them.
o Example time frames/sentence starters:

HAMEL 3

At the beginning of last week,

Today,
Next week,
When I was a child,
In the next ten years,
Once each team member has gone 4-5 times, then the game will be over.

Transition:
Hopefully, by now, youre feeling comfortable with identifying time frames and then
using the appropriate verb tense. Now, were going to practice again with these tenses in
conversation.
Activity 3: Calendar (20 minutes)
Purpose:
Students will practice using present, past and future verb tenses by using their listening
and speaking skills.
Procedures:
A calendar worksheet is distributed to each student.
Each student must fill out these calendars based upon their schedule.
After completing their calendar with at least 5 events or plans, students will pair up and
talk about their plans.
o Partners are advised to take notes.
Once partners have finished, each person will describe one sentence about what their
partner is doing to the class.
Transition:
So, I have a question for you all about your calendars. Did anyone have a doctors
appointment scheduled? Does anyone know another word for doctor?
Closure: Brainstorming: Health vocabulary (5 minutes)
Purpose:
Students will begin brainstorming words, phrases and expressions that relate to the
health-care field; this topic will be the main focus for the next class.
Procedure:
Doctor and physician are written in the middle of the board, with a circle around it.
Students are asked to verbally brainstorm ideas related to doctor.
o When a student provides a vocabulary word, the word is written on the board,
encircled and then connected to the other words it most relates to.
Explain to students that they need to start thinking about vocabulary that relates to the
health care field since its what will be taught next class.
HW assignment:
None.

HAMEL 4
Announcements:
Next class, we will begin discussing vocabulary and conversations about going to the doctor and
illnesses. Once weve talked about the vocabulary behind the medical world, we will incorporate
the different verb tenses to talk about our medical history.
Appendix
Present or Past Worksheet
In normal speech, it is sometimes difficult to hear the difference between the simple present and
simple past of regular verbs. Listen to the sentences and circle the verb you hear.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

She works / worked here.

They like / liked me.
She agrees / agreed with me.
He usually arrives / arrived at ten.
She calls / called me every day.
I always watch / watched her games growing up.
Last year, we finish / finished a lot of projects.
We never talk / talked about it.

HAMEL 5
Calendar Worksheet
Fill out the calendar with 5 events or plans that you have had or will have in November. Once
youve completed your calendar discuss your plans with a partner. Take notes on partners plans
because you will present them to the whole class.

Partners Plans: