Present Continuous with School Actions –for Elementary ELLs

This resource is found here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Present-Continuous-for-Elementary-ESL-4403402

This resource was designed to help elementary English language learners practice action verbs and build sentences. The variety of materials also makes it easy for teachers to use them for whole-class lessons, centers, pair work, or review activities.

Teachers can use the flashcards for vocabulary introduction, quick review activities, classroom games, and speaking practice.

Action +  write a Sentence Strip with Flashcards. Fold the word from each flashcard if you want and have students write a sentence for each card in Present Continuous.

Wrong Sentence Flashcards. Print the sentence slips. Have a student show the flashcard and you read the sentence slip. If it doesn’t match, have the class say the correct sentence: “No! She is gluing!” Perfect for grammar correction practice.

 “Act It Fast!” Game. Show one flashcard secretly to one student. Student acts the verb. Class says: “He is reading!”

Action Hunt Around the Classroom. Hide flashcards around the room. Students find one and say: “He is writing!” and writes the sentence on a mini whiteboard.

Match Game. Place the flashcards on the board. Hand in the sentence strips for the students to match.

The small cards are perfect for a variety of classroom games and practice activities.

Build the Sentence.  Give students the word cards: Pronouns,Verb cards,Objects.

Students build sentences: He is swinging on the swing.

Listen and Point. Place the small cards on the table. Say a sentence and have the students point to that card and repeat the sentence. You can fold the word to make it more challenging.

ctivity, students practice the spelling rules used when changing verbs to the present continuous (-ing) form. Place the three rule pockets on the table or board. Students take turns choosing a small verb card and placing it in the correct pocket according to the spelling rule.

The pockets should be prepared before the activity. You can use the Envelope method – Glue the printed pocket label onto a small envelope.

These worksheets allow students to practice grammar in a clear and meaningful context.

Write the Number.  Each picture shows an action in the present continuous. Students find the matching picture and write the correct number on the line.

Write the Verb Ending Match. First, complete the verbs by writing the correct –ing ending.

Then, draw a line to match each verb with the correct picture.

Present Continuous Word Search. Students find the words that can be horizontal, or vertical. When found a word, highlight or circle it in the word search.

What Are You Doing? Worksheet. Students read the sentences and answer.

Write the Question.

Students practice forming sentences in the present continuous tense.

Spelling Sorting – Present Continuous form of the verb. Students practice the spelling rules used to form verbs in the present continuous tense. They write each verb in the correct pocket according to the spelling pattern.

Write the Verbs. Students write the correct action verb in the space below.

These games encourage students to read, speak, match, and build sentences while reinforcing the vocabulary and actions presented in the unit.

Spin and Cover Game

Students play in pairs. One student spins the spinner using a paper clip and a brass fastener placed at the center of the wheel. The spinner will land on a picture that shows an action.

The student says the verb aloud. The other student looks at the verb list and covers the correct word with a small piece of paper. Students continue spinning and covering the verbs until all the actions are covered.

Sentence Association Matching Game

Print the classroom scene mat and the sentence strips. Students place each sentence on the correct part of the mat to match the action in the picture.

Students can work individually, in pairs, or in small groups.

Flap Book – Present Continuous

To wrap up the unit, students complete a fun interactive flap book. After coloring and assembling the booklet, they lift each flap to reveal a sentence written by them in the present continuous tense that describes the picture.

If you’re looking for more creative ideas and engaging resources for teaching young learners, visit my blog for preschool teachers here: EFL Preschool Teachers Blog. You'll find practical activities, tips, and resources designed to make learning fun and effective for little ones!

From Shy to Brave: Supporting Young English Learners Through Positive Psychology

 Positive Psychology is important for young English Language Learners (ELLs) because it targets all the emotional and psychological barriers that blocks language acquisition.

Positive Psychology in ESL means teaching English with a focus on what children learn and  how they feel while learning.

For kindergarten and elementary English Language Learners, this is essential because:

1.    Language learning can create anxiety. As teachers, we have seen students feeling shy speaking or anxious to make mistakes. Use Positive Psychology to reduce fear and increase participation with ease. It involves integrating fun and play based activities in your lesson plan thinking of the students you have in class.

 

2.    Young learners need emotional safety to learn. It is important that you create a positive emotional environment to aid Language development. To create a positive emotional environment for young ELLs, you must focus on lowering the "Affective Filter".

And what is the Affective Filter? well, it is that emotional barrier that can block language learning. When students feel anxious, stressed, shy, bored, or afraid of making mistakes, their affective filter is high, and it becomes harder for them to understand and remember English. When students feel safe, confident, relaxed, and motivated, their affective filter is low, and language learning happens in a natural way.

 3.    Confidence builds communication.

When young learners feel confident, they are more willing to speak, participate, and take risks in English. Confidence helps students move from silent observers to active communicators. The more secure they feel, the more naturally language begins to flow.

  This is How My Printable ESL Resources Support Positive Psychology

My materials are designed to naturally promote:

1.    Small Success Moments, by using Matching games, Bingo games, Flashcards, Cut-and-paste activities, Mini books.

2.    Play-Based Learning Reduces Anxiety. Use Masks, Puppets, Board games, Craft activities, Spinners, Dice. Just like that you can turn language into PLAY instead of pressure. Play lowers the affective filter, which helps language acquisition.

3.    Repetition Without Shame. Use the flashcards to review activities that are included in all my resource. They work for recycling vocabulary naturally and encourage participation. Repetition becomes fun, not embarrassing.

4. Emotional Engagement through the variety of themes and Holidays available such as: Colors, Animals, Family, Emotions, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day and count even more.

Create emotional connection — and emotion improves memory retention.

 5. Visual Support = Empowerment.  Young ELLs feel successful when they can rely on pictures, they recognize patterns and they can respond non-verbally first

Use my highly visual resources to reduce cognitive overload, Increase Independence and encourage participation.

Language + Well-Being Go Together

I have a wide variety of ESL resources that lower the affective filter and build confidence in your classroom. Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Holistic English Resources by Rosa Amelia, where you’ll find carefully designed materials that combine language development with emotional safety and joyful learning.

Explore here:
👉 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Holistic-English-Resources-By-Rosa-Amelia

 

St. Patrick’s Day Face Activities for Young English Learners

This resource is also included here:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Face-Unit-for-Elementary-English-Language-Learners-10106986

This Face St. Patrick’s Day resource is designed for teaching holiday vocabulary while reinforcing parts of the face, colors, and descriptive language with elementary English language learners. Perfect for centers, whole-group lessons, and seasonal review.

In this activity, the teacher uses a St. Patrick flashcard to review parts of the face with students. The teacher asks, “What’s missing in the face?” Then, draws extra facial features such as hair, nose, and ears that are not originally included.

The teacher asks the name of parts of the parts and labels it. This interactive board activity provides an engaging review of face parts.

In this activity, the teacher displays the rainbow flashcard and invites students to describe what they see. The teacher begins by modeling a simple sentence and then asks guiding questions to encourage students to add more details about the rainbow’s facial features.

As students respond, the teacher writes their ideas on the board to collaboratively build a short descriptive text.

Students place each flashcard inside a clear plastic sleeve and draw the missing facial features using dry-erase markers. As they complete the faces, students label each feature with the correct word, reinforcing vocabulary recognition, and spelling,.

Small cards activities

🎧  Listen and pick. The teacher spreads the small cards on the table and calls out one vocabulary item, such as “horseshoe.” Students listen carefully and point to the matching card as quickly as they can. This listening game helps students develop vocabulary recognition. Great for beginners.

Listen and order. Each student uses their own set of small cards. The teacher calls out a sequence of vocabulary items, such as “hat, rainbow, coin,” and students listen carefully to place the cards in the correct order on the table. This sequencing task strengthens auditory memory.

Speaking activities (productive oral skill). A student selects a small card and shows it to the class while describing the picture. Using simple language, the student names the item and mentions its facial features, such as eyes or mouth.

Reading activities. The teacher prepares the cards by cutting the words from the picture cards. Students then match each picture with its corresponding word to rebuild the complete card. This hands-on matching task supports reading development.

Writing activities. Students choose a small card and use it as a prompt to write simple sentences describing the picture. They name the item, describe its color, and mention its facial features or details. This writing task supports vocabulary consolidation.

Labeling. students observe the small card and label the different parts directly in their notebooks. They draw arrows from the picture and write the corresponding vocabulary words, reinforcing recognition of facial features and object details. This labeling task supports vocabulary consolidation, spelling practice, and visual–word association.

worksheets

Students complete the words by writing the missing letters and then match each word to its corresponding picture by tracing the lines.

Students complete the worksheet by reading the sentences, drawing the missing details, and coloring the picture according to the instructions. When finished, they share their work with the teacher, providing an opportunity for feedback.

Students read simple sentences, complete missing words, and follow directions to draw and color the picture.  Once finished, the teacher can collect and display the worksheets on a bulletin board to create a festive classroom environment that showcases student learning.

Students first use the picture worksheet to listen to the teacher’s directions and color the St. Patrick’s Day characters accordingly. After completing the coloring task, they use the second worksheet to answer comprehension questions based on the pictures.

Games

Students receive a Bingo strip with 5 pictures from the St. Patrick’s Day vocabulary set. The teacher uses the calling cards and calling mat, printed twice: one copy to place on the mat and another copy to draw and call the items. As the teacher calls each picture, students listen carefully and cover the matching image on their strip. The first student to complete the strip calls Bingo!

In this board game, students play in small groups and each chooses a character marker, which is folded and glued at the top so it can stand on the board. Students take turns rolling the dice and moving their markers along the path. When landing on a space, they name or describe the St. Patrick’s Day item shown. This interactive game promotes speaking practice.

Visit Holistic English Resources by Rosa Amelia on Teachers Pay Teachers! 🧩

Whether you're teaching vocabulary, prepositions, or celebrating special occasions, you'll find creative, hands-on activities and worksheets to make your lessons both enjoyable and effective. Here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Holistic-English-Resources-By-Rosa-Amelia