teaching simple present through reading comprehension

7/21/2019 Teaching Simple Present Through Reading Comprehension

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Contenido

I Chapter............................................................................................................................................. 3

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4

Background .................................................................................................................................. 5

Justification ................................................................................................................................... 6

Hypothesis .................................................................................................................................... 7

Thesis Statement ......................................................................................................................... 7

Terminal Objective ...................................................................................................................... 7

Enabling Objectives .................................................................................................................... 7

II Chapter .......................................................................................................................................... 8

Theorical Framework ...................................................................................................................... 8

The Simple Present Tense ......................................................................................................... 9

Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense ................................................................13

Negative Contractions ...............................................................................................................14

Word Order of Negative Sentences ........................................................................................14

Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't: ..................................................15

Questions in the Simple Present Tense .................................................................................15

Word Order of Questions with Do and Does .........................................................................16

WH questions with simple present tense ...............................................................................18

Applying the Simple Present in short readings ......................................................................20

Teaching Simple present through longer readings ...............................................................21

III Chapter .......................................................................................................................................28

Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................................28

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................29

Recommendations ....................................................................................................................29

IV Chapter ......................................................................................................................................30

References .....................................................................................................................................30



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I Chapter



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Introduction A verb indicates the time of an action, event or condition by changing its

form. Through the use of a sequence of tenses in a sentence or in a paragraph, it

is possible to indicate the complex temporal relationship of actions, events, and

conditions. There are many ways of categorizing the twelve possible verb tenses.

The verb tenses may be categorized according to the time frame: past tenses,

present tenses, and future tenses.

This work applies the uses of simple present and their respective

characteristics. Reading comprehensions is the capacity to read a text and try to

understand it; in this work simple present is used in reading comprehension

because it gives the perspective in order to improve our reading skills and also the

simple present can be used making inferences from a text, paragraph, or any

written material we need to read.

Simple Present in this work will show how we can use it better not just in

daily life, not just in the school or High school, or when there is a conversation; also

the simple present in this work will apply for complicated readings like essays,

letters, emails, etc. Simple present is not as simple as we think, it is not just to talk

about present, in this work you will know the simple present tense better applying it

to reading comprehension. We will know better simple present tense in reading

comprehension through this work because when we read it, we will comprehend

that in readings simple present is essential.



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Background As teachers we can find a lot of material about the simple present in a given

reading through many media resources like the internet. But there are not research

papers that we can find about how to teach simple present through reading

comprehension, this kind of works are very original and limited. At least we could

find a lot of material of readings that present the use of the simple present in the

respective texts so it means that there is a lot of resources we can find for teach

simple present in reading comprehension.

Many materials are provided from reading comprehension regarding simple

present tense but this material is not just about simple readings some ones are

about skimming, others for scanning, some of them are short stories, some others

are daily life readings like e-mails, letters, etc.

This project will start from the basic part of explaining what is the simple

present and his usage for then explaining how can we apply it for reading

comprehension.



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Justification

Verb tense is the form of the verb that indicates time. A verb tense not only

indicates past, present, and future action, but also indicates whether the action is

ongoing or complete. There are many verb tenses like simple present, simple past,

simple future, past continuous, present continuous, future continuous, past perfect,

present perfect, etc. This work will introduce you to simple present tense forms and

show you how to use it. Learning simple present tense is important nowadays

because people can apply it at the time when they are reading, listening, writing

and speaking. In readings people can apply it when there are readings for example

a newspaper or some other material from daily live. It is necessary to know and

understand why simple present can help us to improve it in reading

comprehension.

“I don’t know with what weapons World

War III will be fought, but World War IV will

be fought with sticks and stones.” – Albert

Einstein



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HypothesisHow to teach Simple present tense in English through reading comprehension?

Thesis StatementVerb tense is the form of the verb that indicates time. A verb tense not only

indicates past, present, and future action, but also indicates whether the action is

ongoing or complete. There are many verb tenses like simple present, simple past,

simple future, past continuous, present continuous, future continuous, past perfect,

present perfect, etc. This work will introduce you to the most common rules of

simple present forms and show you how to use them through reading

comprehension. All verb tenses are derived from a few basic forms of the verb

called the principal parts. Learning Verb tenses is important nowadays because

people can apply them at the time when they are reading.

Terminal Objective- Explain simple present tense through reading comprehension.

Enabling Objectives- Specify simple present rules.

- Give reasons about how to use the simple present in reading

comprehension.



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II Chapter

Theorical Framework



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To start this topic We need to be clear first what is a verb and then verb

tenses fo introduce the simple present tense.

A verb indicates the time of an action, event or condition by changing its

form. Through the use of a sequence of tenses in a sentence or in a paragraph, it

is possible to indicate the complex temporal relationship of actions, events, and

conditions

There are many ways of categorising the twelve possible verb tenses. The

verb tenses may be categorised according to the time frame: past tenses, present

tenses, and future tenses.

The Simple Present Tense

We use the simple present to describe an action, an event, or condition that is

occurring in the present.. The simple present is when we have a daily action like

washing clothesm events.

Each of the highlighted verbs in the following sentences is in the simple present

tense and each sentence describes an action taking place in the present:

The sun sets in the west.

We produce lasers for cosmetic surgery.

They move into their new home next week.

So, I go to Mr. D and say “I deserve a better mark in this class”.



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Jones stops in mid-court and passes the ball to Schuster.

The simple present is used to express general truths such as scientific fact, as in

the following sentences:

My teacher always arrives early.

Water boils at 100 celsius.

Doctors study for many years.

The sky isn’t green.

The word smart means “intelligent”.

The simple present is used to indicate a habitual action, event, or condition, as in

the following sentences:

I play golf every Monday.

They often travel to China.

She gets up at 8:00 every day.

I don’t walk to school.

She doesn’t love him.

Do you smoke?

How often do you study?



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The simple present is also used when writing about works of art, as in the following

sentences.

Lolly Willowes is the protagonist of the novel Townsend published in 1926.

One of Artemisia Gentleschi's best known paintings represents Judith's beheading

of Holofernes.

The Lady of Shallot weaves a tapestry while watching the passers-by in her mirror.

The play ends with an epilogue spoken by the fool.

The simple present can also be used to refer to a future event when used in

conjunction with an adverb or adverbial phrase, as in the following sentences.

The doors open in 10 minutes.

The premier arrives on Tuesday.

Classes end next week.

The publisher distributes the galley proofs next Wednesday.

The lunar eclipses begins in exactly 43 minutes.

We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive.



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In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.

Subject Verb The Rest of the sentence

I / you / we / they speak / learn English at home

he / she / it speaks / learns English at home

The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that

verb:

1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.

go – goes

catch – catches

wash – washes

kiss – kisses

fix – fixes

buzz – buzzes

2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.

marry – marries

study – studies

carry – carries



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worry – worries

NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.

play – plays

enjoy – enjoys

say – says

Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense

To make a negative sentence we use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs Except To Be

and Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).

Affirmative: You walk every morning

Negative: You don't walk every morning.

You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't

when the subject is I, you, we or they.

Affirmative: He walks evey morning.

Negative: He doesn't walk every morning.

When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb

to make a negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the

affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the negative

sentence. We will see the reason why below.



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Negative Contractions

Don't = Do not

Doesn't = Does not

I don't like meat = I do not like meat.

There is no difference in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken

English.

Word Order of Negative Sentences

The following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in

the Present Tense using Don't or Doesn't.

Subject don't/doesn't Verb* The Rest of the sentence

I / you / we / they don't have / buy / like etc. cereal for breakfast

he / she / it doesn't have / buy / like etc. cereal for breakfast

* Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive

without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.

Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it

begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.



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Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:

You don't speak Arabic.

John doesn't speak Italian.

We don't have time for a rest.

It doesn't move.

They don't want to go to the party.

She doesn't like fish.

Questions in the Simple Present Tense

To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in

Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put

at the beginning of the question.

Affirmative: You speak English.

Question: Do you speak English?

You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it

a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they.

Affirmative: He speaks French.

Question: Does he speak French?

When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the

affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the



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affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We

will see the reason why below.

We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs

(can, must, might, should etc.)

Word Order of Questions with Do and Does

The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or

Does.

Do/Does Subject Verb* The Rest of the

sentence

Do I / you / we / they have / need / etc. a new bike?

Does he / she / it have / need / etc. a new bike?

*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive

without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.

Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it

begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.

Examples of Questions with Do and Does:

Do you need a dictionary?

Does Mary need a dictionary?

Do we have a meeting now?



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Does it rain a lot in winter?

Do they want to go to the party?

Does he like pizza?

Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct

questions as follows:

Sample Questions Short Answer (Affirmative) Short Answer (Negative)

Do you like chocolate? Yes, I do. No, I don't.

Do I need a pencil? Yes, you do. No, you don't.

Do you both like chocolate? Yes, we do. No, we don't.

Do they like chocolate? Yes, they do. No, they don't.

Does he like chocolate? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.

Does she like chocolate? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.

Does it have four wheels? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.



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WH questions with simple present tense

The "wh-questions" are a group of questions that begin with an interrogative

pronoun (a "wh-word"): what, which, who, Whom, Whose,when, where, why, and

also questions that begin with "how", that while it is obvious that doesn't begin with

"wh", belongs to this group because the word is behaving the same way. this

questions have the intention of ask specific information.

What? - actions, things

Where - places

When - dates, day, months, year

Who - people

Whom - people

whose - people

which - things, kinds

Why - reasons, answer

What time - time, hours

How - way, maneers

Grammar Structure:

Wh question + Aux do/does + subject + verb + complement + ?



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Example:

what do you do i the morning?

where does Claudia work?

when do they present the exam?

who plays soccer? / who does he play with ?

whom do you invite?

whose cell phone keeps ringing?

which is your favorite sopping mall?

why do ypu have to come in the school?

what time does sergio study?

how do you feel today?



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Applying the Simple Present in short readings

After we are clear what is the simple present we need to apply it to the reading

comprehension, but first, before we introduce long texts with the simple present we

need to begin with sort exercises like:

Filling in the blanks

1. Every Monday, Sally (drive) ________ her kids to football practice.

2. Usually, I (work) ________ as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study)

_________

French at a language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.

3. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) _________

4. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain) __________

5. I hate living in Seattle because it (rain, always) __________

6. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) _________ because everybody (talk)

________ so loudly.

7. Justin (write, currently) ________________ a book about his adventures in

Tibet. I hope he can find a good publisher when he is finished.

8. Jim: Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?

Denise: Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go) ___________ to a movie tonight with some

friends.



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9. The business cards (be, normally) __________ printed by a company in New

York. Their prices (be) __________ inexpensive, yet the quality of their work is

quite good.

10. This delicious chocolate (be) _________ made by a small chocolatier in Zurich,

Switzerland.

Then when we had applied to students the use of simple present in short reading

like short tasks, they need to get in to the world of longer reading comprehension.

Teaching Simple present through longer readings

We are about to see a series of examples of how to introduce practices through

reading comprehension. First is important to include some specific readings and

their respective practices;



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Read the text.

The Rosales LifestyleThe Rosales family lives on a farm in Alajuela and they work at a coffee plantation.

It is 5:00 a.m., Mrs. Rosales and the children are in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Mr. Rosales is in the yard feeding the animals. Everybody eats breakfast at 5:15.

Later in the day, they take their baskets and go to the farm because the coffee beans

are ready to be picked. They arrive there around 6:30 in the morning.

At 11:00 a.m. everybody sits on the ground to eat lunch, and at 12 noon they start

picking up coffee again until 3:00 p.m. Because they don’t own a car or a horse, theyuse an oxcart to transport the coffee sacks to the front gate, and then, a truck takes

the sacks to the receiving. Then they go back to their house, and at 4:00 p.m. they

eat tortillas and drink coffee. Later in the day, they help with the chores and eat

dinner at seven.

At 8:00 p.m., everybody goes to bed because they are very tired and sleepy, and they

have to wake up so early the following day.

On Sunday, everybody takes a bus to church, and they take a taxiback home. They also visit their grandparents in the afternoon.



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Choose the appropriate alternative to answer each question from the previous text.

1 When does Mrs. Rosales have breakfast? She eats herbreakfast_____________________.

A) at the same time as her family

B) earlier than her husband

C) earlier than her children

D) later than her children

2 When does Mr. Rosales give food for the animals?

A) In the middle of the morning

B) In the early morning

C) At night

D) At noon

3 What time does the family eat lunch? They eat

lunch____________________________.

A) before twelve o’clock

B) in the afternoon

C) at eight o’clock

D) at noon

4 How do the Rosales carry the coffee sacks to the front gate? They use a (n)

____________.

A) carB) taxi

C) truck

D) oxcart



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5 How does this family return home from church? By_______________.

A) oxcartB) truck

C) taxi

D) bus



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We can use also comparison texts in order students compare readings.

Read the text and choose the correct option to complete each idea.

1 One problem that Anthony faces is that

_________________________________.

A) he can be fired at night school

B) his company is buying computers

C) he is studying for a secure position

D) he does not have a chance to study

Anthony DuránTelephone Operator

As a directory assistance operator, I

give out hundreds of telephone

numbers every day. I sort of like talking

to people all day. I earn around $20,000

a year. But I don’t feel very secure,

because a lot of operators are losing

their jobs because of automation.Computers do everything these days,

so, I’m studying to be a computer

programmer at night school.

Kimberly EvansPhysical Therapist

In my job, I mainly work with athletes who

have sports injuries. Sometimes the

athletes are famous, and that’s always

exciting. My salary is good - $38,000 a

year – and I always have a lot of patients.

Doctors are too busy to do physical

therapy these days, and they’re happy togive the work to specialists like me.



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2 Kimberly’s salary is ____________ Anthony’s.

A) as low as

B) as high as

C) lower than

D) higher than

3 Anthony studies in a night school, because he

___________________________.

A) wants to become computer programmer

B) wants to be a therapistC) earns $ 30,000 a year

D) is losing automation

4 Kimberly thinks that doctors

________________________________________.

E) have plenty of time

F) hate famous athletesG) don’t like to deal with therapists

H) don’t have time to give the patients therapy



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When we as teachers understand that teaching the simple present through reading

comprehension is important because our students someday are going to face a

standardized test by the MEP for obtain a bachelor degree in standard education

we will be conscious they need this kind of reading an not just this a lot of readings

with different verb tenses.



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III Chapter

Conclusion and Recommendations



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Conclusion

In conclusion simple present has their different rules and ways of use and

this lead us how to apply it to reading comprehension. Simple present indicates

routines, facts and some other habitual things we usually do or don’t. With this

work an glad you know more about how you can see the simple present through

reading comprehension.

Recommendations

- Improve your learning by reading texts, books, news, newspapers, etc..

- Keep practicing simple present because it will help you to understand better.

- Make practices your own self about simple present used in readings.

- Improve your reading skills practicing the simple present.

I never teach my pupils. I only attempt

to provide the conditions in which they

can learn. – Albert Einstein



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IV Chapter

References



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Material taken from:

Arias, M. (2014). Simple Present. In Challenge for 8th (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 138-140). San José, San José: Litografía e Imprenta

Everyday Life. (2008). In Touchstone (5th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 35-42). Avenue of the Americas, New York: Cambridge University Press.

Goodman, B. (2003). Literature for English. Chicago: McGaw-Hill/Wright Group.

Simple Present Tense. (2015, November 10). Retrieved December 8, 2015, fromhttp://www.grammar.cl/Present/Simple.htm

TIL English Grammar. (2009). Retrieved December 10, 2015, fromhttp://www.tuninst.net/ENGLISH/TIL-Gram/TIL-Gram-indx.htm#HyperGrammar

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