A funny way to teach Present Continuous with Mr. Bean videos

My students always enjoy this activity, because Mr. Bean is hilarious. I allow them to focus on fluency (not accuracy) and do their best. It’s a fun communicative way to end a grammar lesson on the present continuous/present progressive.

Use

1. We use the present continuous when are talking about something happening now, at the same time as we are speaking.

2. We don’t use the present continuous with these verbs:

Understand
2a. I don’t understand: correct
2b. I am not understanding: wrong

Want
2a. He doesn’t want tea: correct
2b. He is not wanting tea: wrong

Like
2a. We like this music: correct
2b. We are liking this music: wrong

Know
2a. I know your girlfriend: correct
2b. I am knowing your girlfriend: wrong

Remember
2a. She doesn’t remember my name: correct
2b. She is not remembering my name: wrong

Love
2a. I love my dog: correct
2b. I am loving my dog: wrong

Hear
2a. They can’t hear me: correct
2b. They are not hearing me: wrong

Have
2a. I’ve got a small red car: correct
2b. I am having a small red car: wrong

After teaching your students present continuous, put them in pairs. Have one student sit with their back to the video screen, and another student facing it.

Present Continuous Speaking Activity Expansion

1) Creating warm-up questions about the topic of each video. For example:

Do you make your sanwiches/lunch yourself? Do you like buffets? Have you had food poisoning?

2) Pre-teaching key vocabulary ( buffet, oyster, spoiled, etc)

3) Watching the videos a second time together and helping the students describe them more accurately.

Next, load a short Mr. Bean video on the screen. I like to use this one – ”Making lunchtime sandwich” (6 minutes):

Explain to the student facing the video that his job is to describe the video to his partner. The partner is not allowed to turn her back to look at the screen. Tell the student to use the present continuous (e.g. he is smiling) to describe actions that are happening on the screen and other verb tenses.

Let them do it. When finished, talk about the video and see if the partners understood the gist of what happened.

After Part 1, have the pairs switch seats and change the video. I use this video the second time (3 minutes):