Each Flipped Learning Module (FLM) is a set of short videos and online activities that can be used (in whole or in part) to free up class time from content delivery for greater student interaction. At the end of the module, students are asked to fill out a brief survey, in which we adopt the minute paper strategy. In this approach, students are asked to submit their response to two brief questions regarding their knowledge of the module.
In this FLM, students are asked to complete a fill-in-the-blank outline which accompanies all three videos, covering the topics of common verb tense use in academic writing. The completed outline will enhance the students’ note-taking skills and will serve as a summary of the FLM that they may refer to in the future.
Key Terms
present simple, past simple, present perfect, appropriate use in context
Module Overview
- Tense use in Academic Writing
- Common Verb Tenses in Academic Writing
- Present Simple Tense
- The Past Tenses
- Past Simple Tense
- Present Perfect Tense
- The Use of Tenses in a Given Text
- The Three Tenses in an Academic Text
Download Video Transcripts
Worksheet: Tense Use in Academic Writing Module Outline
Please fill out the following outline while you are watching the videos, and bring a copy to class.
- The most common verb tenses in academic writing are:
- __________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________
- The most typical verb tense in academic writing is: _______________________, and it is usually
in the following paragraphs of an academic essay: _____________________________.
- The Present Simple Tense is used to:__________________________________________________.
- The Past Simple Tense has two main functions in most academic fields:
- (Function 1):__________________________________________________
- (Function 2):__________________________________________________
- In academic papers, the present perfect tense is used when:
__________________________________________________________________________.
Download Outline
Video 1: Tense use in Academic Writing
Tense Use in Academic Writing Online Activity 1
Identify the verbs in the following sentence. Do you believe the appropriate verb tense has been used? If not, correct the verb form.
In support of his argument, Wasserstrom provides the example of Mickey Mouse, the arrival of which he experiences firsthand in China.
Video 2: The Past Tenses
Tense Use in Academic Writing Online Activity 2
Read through this passage and examine all the verbs in the text. First, identify the verb form and label the tense. Then, in a couple of sentences explain why all three tenses need to be used, and submit your response to your instructor.
Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has developed at an astonishing rate in its short history. With the launch of the World Wide Web in 1990 and the mass popularization of the Internet, many forms of CMC became widely used. These different types of CMC can be differentiated on two parameters: (1) the number of recipients of a message and (2) the synchronicity of the communicative event. Though it is possible to have multiple recipients in instant messaging IM, (it is primarily used for one-to-one dialogue. IM is also synchronous, since participants are “electronically present at the same time” (Paolillo 1999). Instant (or near-instant) reply is the norm, as spontaneous, real-time dialogue takes place. IM is unique in that it is the only one-to-one synchronous type of CMC.
Adapted from “Linguistic ruin? Lol! Instant messaging and teen language” by Sali Tagliamonte and Derek Denis (2008)
Video 3: The Use of Tenses in a Given Text
Tense Use in Academic Writing Survey
Please answer the following two questions, and submit the responses to your instructor.
- What was the one most important thing you learned from this module?
- Do you have any unanswered questions for me?
Tense Use in Academic Writing In-Class Activity
Using a range of tenses in a summary
Based on what you have learned about the three most frequently used tenses in academic writing, here is an exercise for you to complete. We will be watching this TED Talk during class (You may watch it in advance, if you wish, but it is not a requirement).
Summarize the talk in a paragraph written with your assigned group. When you summarize, make sure to use a range of tenses in an academic context.
Download Worksheet
Download Digital Implementation of the Activity
References
Celce-Murcia, Marianne, and Diane Larsen-Freeman.
The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher’s Course. 2nd ed., Heinle & Heinle, 1999.
Hacker, Diana. The Bedford Handbook. Bedford St./Martin’s, 2016.
“Verb Tenses.” The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
