I’m Walking in London
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What if you had your students practice the Present Continuous by taking them on a trip to London? That's what this song offers! With its gentle melody and clear lyrics, it transforms a grammar lesson into a catchy auditory stroll through the British capital. It is the perfect tool for anchoring the BE + ING structure in an authentic and memorable context, while also introducing some of London's most famous landmarks.
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Pedagogical Guide
Objective & Resource Content
The pedagogical objective is to recognize, understand, and reuse the **BE + ING (Present Continuous)** structure to describe an action in progress, while discovering the lexicon of some of London's emblematic landmarks.
The song "**I'm walking in London**" recounts the city visit of a narrator who describes what she is doing and seeing at the present moment. She systematically uses the Present Continuous for her descriptions: "**I am walking**," "**I am seeing** a red bus," "**it is stopping**." The route mentions famous places like the River Thames, Big Ben, the British Museum on Great Russell Street, and Camden Market where she is eating "fish and chips." The chorus expresses the joy of being in this "great city."
Suggested Lesson Flow
Before the Activity (~5 min): DESTINATION LONDON
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Activate prior knowledge by asking students to name all the places or objects they associate with London. Write the answers on the board (e.g., Big Ben, red bus, Queen, etc.).
During the Activity (~10-15 min): LISTEN AND SPOT
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**First Listen:** Play the song once. Students should simply raise their hand every time they hear one of the words noted on the board.
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**Second Listen:** Distribute a worksheet with the song lyrics containing blanks (action verbs, places, colors). Students listen again and complete the blanks.
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**Correction:** Correct the worksheet as a large group. Use this moment to highlight or underline all the **BE + ING** forms and recall the construction rule.
After the Activity (~10 min): YOUR TURN TO DESCRIBE!
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Ask students to imagine they are walking in their own town or village. Following the song's model, they must write 3 or 4 sentences describing what they see or are doing using the **Present Continuous** (BE + ING).
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Example: "I **am walking** in [town name]. I **am seeing** the cathedral. A cat **is sleeping** in the sun.".
Adaptations
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**To Simplify:** Provide a worksheet with images of the different places and objects in the song (a bus, Big Ben, a taxi, etc.). Students must number the images in the order they hear them.
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**To Extend:** In groups, students can write an **additional verse** for the song, imagining another stop on the London tour (e.g., Buckingham Palace, The London Eye) and adhering to the **BE + ING** structure.