Dreaming in the Present: Creative Writing in the Present Simple

Language learning thrives when imagination and structure intertwine. One of the most engaging ways this can happen is through group-writing projects such as by asking learners to co-create a book about a recurrent dream while practising the present simple tense.

Process

1.    Form groups of learners.

2.   Ask them to brainstorm ideas about a shared dream: What is the setting? Who are the characters? What strange/surreal events happen? How do they get back to reality at the end??

3.   Note down ideas together. Then each learner undertakes one/two scene(s) which he/she illustrates, too, but all scenes have to be written in present simple.

4.   Compile the pages into a “dream book.” Use A4 cardboard sheets for the cover and ask each group to think of an appropriate title, write it and design the cover.

The Learning Benefits

• Grammar in action: Learners internalise present simple by using it to narrate imaginary recurrent events, not just to describe prosaic daily routines.
• Collaboration: Negotiating ideas for a dream pushes learners to use English meaningfully while planning and writing.
• Creativity & ownership: Because the content is theirs, learners become emotionally invested. They want their book to sound right—and that drives attention to the form.
• Memory hooks: Linking grammar to surreal, memorable images makes the rules “stick.”

When learners share their dream books aloud the present simple becomes a living tool. They are no longer completing textbook drills; they are storytellers, creators, and dreamers who happen to be mastering grammar along the way.

Below you can have a look at some book covers of recurrent dreams created by 4^th-grade learners and leaf through two samples.