How do you come out with gestures to teach grammar items such as future tense? I have to explain that they can use will + verb, present continuous tense (is/am/are going to + verb) as well about to + verb for immediate future. It is quite tough to come out with gestures for such content so I am kinda stuck right now...any ideas?

Something that comes to mind is putting your hands flat together in front of you (palm to palm) for present tense. Then, for past tense seperate your right hand and move it out. For future tense do the same with your left hand. As your doing this have them repeat the rules for these tenses. I hope this is helpful.

Tenses in my class are shown with a thumb.

Past (point backward)
Present (point to the floor)
Future (point forward)

Similar gestures can be used to show Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow.

That's how we revise irregular forms as well. But this time both thumbs are working indicating the infinitive form with a "Thumbs down" movement and Past form with a "Thumbs backwards" one.

Simple tenses are shown with a "cutting" gesture (indicating short actions in a logical order)
Continuous actions are shown with a gesture similar to 'fish' movements.

Haven't had a chance to present perfect or perfect continuous tenses yet.

Prepositions of time are shown with two palms facing each other but at a different distance indicating different preposition e.g.
AT (very close)
ON (a bit further)
IN (the distance is the biggest)

The explanation to this is the following; AT shows the shortest period of time (time)
ON represents a period which is longer that time but not as long as years, seasons etc.
There is a REMEMBER! gesture: An Index finger showing up.

Awesome ideas! Don't forget to post these in the 'gestures' section and I can stick them on the 'sticky thread' for Lang. Arts favorites

I came up with a saying/song for my 4th & 5th grade READ 180 students (Scholastic after school reading program for lower readers) It helps them learn Main idea/prefix/suffix/antonym/synonym/ homophone/sequence of events/characters/setting/plot/subject/predicate. That is what I have so far.I have not done past, present, and future. Maybe I will add that into it. I am in the process of adding more skills to the song. The kids love it. It is a start of them knowing what the terms mean and what to look for. Now they just need to apply it. I plan to video the kids this week.The parents signed a permission slip for me to share the video. I will try to post the video.........if I can do that on here so you can see it. Not sure if these are the skills you work on but wanted to share.
Natasha