PRESENT PERFECT LESSON PLAN_PART 1

Description
Find below a series of classroom activities for English students with the objective of teaching
how to make affirmative sentences, negative sentences and questions in Present Perfect
alternating with the Past Simple.
The time estimated for each activity is also shown.

1) Affirmative sentences (20’)

Activity 1
Ask students to close their eyes while you carry out the following actions:
-move the chair
-move the white board
-turn your back
-hold the ring binder
-draw a smiling sun

Ask students what you have done and have them act out similar actions. They have to
ask the others: what have I done?

Explain to students that here the Present Perfect is used to talk about the recent
past (a past action with an impact or result in the present). It doesn’t matter when you do
it, what matters is what you do between the past and present.

Activity 2
Say to students if a specific time marker is used eg. two minutes ago you use the Past
Simple.The statement would be in the Past Simple eg I moved my chair.
Ask students what they did two minutes ago.

2) Questions- Present Perfect and Past Simple (20’)

Lying game
Ask SS to make teams of two and one of them asks 5 questions starting with “Have you
ever.” The second student must answer all the questions with yes.
-Have you ever written a book?
-Have you ever been on TV?
-Have you ever driven a truck?
-Have you ever gone skiing/surfing?
-Have you ever built a fire?
-Have you ever been in an accident?
-Have you ever been pulled over by the cops?
Then the first student asks 5 “Wh” questions in the Simple Past/Present Perfect and
guesses if their partner is lying.
-When were you on TV?
-Where did you build a fire?
 -Why did you write a book?
-What book have you written?

Explain to students that you usually use:

- When / Where/ Why: Past Simple because you are referring to a specific moment in
the past
- What/Which: Present Perfect
The Present Perfect is used in this case to talk about life experiences.

3) Negations- Present Perfect and Past Simple (40’)

Travel around Spain game (30’)
Ask students to sit in pairs and ask each other the travel questions below and two more
that they can think of.
a) Have you travelled to....? (Yes I have/ No I haven’t)
eg. Oviedo, Teruel, Granada, Barcelona
b) Where else have you travelled to?
Ask SS to mention a city/town/village which he/she visited and particularly enjoyed.
c) How did you get there?
-I travelled by car/ bus/high speed train (AVE)
c) What places have you visited there?
The cathedral, town hall, marketplace, museum, bullring, etc.
d) What traditional food have you eaten?
appetizers, sausage, blood sausage, tortilla (egg omelette with fried potatoes), hake
(merluza), cod (bacalao), anchovy (boqueron), baby eels (anguilas), stuffed peppers,
croquettes, sweetbread (molleja), prawn (langostinos), shrimp (gambas/camarones),
seafood (mariscos).
e) Why did you visit these places?
local festival, visit relatives, parks, day-trip.

Activity 2 (10’)
Ask students to write about their travel experience using the Present Perfect and Past
Simple. Then they have to share their account with the rest of the class.
Eg. I haven’t been to Barcelona, but I travelled to Oviedo during the last public holiday. I
have participated in the local festival, selling beer and tapas in a stand.

4) Homework
Ask them to write about:
a) three things they have done today
b) three positive events that have happened to them this year
c) three significant decisions that they have taken this year
Explain to students that here this is the third usage of the Present Perfect, to talk about
actions that take place in an unfinished time period.