Type

of Class: Undergraduate students – career center classes Level:

Topic: Past experiences Pre-intermediate

Target grammar item: the Present Perfect Tense

Lesson objective
By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to talk about past experiences and accomplishments.

Stage Time Activity

Warmer 10 Spot the error! Game Comment [RP1]: Games could be an engaging way to start a
• Prepare a list with sentences taken from the homework you collected last time. lesson. In this game, students focus on their most frequent errors in
a non-threatening way.
Include a mix of correct sentences and sentences with errors.
• Divide students in pairs and given them a sheet of paper with the selected
sentences (no more than 10).
• Run through the list and get a class vote on which sentences are correct. Confirm
the answers.
• Ask the pairs to decide why the sentences are not correct.
• Give them back the homework. Ask them to identify what language points were
most problematic for them. What can they do to improve? Comment [RP2]: Regular discussions on learning strategies and
ways of addressing learning difficulties help students become
Presentation 10 • Ask students to listen to the recording and complete sentences in Exercise 3 (page autonomous learners.

9). After they have checked the answers, read the sentence “I have been to France Comment [RP3]: Ask these questions to check if students can
use the Present Perfect. If students are confident, move quickly to
before” (part of the recording) and write it on the board. Write the question: the next step.
“Have you ever been to …?” on the board. Ask students: “Have you ever been to Comment [RP4]: This presentation will help students pay
England /Alexandria /Beirut /etc.” attention to the relationship between form, meaning and use of the
Present Perfect Tense.
• Repeat the procedure with “Have you ever met Bill Gates /Lionel Messi /etc.”
• Check understanding: Have you ever been to France? – Am I asking about the
future? No. Am I asking about the past? Yes. Am I asking about the specific time?
No. Comment [RP5]: Asking ccq – concept checking questions – to
check understanding.
• Explain when the Present Perfect is used (indefinite past – up to now) and how it
is formed. Comment [RP6]: Try to involve the students in this explanation.
Elicit answers from them as an open class activity.
Guided 10 Noughts and crosses. Draw this grid on the board: Comment [RP7]: In this stage, you shift to guided practice. If
practice students are familiar with the Present Perfect but need more
practice, use this grid. If the group is weak, then you may need to
See Visit Climb
replace the infinitives with past participles in the grid.
Live Eat Drive
Be Travel Work

Divide the class into two teams. One team is Noughts (O) and one team is Crosses (X).
Team O chooses a square first. They must make an accurate sentence using the word

© 2016 by World Learning. Sample Lesson Plan for the AE E-Teacher Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of
State and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, except
where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/




in the square. If they answer correctly, write O in the square. If they answer incorrectly,
Team X can answer and win the square. The first team to get a line of three in any
direction wins the game. Comment [Office8]: You can also change the verbs in the grid.

• Students work on their own, use Handout 1 to unscramble the questions, write
them down and answer them. When they are done, check the question forms,
correct mistakes. Comment [RP9]: This is accuracy oriented practice. Students
are given another opportunity to apply what they have practiced;
• Find someone who. Use Handout 2. Students stand up, mingle and ask questions
they also receive feedback.
from Handout 2. If they get an affirmative answer, they can write the person’s
name in the gap. Students can try to see who can complete all 10 names first. Comment [RP10]: This is still guided practice, but it is based on
the information gap principles: students ask questions because they
10 Draw a talk show studio (two chairs and a camera). Explain that the interviewer is going want to find out answers.
to interview Bill Gates. Elicit some questions that may be used in the interview.
If the group is good, encourage them to ask follow up questions –
Give students some time to prepare their own questions. Ask a volunteer to sit in front when did you do it, how did you feel, etc.
of the class and pretend to be Bill Gates. The students ask him /her questions.
Comment [RP11]: Students have a chance to use the target
Write down students' mistakes. When they are done, write 3-4 sentences with typical structure in a life-like situation, for a real purpose.
mistakes on the board and see if they can correct them. Revisit the Present Perfect if This is just an example – students can interview a different person.
necessary.

5 Evaluation activity
Students interview another famous person. Comment [RP12]: Invite students to suggest who they would
like to interview, or list out several names and ask students to
choose one.
5 Exit card
Ask students to finish the following sentences:
One thing I can do well is …….
One thing I definitely need more practice with ……..

Handout 1
Prepare questions using the prompts. Start the questions with: Have you ever ….? Answer the
questions yourself.

1. For/ foreign/ a/ work/ company
______________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
2. Motorcycle/ drive / a
______________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
3. On/be/TV
______________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
4. Have/ trip/ a/ airplane/ an/ on
______________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
5. sea / the/ in/ swim/ red
______________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
6. break/ bone/ a
______________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
7. horse/ a/ ride
______________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
8. a/ be/ accident/ in/ car
_____________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
9. someone/ see/ famous
_____________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________
10. stage/ perform/ a
_____________________________________________________ ?
Your answer: __________________________




Handout 2

Find someone who has...

Walk around the classroom and ask questions using the present perfect tense.
Have you ever...?

Example: Have you ever had a problem with your teacher?

If someone answers, “Yes, I have,” write their name on the corresponding line below and ask follow-up
questions, e.g. Where, When, Why? Etc.

Find a different student for each sentence.

1. ___________________ has worked for a foreign company.

2. ___________________ has driven a motorcycle.

3. ___________________ has been on TV.

4. ___________________ has had a trip on an airplane.

5. ___________________ has swum in the Red Sea.

6. ___________________ has broken a bone.

7. ___________________ has ridden a horse.

8. ___________________ has been in a car accident.

9. ___________________ has seen someone famous.

10.___________________ has performed on stage.