In conversation, we often move from general statements to more detailed information.

“Have you seen

Frozen?” “Yeah – I saw it last week. It was great.”

These types of conversations provide a natural context for students to practice the differences between the
present perfect (for the indefinite past) and simple past tense. The following activity is scaffolded so that
students target the language they want to use and then practice it in an authentic activity.

At the end of this article is a link to a downloadable chart that I use in this activity.

1. I start this activity by writing a copy of the chart on the board and filling in my own favorites. As a
whole class, we discuss which past participles we could use to form questions for each of these
favorites. For some “favorites” we choose more than one past participle. For example, for Unusual
Food, we might write eaten, tried and had.

2. I model the activity by asking students my questions (Have you ever been to Italy?) and some follow
up questions (When did you go? What did you do?). These are the details for the final column on the
chart. I also elicit from students that we have used both present perfect and simple past in this
exchange.

3. Next, students write their favorites on their own charts. They can write the past participle to the left –
but not the entire question. I want them to ask the question, not read it.

4. They then mingle and find classmates who have seen their favorite movie or been to their favorite
place in town. By providing details, students move beyond a simple yes/no answer and make the
switch from present perfect to simple past tense.

5. After the chart is completed, students share with the whole class something interesting they learned
about a classmate. This allows students to practice the third person present perfect. Students can also
write about their classmates using the information on the chart. These sentences should use both
present perfect and simple past tense.