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  2. Intermediate

Present perfect and past simple

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Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Intermediate/B1
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Grammar
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
45-60 min
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Low-Resource
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Overview

In this intermediate-level ESL lesson, students will focus on understanding the functional uses of the present perfect and past simple tenses. They will learn to distinguish between these tenses, recognising when to use each to accurately describe past actions and their relevance to the present. By the end of the session, students will be better equipped to choose the correct tense for past events and experiences.

The lesson plan includes a suggested boardwork to help introduce the target language. Following this, students will engage in various low-resource classroom activities. These activities will involve collaborative grammar and speaking tasks, providing practical opportunities to apply and differentiate between the two tenses in conversation. The session concludes with a fun group game to review and reinforce the lesson's main concepts.

Lesson Outline
Activities
Low-resource ESL lesson plan
Boardwork
1Practice time
2Classmate interview
3All about me
Games
1Two truths, one lie
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Classroom activities

Low-resource ESL lesson plan

Use of the board

Students review the functional uses of these present tenses.

Compare and contrast the functional uses of the present perfect and past simple. When finished, elicit whether each refers to complete or incomplete actions.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
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Low-resource ESL activity

Practice time

For this grammar activity, the students will complete a gap-fill exercise.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
This lesson plan is exclusive to TEFLHandbook members. Join today and get instant access to our expanding library of teaching resources.
Low-resource ESL activity

Classmate interview

A two-part activity where students first create questions from a list of prompts, before using them to interview a partner.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
This lesson plan is exclusive to TEFLHandbook members. Join today and get instant access to our expanding library of teaching resources.
Low-resource ESL activity

All about me

The students will use the past simple and past perfect to drive a conversation about their experiences with a few common topics.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
This lesson plan is exclusive to TEFLHandbook members. Join today and get instant access to our expanding library of teaching resources.

Classroom games

Low-resource ESL activity

Two truths, one lie

This modified version of an old ESL favourite can be a great way to wrap up a lesson on past tenses.

Low-resource ESL lesson plan
This lesson plan is exclusive to TEFLHandbook members. Join today and get instant access to our expanding library of teaching resources.