Posted in Conversation Classes, Grammar Classes

DELTA: Learner-led CLT – Present Perfect/Past Simple

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This year I’m doing the DELTA part-time at IH Barcelona and I’m going to start blogging some of my lesson plans, feedback and general reactions to the course as I go.

Two weeks ago I had my diagnostic observation, basically my tutor and teaching practice group observed me while I taught a group of upper-intermediate adults for 45 minutes. Despite my nerves it went pretty well but my tutor’s main criticism was that it was too teacher centred and not learner-led enough. So it’s my second observed class tomorrow and I’ve prepared the following lesson plan to teach present perfect/past simple to the same group. My tutors are big on reactive teaching so I’m going to throw my students straight into a communicative exercise and then I’m going to correct them as I go and clear up any issues they have afterwards.

My aims are for the students to use the two tenses accurately and also use a range of time expressions. I’ve included they time expressions in the questions they have to ask in a classic “Find someone who” exercise. Let me know what you think and wish me luck!

TP 2nd class Present Per

Find someone who DELTA

TP 2nd class Present Per/Past Simple

Warmer

I’ve injured my foot. Questions. Have you ever had an accident? What happened? Were you ok? Reactions: Oooo, that’s gotta hurt! Nasty! You poor thing!

Find someone who

  • Give out handout.
  • Ss read in pairs checking for understanding, partner helps with unknown words. 2 mins
  • Instruction: “You have to find someone who has done all the things on the list, write their name and get some details”
  • Demonstration: They demonstrate on me for 1st Board their questions.
  • Drill weak forms in their questions: Have you been….? (Hev ya bin) Where didya go? Etc.
  • SS mingle and do exercise, monitor, correct. Collect sentences using time expressions: yet, already, just, ago, this time last week, in the summer, lately, for, since etc.
  • Board sentences but with time expressions missing.
  • SS turn over paper and try to complete the sentences.
  • Analyse time expressions. Which do we use with which tense? Can we use any with both?
  • Memory test in pairs, 1 student asks for example “who hasn’t washed the dishes from last night yet?”

Sentences to collect:

  1. __________ went to Morocco _____ years
  2. ________ has just bought a new _________.
  3. _________ visited _____________ in the summer.
  4. ________ hasn’t washed last night’s dishes
  5. _______ was in ____________ this time last week.
  6. _______ has lived in his/her house for ________ years /since __________,
  7. _______ went shopping earlier today.
  8. _______ has been to the cinema over the last fortnight.
  9. _______ has already planned dinner for tonight.
  10. _________ took up ________ last month.
  11. ________ has tried ____________

 

Present Perfect Past simple both
For, since, already, yet just,

Over the last fortnight

Ago, in the summer, this time last week, earlier today, last month For
Uses:

Past experiences, don’t say when, unfinished times: never, in my life, this year, today etc.

 

Recent events, no exact time, some relevance to present. Just/already etc.

Do you want a cup of coffee? No thanks I’ve just had one.

 

Continuing situations, started in past, continue now: for/since

I’ve lived here for 6 years.

 

Uses:

Complete/finished event, time is given: last month, yesterday etc. or obvious.

 

Did you see the game?

I went to the cinema last night.

 

Situation/habit that started and finished in past.

 

I lived in France for 3 years.

I played piano for 5 years when I was a child.

 

Memory Game:

1 student covers their paper while the other asks questions to see what they remember. Focus should be on remembering the correct tense and time expression.

Demonstrate:

Who has been to the cinema over the last fortnight?

What did _______take up last month?

What has _______ just bought?

Who hasn’t washed last night’s dishes yet?

 

Find someone in the class who has done all these things:

  Name Details
Has been to Morocco

 

   
Has just bought a new gadget    
Visited another country in the summer    
Hasn’t washed last night’s dishes yet    
Wasn’t in class this time last week.    
Has lived in their house for over 30 years    
Went shopping earlier today    
Has been to the cinema over the last fortnight    
Has already planned dinner for tonight    
Took up a new hobby last month    
Has tried a new dish lately.    

Author:

Barcelona based English Teacher, blogger and sometime actor and director.

2 thoughts on “DELTA: Learner-led CLT – Present Perfect/Past Simple

  1. I did that same course a few years ago, so will definitely be keeping an eye on your progress! (It changed my life, BTW!) One thing I remember the tutor’s also banging on about was purpose, so keep that in mind and good luck 🙂

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