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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/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:
- __________ went to Morocco _____ years
- ________ has just bought a new _________.
- _________ visited _____________ in the summer.
- ________ hasn’t washed last night’s dishes
- _______ was in ____________ this time last week.
- _______ has lived in his/her house for ________ years /since __________,
- _______ went shopping earlier today.
- _______ has been to the cinema over the last fortnight.
- _______ has already planned dinner for tonight.
- _________ took up ________ last month.
- ________ 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. |
Fingers crossed and … Good luck!
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 🙂