ESL EFL Grammar Activities

The Present Perfect

Capsule for Young Beginners

A number of classroom activities promoting a simple, useful language environment specifically related the Present Perfect are presented here. A good selection can be made from these activities by teachers keeping in mind the specific needs of the group of learners they work with. It is not necessary to do all the activities. More activities are  suggested so that there is scope for choice. This is just one way of preparing the capsule. It is not the only way. The learner’s responses are assumed ones. They would differ from class to class. Teachers need to modify their  interaction according to the learner’s responses.

Classroom Activities to Teach The Present Perfect Tense

A Live Classroom

“Class! We are going to have a lot of fun today. We are going to talk about interesting things. We are going to play games. Let me first clean the blackboard and get ready for today’s work.  Well, who can help me clean the  blackboard? Oh, thanks for volunteering. I want only one person at the moment. Who do I choose? Ok, let me see who can answer this question. Who can tell me, how many   lessons we have completed so far? Yes, how many?”

“Five.”

“Yes, we have completed five lessons. You have got it right, Suresh. So you come and help me clean the blackboard.”

“Class, what is he doing?”

“Cleaning the blackboard.”

“Yes, he is cleaning the blackboard. Is the blackboard clean now?”

“No, one side clean. This side not clean.”

“He is still cleaning the blackboard. He is doing a lot of work.”

“Thank you Suresh for cleaning the blackboard. Now what is Suresh doing?”

“Going back to his seat.”

“What has he done? He has finished one activity. What is it?” [gestures to convey meaning]

“Cleaning the blackboard.”

“Yes, Suresh has cleaned the blackboard. He has finished cleaning the blackboard.  Now I can use the blackboard. I am going to draw something on the blackboard. What do you want me to draw? Tell me two things you want me to draw.”

“A tree.”

“A bus.”

“Ok. Let me draw a tree first. Can you recognize this tree? What does it look like? Have you ever seen one like this before?” [talks as she continues to draw]

“Mango?”

“Banyan?”

“Good. You have got it right. I am trying to draw a banyan tree.  It’s not so bad, is it?”

“Well, what have I drawn on the blackboard?”

“A tree.”

“A banyan tree.”

“Yes, I have drawn a banyan tree on the blackboard. Am I drawing now?”

“No.”

“I have already finished drawing the tree. You can see it on the blackboard. What have I drawn?”

“A tree.”

“A banyan tree.”

“Yes, I have drawn a banyan tree. Now what am I going to draw? You asked me to draw two things, a tree and …”

“A bus.”

“Yes, a bus. I have drawn a tree. Have I drawn a bus?”

“No.”

“No, I haven’t. I have drawn a tree. But I have not yet drawn a bus. Now let me draw a bus. What kind of a bus do you want?”

“A double-decker bus.”

“Mmm...that will not be easy. But I will try. What am I drawing now?“

“A double-decker bus.”

“The wheels of the bus.”

“ There! I have drawn a bus. What have I drawn?”

“The bus.”

“You have drawn a bus.”

“ I have drawn two things on the blackboard. What have I drawn?”

“You have drawn a tree and a bus.”

“Who can write something on the blackboard?”

“Do you have a good handwriting, Samir??” [to the volunteer]

“ Yes.”

“Ask him to write a sentence. Give him the longest sentence you can think of.”

“Write, I like English because I can play games in English..”

“Ok, Samir, you will have  10 seconds to write this sentence. Write in good handwriting but as fast as you can. Do you remember what to write? What have they asked you to write?”

“I like English because I can play games in English.”

“Ok. Start writing. Your time starts now.”

“Class, what is Samir doing?”

“He is writing.”

“What is he writing?”

“The sentence.”

“Ok, Samir, the time is up. Stop writing. What has Samir written?”

“He has written, I like English because..”

“How many words has he written?”

“He has written 4 words.”

“Has he completed the sentence?”

“No, he has not written 6 words.”

“He has written I like English because, but he has not written I can play games in English.”

“He has taken 10 seconds for 4 words. How many more seconds he needs to complete the sentence?”

“Fifteen seconds.”

“Twenty seconds.”

“Let’s see. Samir. Now complete the sentence and we will watch the time. How many seconds do you think you will need?

“Twenty seconds.”

“He has finished. He has taken eighteen seconds to complete the sentence. His speed is 3 words per second.”

“I am going to write these sentences on the blackboard. Well, let me see… what sentences should I write? Yes, I have drawn a tree and a bus on the blackboard. [ they should be still on the bb, if they have been cleaned to make room for other drawings, this sentence  cannot be used.]

 “Let me write it here. I ...have...drawn..”

“What tree have I drawn?

“a banyan tree”

“a...banyan….tree.”

“I have written that. Now for the second sentence. I also drew something else. Can you tell me what it is?

“ You have drawn a double-decker bus.”

“Yes, let me write that,  I...have...also...drawn….a ...double-decker….bus.”

“Ok. Those are the things I have drawn. What about this? Who has written this sentence here?”

“Samir has written the sentence.”

Has he completed the sentence?

Yes.

Yes, he has. He has completed the sentence. What have we calculated?

“We have calculated the speed of his writing.”

“We have calculated his writing speed.”

“Yes, let me write it on the blackboard.”

“I have written that.  What is his writing speed?”

“Three words per second.”

“Who can write faster  than that?”

“Let’s see. All of you copy all the sentences on the blackboard including the words here. Whoever finishes first, put up your hand.”

“He has a very good writing speed. He has finished copying all the sentences and words in  10 seconds.” Who can calculate his writing speed?”

“I have calculated his writing speed.”

“That’s good. Fast work. What is his writing speed?”

“5 words per second.”

“How did you find that?”

“You have written 49  words on the blackboard. He has copied 49 words in 10 seconds. That is nearly 5 words per second.”

“You’re very clever. Well done!”

Find out the writing speed of your partner. Work in pairs and ask and tell each other how many words you have written.

Example:

Ask different students to come to the blackboard and draw the face, the eyes, etc. and then ask,

Who has drawn the circle?

Who has drawn the beautiful eyes?

Who has given him a name?                

Use other questions like

Has Samir drawn the mouth?

What has he drawn?

Manish has not drawn the nose. Do you know what he has drawn?

Who can tell me what  Archana has drawn?

Is Sunil happy or sad?

Why is he happy? What has happened?

I think he has won a lottery ticket. What do you think? What has happened?

Work in groups, look at the pictures and prepare a report of these people. Guess who they are, what their background is and what might have happened to them.

In all these activities, the main aim is to demonstrate the meaning of the item in classroom context and provide the necessary exposure to the learners as to how this item is used to convey the intended meaning. So the teacher might use more of the Present Perfect Tense and the learners may or may not give answers using the Present Perfect. They might  answer in one or two words. Even if they do so, it means that they have understood the questions asked by the teacher in the Present Perfect and they are indicating their comprehension by their short answers. So the teacher accepts the answer and expands it as a parent would do at home while talking to a child acquiring its first language. Some of the learners would be ready to use the new item quite soon and they should be appreciated for their effort. In later activities, the teacher can elicit  the Present Perfect from the other learners by giving them an  opportunity  to convey their ideas.