Grammar teaching—many teachers and students think it’s boring, but it doesn’t have to be. The key is designing fun, engaging activities that help students practice using the language in an interesting way. Keep on reading for more details about this activity to practice to present perfect and simple past together.
A Fun Present Perfect and Simple Past Activity
One of my favourite things to with my university students in Korea are surveys. They’re excellent for getting students up out of their seats, moving around the classroom and talking to a wide variety of people. They also encourage good listening because students have to ask one or two relevant follow-up questions.
When you’re teaching the present perfect and simple past together, surveys are perfect because the initial questions is in P.P. form and then students have to switch to the simple past.
Here’s the survey I use in my own classes:
Present Perfect and Simple Past Survey Activity
How this Survey Activity Works
Students have to ask their classmates the “Have you ever” questions, changing the verb in brackets into Past Participle form. If the answer is yes, they then switch to simple past (like normal conversational style) and ask 2 follow-up questions, with the partner making sure to answer using the correct verb form for the simple past.
If the answer is no, the student chooses another question form the survey form. It’s the ultimate present perfect and simple past activity because it gets the students up out of their seats, talking to different classmates and requires them to switch between the two tenses for the duration of the activity.
This activity corresponds to Unit 2 in Touchstone Level 3 Student’s Book
A Few Ground Rules for Surveys
In order to make this activity go as smoothly as possible, I let my students know a few rules:
- This activity is for 1-1 speaking. It is not for talking together in big groups.
- The main purpose is to practice speaking English and using the grammar we’ve just learned. So, please speak in English and not your first language.
- You only need to write 1-2 words of your partner’s answer, not a full sentence.
- You don’t need to finish the survey during the time, just try to get as much done as you can. It’s better to take some time to ask some good follow-up questions.
They’re Perfect for Getting Students to Ask Questions
Check out this short video for why this skill is important and how to teach it:
Even more ESL speaking games and activities:
If you’re looking for some more speaking games and activities for your ESL classroom, look no further than this book. It’s available on Amazon in both print and digital formats. The (extremely cheap!) digital version can be read on any smartphone, tablet, Mac or PC simply by downloading the free Kindle reading app.
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
Have your Say!
How do you teach this grammar point? Leave a comment below and let us know!
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