Pieces of the past (Past Perfect)

Title separator

Grammar - Past Perfect

ESL lesson on Past Perfect

This is a standalone lesson but it can also be used as part of the set titled:

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this ESL lesson on Past Perfect are to:

  • talk about past events and preserving memories for the future;
  • watch a video about a lost purse;
  • understand and practise the Past Perfect tense.

With this lesson, students discuss things they carry with them, read a story and watch a video about a 63-year-old purse found in a school. They talk about memories and discuss time capsules. Students also learn the rules of Past Perfect and practise using it with Past Simple. They also read about the Crypt of Civilization and share their perspectives.

B1 / Intermediate60 minStandard LessonPremium Plan

WARM-UP AND VIDEO

This ESL lesson on Past Perfect starts with a warm-up. Students list what they usually carry in their bag or pockets. They then guess what their teacher carries and compare lists. After that, students read the story about a lost purse. Next, they watch the first part of a video to complete the gaps in the story. Afterwards, students tick the things they think were found in the purse (e.g. photos of classmates, an address book). They watch the second part of the video and check their answers. Following that, students discuss questions about family history and personal connections to the past. 

GRAMMAR AND DISCUSSION

In this part of this ESL lesson on Past Perfect, students look at sentences with the Past Perfect tense and do tasks. They explore the rules of Past Perfect and the order of past events. Moving on, students complete gaps in sentences about the video with the Past Perfect form. After that, they read the description of a time capsule and discuss questions about preserving memories for the future. Next, students learn about the Crypt of Civilization. They then use prompts and words provided (because, before, after) to write sentences using Past Simple and Past Perfect.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students complete gaps using Past Simple and Past Perfect. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.

WORKSHEETS

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Sam O Neill

    Great lesson. Thank you!!

    1. Abi

      Thanks so much for your comment!

  2. Michał Śliwczak

    Really cool lesson, I loved it even more than my students did 🙂

    1. Abi

      Thanks! So happy to hear that both you and your students had fun with the lesson. 🙂

  3. Katerina Tsiplacis

    A great story and really nice but this was too difficult for intermediate students. Maybe should be marked as B1.B2.

    1. Michał Śliwczak

      I would also consider it a challenge for students trying to get to B1, but it’s sometimes good to challenge your students 🙂 the grammar portion is a bit too easy for B2 on the other hand, so maybe it’s correct?

    2. Abi

      It’s a really nice story indeed 🙂 The past perfect might present a challenge to B1 learners. However, since the tasks are well scaffolded and contextualised, B1 students should be able to understand the tense and eventually put it to use. Thanks for your feedback!

      1. Katerina Tsiplacis

        Maybe yes, I think it was more the part with the sentence examples that had to be converted, the examples seemed a little heavy but other than that part the rest was really enjoyable thank you again 😉

        1. Abi

          Thank you!

  4. Dyane Espinosa

    This video brings up nostalgia that wants to make everybody participate. Great lesson plan!

    1. Abi

      Thank you! Glad to hear that!

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
ESL speaking lesson about celebrities
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

Life of a celebrity

General Lifestyle

Talk about the lives of famous people in this ESL lesson about celebrities! Students share opinions, explore how celebrities live and watch a video about a retired celebrity who now lives on a farm.

ESL lesson on eating out
B1 / Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

Let’s eat out!

General

Work on dining situations with this ESL lesson on eating out! Students talk about going out to eat, review useful vocabulary and share experiences. They also listen to restaurant dialogues and role-play dining scenarios.

using so and neither
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Do you buy second-hand? So do I!

Grammar Lifestyle

Explore second-hand fashion with this lesson! Students watch a video about the second-hand clothing business, discuss their experiences and practise structures for agreeing with so, neither and auxiliary verbs.

useful role-play situations
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

New place, new start

General

Practise useful language for moving to a new place! In this worksheet, students talk about housing, money, getting around and neighbours. They listen to short conversations and explore real-life dialogues through role-plays.

phrases for complaints
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Sorry to bother you, but… (making complaints)

Business General

Practise useful phrases for complaints! Students watch a video about complaining in restaurants and explore polite ways to make and respond to complaints. They also role-play complaint situations.

phrases for likes and dislikes
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Pineapple pizza isn’t my thing

General

Talk about favourite dishes with this lesson! Students share experiences, watch part of a video on American presidents’ favourite foods and practise phrases for asking about preferences and expressing likes and dislikes.

food vocabulary
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

What’s for lunch?

General

Practise food vocabulary with this worksheet! Students talk about dishes and ingredients and discuss fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood. They also work in pairs and play a word game.

discussing group and individual activities
B1 / Intermediate
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

How many is enough?

General

In this speaking lesson, students engage in discussing group and individual activities. They talk about preferences, watch a video about a school with two pupils and share opinions. Students can also do an extra task to review quantifiers.

have/get something done
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

I will get it checked!

Grammar Lifestyle

Discuss everyday problems and ways to get them fixed! In this lesson, students practise the structure have/get something done. They watch a video about a repair café, describe photos and share their own experiences.

Show more lessons

Questions

Title separator

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there's no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won't be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).
Read more FAQ
Title separator

ESL Brains

Forgot password?
or continue with
Title separator
Title separator
Close icon
Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of ESL Brains access!
Gift of ESL Brains access