| LESSON OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students learn the differences between Present Perfect and Past Simple. They also practise using the two tenses, watch a video and talk about active lives of elderly people.
B1 / Intermediate60 minStandard LessonFree
PRESENT PERFECT AND PAST SIMPLE
At the beginning of the lesson, students read four headings and think what they have in common. Students also say whether they agree with the title of the lesson. Then, they predict what information they might find in each of the articles. After that, students read three texts and match the headings with the texts. Then, they read the texts again and decide whether some statements are true or false. Next, students read four rules about Present Perfect and Past Simple and match them with the correct sentences from the texts. The teacher can also elicit adverbs and time expressions for Present Perfect and Past Simple. Finally, students discuss the stories they read and talk about the elderly people they know.
VIDEO & PRACTICE
Students watch a video about a 78-year-old-man and tick the topics that were discussed in it. Then, they watch the first part of the video again and write sentences to explain three numbers (e.g. He has cycled 520,000 km.). The sentences require the use of Present Perfect and Past Simple. While watching the second part of the video, students choose the correct verb form. After that, they discuss the video and talk about being in good shape. Finally, students imagine themselves in their 80s. They think about their lives and what they might do and like at that age. They make some notes about different areas, e.g. travel, hobbies, sport. Finally, in pairs, they tell each other about their lives in their 80s using Present Perfect and Past Simple. They also ask each other two questions about what they have said.
WORKSHEETS
oh my Gooooooood…. I haven’t opened it but I’m sure it will be absolutely fantastic!!!
Thank you so much, Erika! Hope that once you open it, you’ll have such positive impressions as well 🙂
Hello from Greece! You’re a breath of fresh air in my 25-year-old career as an English teacher. Working more than 40 hours a week, it is almost impossible for me to find time to be creative myself and, unfortunately, I heavily rely on coursebook material, which is sometimes inadequate and in need of supplementary content. I also use some of the videos to share them with the Viber group I’ve created for my former and current students. Thanks a lot!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Danica! We’re happy our materials can make a difference in the way you work 🙂
So true!
The lesson sounds really good and engaging. Thanks a lot for sharing it for free 😀
Thank you, Yolanda! Let us know how your students will find it 😉
This is great! 😀
Thank you so much, Ana!
exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much 😀
So happy to hear that, Dominika! Be sure to let us know how the lesson went 😉
My students absolutely loved reading and reacting to the stories! However, we weren’t able to finish it under 60 minutes. It’s definitely a lesson I will teach again.
Thank you for sharing your feedback! We’re glad it worked so well with your students 🙂
Hi Inna!! Thank you very much for this wonderful activity!!
Thank you for your feedback! Happy you liked it!
this lesson is great!
Thank you so much!
Great! Thank you!
Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing class!
We’re happy you found it useful! Thank you for your feedback!
This lesson is awesome! Just one question. At the end, students have to talk about their lives in their 80s, so it’s in the future. How do we use Present Perfect and Past Simple in this activity?
Hi Jessica! Thank you for your feedback! We’re happy you liked the lesson. As for your question, in this task the students imagine themselves being in their 70-s or 80-s and speak from this perspective. The previous task is supposed to help them generate ideas and in this final task they present their imagined achievements and experiences as if they were in their 70-s or 80-s. If they work in pairs, their partner can ask a follow-up question to specify some information.
Hope this helps!
Let us know if you need further clarification 😉
Thank you so much!
great
I’m just speechless! Great job, that’s so awe-inspiring!
Thank you so much, Annalisa! We’re happy you liked this lesson 🙂
Lovely lesson. It’s a great and updated way to use the perfect tenses with intermediate and also advanced students that have to revisit the basics of the perfect tenses every now and then.
Thank you, Gilda! We’re happy you’ve seen so much potential in this lesson 🙂
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. My students were so inspired by this lesson. I’ll definitely take this topic again for others.
Thank you for your feedback, Natalie! It’s motivating to find out that this lesson got your students so engaged 🙂
Well structured plan. I love it
Thank you so much! 🙂
Thank you a lot for such a wonderful lesson! It inspired me to do sports more regularly. Hope it’ll do the same with my students 🙂
Happy to hear that! Thank you for your feedback 😉
This is such a greatly designed and beautiful lesson. I can’t thank you enough for sharing it
Thank you so much! We’re delighted you find our materials useful 🙂
Inna, bolshoye spasibo za takoy klassnyi plan!
Hi Inna. Many thanks for this lesson. Looks great and I will try it tomorrow. ATB Richard
Thank you so much, Richard! We’re happy you liked this lesson 🙂
A very well prepared grammar lesson that helps ss to grasp the subject through deductive methods.Thanks a lot.
Thank you so much for your feedback! Happy you liked this lesson 🙂
Great!
Thank you so much!
Very nice lesson, we had good discussions from it😁👍
Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy you enjoyed this lesson 🙂
I’d like to have the audioscript of the listenings. It would be great to complete this amazing material! Tks!
Amazing! Thank you so much!!
Thank you for your feedback!
Thank you very much! Looking forward to using this material with my students!
We’re happy you liked this lesson! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Like the idea of this lesson! The only issue thing is he unfortunately makes some mistakes with the present perfect in the video. He says “I have started cycling in ____(year)” at the start of the video. Later in the video he says “I have met my wife in the Sahara”, so some mistakes there which may be confusing for students!
Thank you for your comment, Eleanor! We tried our best not to include such confusing moments in the tasks, but on the other hand, and I do it whenever I use this video with my students, I try to explain to them that even being a native speaker or a person who has lived in an English speaking country for a while doesn’t prevent you from certain grammar errors 🙂
I’ve found it’s great! thank you very much!
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad you enjoyed the lesson 🙂
Good stuff. I like this video too in connection to the topic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZHUc7lVqt0&list=PLLVb3xPMOqX35aG2TDFqKBCmyypqUTxnq&index=240
Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy you liked the lesson 🙂 And the video you shared is very interesting too!
It’s an amazing lesson plan, thank you so much for sharing it.
Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy you liked the lesson 🙂
Absolutely amazing lesson. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy you liked the lesson! 🙂
I love your lesson!!!) Thank you a lot !!!)))
Thank you so much for your feedback! It’s always great to know you enjoy our lessons 🙂
great thing!!!
Thank you so much for your feedback, Anna!
Great 👍
Thank you so much! 🙂
The discussion section doesn’t reference the present perfect or simple past, it’s an activity for future. The last 2 sections don’t have a smooth flow.
Thank you for your comment! In the last two activities, students are asked to imagine the future and talk from this perspectives about their achievements and other events from this standpoint. Therefore, they can practise both tenses in an engaging way. Hope, this clarification will help you see these activities in a more positive light 🙂
My pupil loved it, thank you !
Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy your student liked the lesson 🙂
The topic is interesting for a listening/speaking class, but this can’t be described as a grammar lesson. It’s a short grammar review for someone who already knows and is able to apply all of the rule about present perfect vs simple past and just needs a refresher. There’s no way a student would even begin to master the concept and be able to use it in conversation or writing if this was the entire lesson on this grammar topic.
Hi there! One of the lesson objectives is for students to learn the difference between the use of Past Simple and Present Perfect. In ex. 3, students are exposed to sentences in these tenses (in context). Then, in ex. 4, they decide when each tense is used in what situation. In ex. 7 and 8 they practise what they learned (in the context of the video), and in ex. 11, they practise the tenses again in a new context. Given all that, it’s definitely a grammar lesson.
I agree that the lesson is not for students who haven’t studied the two tenses before. We have other lessons which cover just Past Simple (e.g. here and here) and just Present Perfect (e.g. here and here). I also agree, that no student will use these two tenses fluently and accurately after just one lesson (this one or any other) because grammar requires lots of practice in different contexts. That’s why it makes sense to use more lessons that focus on Past Simple and Present Perfect, eg. this one.
Hello from France. I’m really liking this lesson. I’ll be using this today. Thank you for sharing. : )
Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re glad you liked the lesson. We hope your students are going to enjoy it too! 🙂
I have started cycling in 1977!!! That’s incorrect English from the start!
Thank you for pointing this out! You’re absolutely right that “I have started cycling in 1977” is not correct English. The speaker in this video is not a native English speaker, so some of his sentences contain tense mistakes.
However, the idea behind using authentic videos on our platform is to give learners exposure to real speech, not just “perfect textbook English.” In the exercises, we only include examples where the speaker uses tenses correctly, so learners are practicing accurate forms. At the same time, hearing real language (even with mistakes) helps students understand how English is used in the real world, which can be valuable preparation for real-life communication.
wonderful lesson
thank you
Thank you so much for your comment! We’re happy you liked the lesson 🙂
Inna, thanks for sharing your creative activities with us. My students loved everything and they understood the difference between each other more easily.
Thank you so much for your feedback! Each lesson is a result of the team effort and we’re happy that your students found this one useful and enjoyable! 🙂
Hello Inna, thank you for this wonderful material! I am looking forward to using it with my students on Monday. I appreciate the topic. Thanks 🙂
Thank you so much, Tereza! Hope your students will enjoy this lesson! 🙂
Lovely lesson! Thank you <3
Thank you for your feedback! We’re happy you liked the lesson 🙂
I find this lesson super useful and engaging! I must have taught it 6 times now. Every time on slide 20 with the grammar rules, a student will say that writing the song is also a completed action and so could it be past simple and I have to say yes, you could also say he wrote a song. I think this sentence is using the present perfect more because of the word “recently” and because of the relevance for the present. It always leads to a bit of discussion. There are probably clearer examples of using the present perfect without a specific time or general life events (have you ever ridden a motorcycle?) etc. I get that it´s hard to decide how much detail to go into with this diabolical grammar topic but maybe here the simplification actually leads to more confusing discussion.
Thank you for your feedback! We’re happy you enjoyed the lesson 🙂
Regarding your remark about the example, we understand it might lead to students asking more questions about the difference between the two tenses. Our intention at this level is to provide students with clear rules, leaving nuances for later. In this case, the focus is on the fact that “recently” doesn’t refer to a specific point in the past in the same way that “in 1934” does.
That said, if you feel that alternative examples from the text would work better for your students, you’re very welcome to adapt the presentation to suit your group. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
The answer is in the language use. He “has”. I think if it had been written “he had”, you’d have a better argument for Past Simple.
the strange thing about the video included in this lesson plan is he starts the video by saying ‘i’ve started cycling in 1977’ – bit ironic for a lesson on the present perfect lol!
Thank you for sharing this observation! We’ve noticed a few examples like that throughout the video, but only included those in the exercises that are consistent with the grammar rules we present in the lesson. The value of the video is not only in its ability to illustrate certain language points, but also in the message it contains and its potential for discussion. That said, it’s not so easy to find a video that would meet all the requirements to the full extent. On top of that, very few of the videos with people speaking on the record are completely devoid of mistakes, which only goes to show that making them is part of learning and using the language.
Thanks for this. Great content but please could you give us an option with just regular fonts? For the older students I have they have commented that it’s hard for them to read onscreen.
Thanks for your feedback. We do use a regular font, but I understand the font size we use is too small for some people? We might consider making the font bigger but I can’t promise anything at this point.
Amazing !
Thank you so much! 🙂
The first slide with the video does not work.
Hello! Can you specify what the problem is? Do you see any error message? You can let us know at [email protected].
Thank you, Inna! Your lesson is really helpful, especially when you don’t have enough time to prepare a lesson for your student.
Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂