You’re never too old for great things

Title separator

Grammar - Present Perfect and Past Simple

Present Perfect and Past Simple

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. 

A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
B1 / Intermediate
60 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

 

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Erika Barros

    oh my Gooooooood…. I haven’t opened it but I’m sure it will be absolutely fantastic!!!

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much, Erika! Hope that once you open it, you’ll have such positive impressions as well 🙂

    2. Danica

      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!

      1. Inna

        Thank you so much for your kind words, Danica! We’re happy our materials can make a difference in the way you work 🙂

  2. Yolanda San Pedro

    The lesson sounds really good and engaging. Thanks a lot for sharing it for free 😀

    1. Inna

      Thank you, Yolanda! Let us know how your students will find it 😉

  3. Ana Martínez Martín

    This is great! 😀

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much, Ana!

  4. Dominika77

    exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much 😀

    1. Inna

      So happy to hear that, Dominika! Be sure to let us know how the lesson went 😉

  5. Felipe Mastriaga dos Santos

    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.

    1. Inna

      Thank you for sharing your feedback! We’re glad it worked so well with your students 🙂

  6. Jorgelina

    Hi Inna!! Thank you very much for this wonderful activity!!

    1. Inna

      Thank you for your feedback! Happy you liked it!

  7. Inglês Fundamental

    this lesson is great!

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much!

  8. Karine Ramos

    Great! Thank you!

    1. Inna

      Thank you for your feedback! 🙂

  9. silvia19

    Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing class!

    1. Inna

      We’re happy you found it useful! Thank you for your feedback!

  10. jessica caroline da costa

    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?

    1. Inna

      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 😉

  11. Yuliya Al

    Thank you so much!

  12. Colette Remy

    great

  13. Annalisa Biondo

    I’m just speechless! Great job, that’s so awe-inspiring!

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much, Annalisa! We’re happy you liked this lesson 🙂

  14. Gilda Batista

    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.

    1. Inna

      Thank you, Gilda! We’re happy you’ve seen so much potential in this lesson 🙂

  15. Natalie Deskova

    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.

    1. Inna

      Thank you for your feedback, Natalie! It’s motivating to find out that this lesson got your students so engaged 🙂

  16. Peacy

    Well structured plan. I love it

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much! 🙂

  17. Ekaterina

    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 🙂

    1. Inna

      Happy to hear that! Thank you for your feedback 😉

  18. guillerbeth carrizales

    This is such a greatly designed and beautiful lesson. I can’t thank you enough for sharing it

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much! We’re delighted you find our materials useful 🙂

  19. Svet03

    Inna, bolshoye spasibo za takoy klassnyi plan!

  20. rcjones

    Hi Inna. Many thanks for this lesson. Looks great and I will try it tomorrow. ATB Richard

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much, Richard! We’re happy you liked this lesson 🙂

  21. radberk

    A very well prepared grammar lesson that helps ss to grasp the subject through deductive methods.Thanks a lot.

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much for your feedback! Happy you liked this lesson 🙂

  22. [email protected]

    Great!

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much!

  23. Leni Mini Miney Moe

    Very nice lesson, we had good discussions from it😁👍

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy you enjoyed this lesson 🙂

  24. Cynthia Lopes

    I’d like to have the audioscript of the listenings. It would be great to complete this amazing material! Tks!

  25. Fabiana M. A. C Rodrigues

    Amazing! Thank you so much!!

    1. Inna

      Thank you for your feedback!

  26. kudr9shka

    Thank you very much! Looking forward to using this material with my students!

    1. Inna

      We’re happy you liked this lesson! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂

  27. Eleanor Stapleton

    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!

    1. Inna

      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 🙂

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
B1 / Intermediate
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Loading

Coffee time!

Lifestyle

Discuss weirdly interesting cafés around the world with this lesson! After reading an article, students practise vocabulary related to coffee and cafés, talk about their personal experiences and preferences, and analyse the establishments from the piece they read.

talking about priorities
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Prioritizing and to-do lists

Business Lifestyle

With this insightful lesson, students practise vocabulary to talk about priorities, watch an explainer video about the Eisenhower Matrix and discuss time management. They also give advice on how to organize tasks.

make + object + adjective (exercises)
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Flipped Lesson 60 min
Loading

My pet makes me happy

Grammar Lifestyle

Engage students in fascinating discussions as they explore how pets influence our lives, master the structure ‘make + object + adjective’ and dive into a news story video on pets in the workplace in this flipped classroom lesson!

talk about sport
B1 / Intermediate
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

Are you a player or a supporter?

Lifestyle

Use this engaging sports-themed speaking lesson to let students express opinions, revisit sports vocabulary, and compare different kinds of sports. They will also share competition experiences and fun fan moments.

vocabulary to describe experiences
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

My home is your home

Lifestyle

Check out this lesson to have an engaging conversation about home exchange and house sitting and help your students learn useful vocabulary to describe experiences.

question tags lesson
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Do you enjoy quiz shows? (question tags)

General Grammar

Teach your students how to express uncertainty about facts. They will practise using question tags and apply general knowledge to answer quiz questions!

uses of gerund
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Being unproductive (uses of gerund)

Grammar Lifestyle

Is productivity the best policy when it comes to days off? Encourage your students to tell you how they chill at weekends using gerunds.

suffixes ‘-ful’ and ‘-less’
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Ready to go paperless?

Business Grammar

In this lesson, students learn some vocabulary related to document management, talk about going paperless, watch a video, and work on word building learning suffixes ‘-ful’ and ‘-less’.

lesson about free time
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

Ways to relax

Lifestyle

In this lesson about free time, students talk about the things they find stressful and what they do to relax. They also watch a video about an unusual pastime activity. 

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