How to Teach Present Tense

Present Continuous Tense

Activity: Picture Descriptions

Objective: To help students practice using the present continuous tense while developing their speaking skills.

Materials: Pictures that show people engaged in various activities (e.g. cooking, playing sports, working, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a set of pictures that show people engaged in various activities.
3. Instruct the students to take turns describing what they see in the pictures using the present continuous tense.
4. Encourage the students to use descriptive words to paint a picture of what is happening in the picture. For example, if the picture shows someone cooking, the student could say “She is stirring the soup” or “He is chopping vegetables”.
5. Allow each group to discuss the pictures and practice using the present continuous tense for several minutes.
6. Once the students have had a chance to practice, bring the class together and ask for volunteers to share their descriptions with the class.
7. As students share their descriptions, ask them to explain why they used the present continuous tense instead of the present indefinite tense. This will help them understand the rules for using each tense.
8. After each group has shared their descriptions, discuss as a class how the present continuous tense is used in everyday conversation and encourage the students to continue practising using the tense in their daily lives.

Present Indefinite Tense

Activity 1: Who Am I?

Objective: To help students practice using the present indefinite tense while developing their speaking skills and critical thinking skills.

Materials: Index cards, markers

Instructions:

1. Give each student an index card and ask them to write down the name of a famous person (e.g. a celebrity, athlete, historical figure, etc.) on the card.
2. Collect the index cards and mix them up.
3. Hand out one index card to each student, but don’t let them see the name on the card.
4. Instruct the students to walk around the room and ask each other yes-or-no questions to try to guess who they are.
5. Encourage students to use the present indefinite tense in their questions, such as “Do I play a sport?” or “Am I an actor?”
6. Once a student guesses their identity correctly, they can sit down.
7. The activity continues until everyone has guessed their identity.

Activity 2: Storytelling

Objective: To help students practice using the present indefinite tense while developing their speaking and storytelling skills.

Materials: None

Instructions:

1. Divide the class into small groups of 3-4 students.
2. Ask each group to come up with a story, starting with the sentence “Once upon a time”.
3. Encourage students to use the present indefinite tense to describe the characters, setting, and events in their story. For example, “Once upon a time, there is a boy named John. He likes to play basketball and he has a best friend named Sarah”.
4. Each student in the group takes turns adding a sentence to the story, using the present indefinite tense.
5. After each sentence, the next student in the group continues the story, building on the previous sentence.
6. The activity continues until each group has completed their story.
7. Ask each group to share their story with the class, and encourage the students to use the present indefinite tense while telling their story.

These activities are designed to make learning the present indefinite tense fun and engaging while developing students’ speaking skills. They encourage critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork, while also providing opportunities for students to practice using the present indefinite tense in a natural and meaningful way.

Fun and Interesting way to teach Present Indefinite Tense

1. Charades: Divide the class into two teams. Write down some action words on slips of paper, such as “run”, “jump”, “sing”, “dance”, “swim”, etc. One student from each team comes up and acts out the word written on the slip of paper without speaking. The team members have to guess the word using the present indefinite tense, such as “He is running” or “She is singing”.
2. Simon Says: Play a game of “Simon Says” using present indefinite tense commands. For example, “Simon says, touch your nose” or “Simon says, jump up and down”. Encourage students to use the present indefinite tense while following the commands, such as “I am touching my nose” or “We are jumping up and down”.
3. Guess Who: Have students bring in a photo of themselves as a baby or young child. Display the photos on a bulletin board or screen without revealing the identities. Students take turns describing the photos using present indefinite tense, such as “She has curly hair” or “He is wearing a blue shirt”. The other students have to guess who the photo is of.
4. Picture Prompt: Show a picture that depicts a scene with many people in it, such as a park or beach. Ask students to describe the picture using present indefinite tense, such as “There are children playing in the sand” or “The man is reading a book”. Encourage students to ask each other follow-up questions about the picture using the present indefinite tense.
5. Mad Libs: Create a story with blanks for present indefinite tense verbs. Ask students to fill in the blanks with verbs in the present indefinite tense, such as “walks”, “jumps”, “swims”, etc. Read the story aloud using the students’ verbs.

These activities provide fun and engaging ways to practice using present indefinite tense. They encourage students to use the tense in context, while also providing opportunities for critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork.

Teaching Present Perfect Tense

1. Memory Game: Prepare a set of cards with present perfect tense sentences on one side and matching pictures on the other. For example, a card might read “I have traveled to Italy” with a picture of the Colosseum. Shuffle the cards and place them face down on the table. Students take turns flipping over two cards to try to make a match. When they make a match, they have to say the sentence in the present perfect tense, such as “I have traveled to Italy”.
2. Storytelling: Give each student a picture or object and ask them to come up with a story about it using present perfect tense. For example, if a student is given a picture of a beach, they might say “I have visited many beaches, but this one is the most beautiful I have ever seen.” Encourage students to be creative and descriptive with their stories.
3. Charades: Write down present perfect tense sentences on slips of paper, such as “I have ridden a horse” or “She has eaten sushi”. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team comes up and acts out the sentence without speaking. The team members have to guess the sentence using the present perfect tense, such as “He has ridden a horse” or “They have eaten sushi”.
4. Find Someone Who: Give students a list of present perfect tense statements, such as “Someone in this class has traveled to another country” or “Someone in this class has eaten sushi”. Students have to go around the class and find someone who fits each statement. When they find someone, they have to ask them to elaborate on their experience using present perfect tense.
5. Mix and Match: Write down present perfect tense sentence beginnings on one set of cards and sentence endings on another set of cards. For example, one card might read “I have never” and another might read “eaten sushi”. Shuffle the cards and give one to each student. Students have to find the person with the matching sentence ending and then say the complete sentence in the present perfect tense.

These activities provide opportunities for students to practice using present perfect tense in a fun and engaging way. They encourage students to be creative and descriptive, while also improving their speaking skills through conversation and storytelling.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

1. What have you been doing? – This is a great activity for students to practice present perfect continuous tense. In this activity, students pair up and ask each other, “What have you been doing?” Students can respond with answers such as “I have been studying for my exams” or “I have been watching movies on Netflix.” Encourage students to provide detailed answers and ask follow-up questions to their partner.
2. Picture Prompt – Give students a picture prompt with a setting or a scenario and ask them to create a story about what has been happening in that picture using present perfect continuous tense. For example, a picture of a messy room could prompt students to say “I have been cleaning my room all day” or “My little brother has been making a mess in my room all day.”
3. Charades – Write down present perfect continuous tense verbs on slips of paper and have students act them out without speaking while their classmates guess what they have been doing. For example, a student might act out “running” or “reading a book.” Once the verb is guessed, students can form sentences using the present perfect continuous tense to describe what the person has been doing.
4. Time Capsule – In this activity, students imagine that they have been living in a capsule for the past year. They have to talk about what they have been doing, what they have been experiencing, and what they have been feeling. Encourage students to be creative and come up with interesting stories about what they have been doing in the capsule.
5. TV Show Host – Divide students into groups and ask them to create a TV show where they are the host. They have to introduce their guests, ask them what they have been doing lately using present perfect continuous tense, and ask follow-up questions. This activity helps students practice their speaking skills while also being creative.

These activities provide opportunities for students to practice using present perfect continuous tense in a fun and engaging way. They encourage students to be creative and descriptive, while also improving their speaking skills through conversation and storytelling.