Motivation is paramount when we want to succeed at teaching.
And humour is an excellent resource to get students involved. We can use jokes
to start teaching our lessons.
In this case, I share this ladybugs interaction as trigger
to introduce the Present Perfect tense. At the same time, we can enhance the
development of our students’ thinking skills.
Let’s start by asking
them “What has happened?”
Students will approach the use of the Present Perfect tense
experientially, in real interaction. They will have to observe the image and
analyse the context. Maybe
they don’t know the meaning of “Bless you”. If they ask,
explain the meaning or ask them to look it up either in their paper
dictionaries or in online dictionaries.
Write the question on the blackboard and highlight HAS HAPPENED (you can underline or
circle the words, or you can write them in block letters).
Have students work in pairs or small groups to discuss the
context. Allow their use of dictionaries. Give them some minutes to interact
and start a sharing session. Let them say their options with isolated words,
using the infinitive verbs, or even in Spanish, according to the students’
level.
While they state their ideas, write the correct version of
them on the blackboard:
|
The bug |
HAS SAID ‘bless you’ HAS GREETED HAS SNEEZED HAS LOST her spots. Etc.
|
Then, ask them to discuss in pairs or small groups and decide which option best describes the
context.
Now you have various examples to start introducing the
structure of the Present Perfect Tense.
You can ask students to explain why you use the Present
Perfect Tense in this context, helping them to infer that it is a past event
whose result is present. Again, students will be developing their thinking
skills while they discover the use of the new tense.
Now, you can go on teaching the lesson you have planned.
Hope it helps!
