Students can practice the past, present, and future tenses by making a chart of their accomplishments in different stages of their lives! This simple chart allows students to practice their English grammar skills while also sharing about themselves as well as their hopes and dreams for the future. As this activity is three cells, it is a perfect introduction to the Storyboard Creator or the use of different tenses. Students will love finding characters and scenes to represent themselves when they were young, as they are now, and in the future as adults!
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that shows you in the past, present, and future. Describe what you are doing in each using the correct verb tenses for past, present and future.
Student Instructions:
Begin the lesson by introducing or reviewing the past, present, and future tenses. Use simple sentences to illustrate each tense, emphasizing the time aspect associated with each. Then, introduce the concept of a timeline chart and explain how it can represent different stages of life.
Have students brainstorm significant events in their lives. Encourage them to think of past achievements (e.g., learning to ride a bike), present activities (e.g., studying English), and future goals or aspirations (e.g., going to college). This step helps students gather content for their timeline charts.
Provide students with materials to create their timeline charts. Students should plot their past, present, and future events along the timeline. Encourage them to use sentences in the appropriate tenses for each event. This activity allows students to apply their understanding of tenses in a personal and creative way.
Allow students to present their timeline charts to the class or in small groups. Encourage them to explain their timelines, using the correct tenses as they talk about each event. This presentation not only reinforces their understanding of tenses but also enhances speaking and listening skills.
Choosing the correct tense in different situations primarily depends on the time frame of the action or event you are describing. For past events, use the past tense; for actions occurring in the present, use the present tense; and for future events, use the future tense. The context often dictates the tense: use the past tense for completed actions or events that occurred at a specific time in the past, the present tense for current actions, habitual routines, or general truths, and the future tense for actions or events that are planned or expected to happen. The complexity increases with the perfect and continuous aspects, which add layers of meaning regarding the completion or duration of actions. For example, use the present perfect for actions that started in the past and continue to the present, and the future continuous for actions that will be ongoing at a specific time in the future.
Irregular verbs significantly affect tense usage because they do not follow standard conjugation patterns, especially in the past and past participle forms. For instance, the past tense of 'go' is 'went', not 'goed'. This irregularity requires memorization and practice, as using the incorrect form can lead to misunderstandings. In the case of perfect tenses, knowing the past participle form is crucial, as it is used with auxiliary verbs to construct these tenses (e.g., "I have seen," not "I have saw"). Irregular verbs are a common source of errors for English learners, necessitating extra attention and practice.
Time expressions are key indicators that help determine the appropriate tense. Phrases like 'yesterday', 'last week', or 'in 2010' typically signal the past tense, while 'now', 'currently', or 'at the moment' indicate the present tense. For the future, expressions like 'tomorrow', 'next year', or 'in the future' are used. Time expressions can be particularly helpful in complex tenses; for instance, 'for' and 'since' are often used with the present perfect to indicate duration from the past up to the present. Understanding how these expressions align with different tenses is crucial for accurate and clear communication in English.