Past simple, Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous – lesson plan and comments

This complete 60-minute intermediate (B1–B2) lesson plan contrasts the Present Perfect Continuous (focus on duration/ongoing action) with the Simple Past (focus on finished actions at a specific time), complete with a structured timeline, guided practice, and communicative activities. [1, 2, 3]

Lesson Details and Objectives

• Level: Intermediate (B1-B2)
• Duration: 60 Minutes
• Objectives: Students will accurately form and contrast the Present Perfect Continuous and Simple Past, distinguishing between unfinished/continuous duration and finished, time-specific past events.
• Materials: Whiteboard, markers, timeline handouts, and conversation prompt cards. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Warm-Up (10 Minutes)

• Write two contrasting sentences on the board:
  1. I played tennis yesterday.
  2. I have been playing tennis for two hours.
• Ask students: Which action is finished? Which action might still be happening or just stopped?
• Elicit brief student responses to gauge prior knowledge of time markers like yesterday vs. for / since. [1]

Presentation: Form and Function (15 Minutes)

• Simple Past Review:
  • Structure: Subject + past verb (ed/irregular). Negative/Question: did / didn't.
  • Use: Finished actions at a specific time in the past (yesterday, in 2015, last week). [1, 2]
• Present Perfect Continuous:
  • Structure: Subject + have/has + been + verb-ing.
  • Use: Actions starting in the past and continuing to the present, or just stopping with a present result; emphasizes the duration (how long). [1, 2, 3, 4]
• Draw side-by-side timelines on the board contrasting I lived in London for 5 years (finished) vs. I have been living in London for 5 years (still living there). [1]

Watch this short breakdown to hear native examples contrasting ongoing versus finished verb frames:

0:52

Present perfect, past simple and present perfect continuous

119K views · 2 years ago

YouTube · English with Aga

Guided Practice (15 Minutes)

• Hand out a gap-fill worksheet featuring mixed sentences. Have students pick the correct tense based on context clues:
  • She (work) _________ at the company from 2010 to 2015. (Simple Past)
  • She (work) _________ here for five years and she loves it. (Present Perfect Continuous) [1, 2]
• Review answers as a class, prompting students to point out the specific time indicators or contextual focus (from 2010 to 2015 = finished; for five years [and counting] = ongoing duration). [1, 2]

Communicative Production (15 Minutes)

• Activity: “What Have You Been Doing?”
  • Pair up students. Partner A asks: What did you do last weekend? (forcing Simple Past for finished blocks of time).
  • Partner B replies using the Simple Past (I watched a movie, I went shopping).
  • Partner A follows up with: And what have you been doing all morning today? (forcing Present Perfect Continuous).
  • Partner B answers using the continuous form (I have been cleaning my room / studying for exams).
• Circulate the room to monitor correct auxiliary usage (did vs. have been + -ing). [1, 2, 3]

Cool-Down and Wrap-Up (5 Minutes)

• Ask volunteers to share one interesting thing they learned about their partner using either tense.
• Summarize the golden rule: Simple Past = finished time; Present Perfect Continuous = duration leading up to now. [1]