I�m looking for an easy interactive fun activity to practice the narrative tenses (low intermediate adults):

- past simple

- past continuous

- past perfect

 

I would also like to do something fun on the past participle form for past perfect so as to help students remember them.

 

My room is tiny and so the students need to stay seated. Unfortunately, the desks have to be in rows so they can really only talk to the person on either side of them.

 

Any good ideas for me (that doesn�t involve a worksheet)?

 

Cheers

 

Jayho

Hi Jayho,

 Have you ever played the memory game where each person has to finish the sentenece, I want on vacation and I brought________?

Simple past

Teacher models: I went on vacation and I packed a swimming suit.  What did you pack?

Each student responds as the question goes around the room.

 

Past progressive

Teacher: How was your vacation? I was very active. I was swimming, dancing, and learning to dive. How about you?

Student1: I was enjoying many activities. I was horseback riding and I was hiking in the woods.

Student2: I was also enjoying many things. I was exercising and I was exploring.

Each student  tells what he was doing.

 

Past perfect

By the time your vacation was over, what had you accomplished?

Student 1: I had learned to fish.

Student 2: I had gone on nature walks.  

Each student responds.

You�ve already got some great ideas from redcamaro, so just in case you want more:

http://busyteacher.org/3680-past-perfect-tense.html

http://busyteacher.org/20157-past-perfect-ppt.html (if you �re registered there, you can download it free)

http://busyteacher.org/10734-3-great-activities-past-continuous-tense.html

http://busyteacher.org/18820-past-simple-vs-past-continuous.html

I showed the pictures one by one and asked them what  happened to the person, what they thought  he / she was doing when that happened and what had occured before. I did this as a whole class, sometimes asking individual students. They used their imagination and had fun thinking about different options while we explored the three past tenses.

 

You guys are absolutely wonderful.

 

I have so many great ideas now.  Much more than I expected.

I showed the pictures one by one and asked them what  happened to the person, what they thought  he / she was doing when that happened and what had occured before. I did this as a whole class, sometimes asking individual students. They used their imagination and had fun thinking about different options while we explored the three past tenses.

Redcamarocruiser �s idea of a memory game is good, but we can �t use the past progressive in that way in English.

You could adapt the game to "what were you doing while ..." where each student asks a question to the next student in the chain. E.g. In the summer, I visited my Grandma. What were you doing while I was visiting her? --> While you were visiting your Grandma, I was learning to fish for salmon. What were you doing while I was learning to fish for salmon? --> etc.