📘 WEEK 1 — Present Perfect & Preferences

Overall Objective (weekly):
By the end of the week, students will be able to:

1. Form and use the Present Perfect tense (affirmative, negative, questions) to describe experiences, unfinished time, and recent actions.

2. Compare and express preferences accurately using prefer, like better, would rather in speaking and writing.

---

MONDAY — Introduction to Present Perfect (Structure + Use: Life experiences)

Objective (daily): Students will recognize and form the Present Perfect tense with have/has + past participle to talk about life experiences.

Previous Knowledge (Home Activity):

• Students prepare 3 sentences in simple past about things they did last weekend. Example: I visited my grandma. I played soccer. I watched a movie.

Inicio / Icebreaker (8 min):

• Find someone who… game. Students receive a checklist: has traveled by plane / has eaten sushi / has played video games this week / has read a book in English. They must walk around and ask classmates using Present Perfect questions: Have you ever traveled by plane?

Activación (5 min):

• Quick board activity: Teacher writes 3 sentences in Simple Past, students transform into Present Perfect:

  • I saw that movie last year → I have seen that movie.

Conceptualización (25 min):

• Form: Subject + have/has + past participle.

  • Examples:

    • I have visited Spain.

    • She has eaten sushi.

    • We have played football.

• Negative: have/has + not + participle.

  • I haven’t visited Japan.

• Questions: Have/Has + subject + participle?

  • Have you ever tried sushi? Yes, I have / No, I haven’t.

• Use (Life Experiences):

  • To describe things we have done in life (without time):

    • I have traveled to Mexico.

    • She has never studied German.

• Keywords: ever, never, already, yet.

Application — 3 Activities:

1. Pair Work (10 min): “Have you ever…?” interviews. Students ask 5 experience questions and record their partner’s answers.

2. Group Game (15 min): “Two truths and a lie” with Present Perfect. Each student writes 2 true and 1 false sentence. Group guesses the lie.

3. Writing Drill (10 min): Complete 8 unfinished sentences with their own ideas. E.g., I have never… / My parents have…

Cierre (5 min):

• Students share one surprising fact they learned about a classmate.

Homework:

• Write a short paragraph (8–10 sentences) about your life experiences using Present Perfect. Include at least ever, never, already, yet.

---

TUESDAY — Present Perfect vs Simple Past

Objective: Students will distinguish between Present Perfect and Simple Past using appropriate time expressions.

Previous Knowledge (Home Activity):

• Bring 3 sentences with yesterday, last year, two days ago.

Inicio / Icebreaker (7 min):

• Time Expression Sorting: Teacher gives a mix of cards (e.g., last night, ever, in 2020, today, already). Students sort into Simple Past or Present Perfect.

Activación (5 min):

• Quick oral drill: teacher says a sentence in Spanish, students choose whether to translate with Simple Past or Present Perfect.

Conceptualización (25 min):

• Contrast:

  • Simple Past: completed actions with specific time. (I visited London in 2018.)

  • Present Perfect: unspecified time, life experience, unfinished time. (I have visited London.)

• Signal words:

  • Simple Past → yesterday, ago, last week, in 2010.

  • Present Perfect → ever, never, already, yet, so far, recently.

• Examples:

  • I have eaten pizza many times. (no specific time)

  • I ate pizza yesterday. (specific time)

Application — 3 Activities:

1. Pair Work (10 min): Fill in gaps choosing between past simple or present perfect.

   • I (go) to the cinema last night.

   • She (already/finish) her homework.

2. Group Sorting Game (15 min): Students receive 20 sentences. They must place each in the right column: Present Perfect / Past Simple.

3. Mini Debate (10 min): Topic: Is it better to talk about experiences or exact times? Students must use both tenses in their arguments.

Cierre (5 min):

• Exit ticket: one sentence in Past Simple + one in Present Perfect about your weekend.

Homework:

• Write 10 sentences (5 Present Perfect + 5 Past Simple) about things you have done and when. Underline time expressions.

---

WEDNESDAY — Present Perfect with “for” and “since”

Objective: Students will use Present Perfect with for and since to describe actions that started in the past and continue to the present.

Previous Knowledge (Home Activity):

• Write 3 sentences about things you have been doing for a long time.

Inicio / Icebreaker (7 min):

• “Time-line walk”: Teacher says a sentence (I have lived in Santa Marta since 2010.). Students line up according to years and months.

Activación (5 min):

• Quick quiz: teacher asks “Since or For?” Students raise cards with the correct answer.

Conceptualización (25 min):

• En el present perfect, usamos for y since para hablar de acciones que empezaron en el pasado y continúan en el presente.

  ---

  ✅ FOR → Duración de tiempo

  Se usa para decir cuánto tiempo ha durado algo.
  🔹 Traducción: “durante”.

  📌 Pregunta clave: ¿Cuánto tiempo?

  🧾 Ejemplos:

  • I have lived here for 10 years.

  • She has studied English for 6 months.

  • We have worked together for a long time.

  🧠 Nota: “for” va seguido de un período de tiempo, como:

  • for two days

  • for a month

  • for years

  • for a long time

  ---

  ✅ SINCE → Punto de inicio

  Se usa para decir desde cuándo empezó algo.
  🔹 Traducción: “desde”.

  📌 Pregunta clave: ¿Desde cuándo?

  🧾 Ejemplos:

  • I have lived here since 2015.

  • She has studied English since she was a child.

  • We have worked here since last Monday.

  🧠 Nota: “since” va seguido de un momento específico, como:

  • since 8 a.m.

  • since yesterday

  • since last year

  • since I was 10

  ---

  ❌ Error común:

  No uses past simple con for o since si la acción aún continúa.

  🚫 Incorrecto:

  • I lived here since 2015.

  • She studied English for 6 months.

  ✅ Correcto:

  • I have lived here since 2015.

  • She has studied English for 6 months.

  ---

  🎯 Resumen rápido:

  Palabra	¿Qué indica?	Ejemplo
  for	duración de tiempo	I have worked here for 5 years.
  since	punto de inicio	I have worked here since 2020.

   

Application — 3 Activities:

1. Pair Interview (10 min): Ask partner: How long have you studied English? Record answers using for/since.

2. Group Poster (15 min): Groups create a “Class Timeline” showing how long classmates have done activities (sports, hobbies, etc.) with for/since.

3. Writing Drill (10 min): Complete 8 sentences with correct for or since.

Cierre (5 min):

• Reflection: What is one activity you have been doing for a long time?

Homework:

• Write a short text (120–150 words) describing your family traditions using for and since.

---

THURSDAY — Talking about Preferences (prefer / like better)

Objective: Students will express likes and preferences using prefer and like better.

Previous Knowledge (Home Activity):

• Bring 3 pictures of things you like (food, music, activities).

Inicio / Icebreaker (7 min):

• Would you choose…? Students choose between 2 options: Pizza or hamburgers? Summer or winter?

Activación (5 min):

• Teacher writes 3 examples:

  • I prefer coffee to tea.

  • I like movies better than series.

  • Students say similar sentences with their own choices.

Conceptualización :

Cuando queremos expresar que nos gusta más una cosa que otra, en inglés usamos principalmente dos estructuras: «prefer» y «like better». Aunque ambas sirven para hablar de preferencias, tienen algunas diferencias importantes en uso y nivel de formalidad.

---

✅ 1. PREFER

➤ Significado:

«Prefer» significa preferir. Es una forma más neutral o formal de hablar de lo que uno prefiere. Se puede usar con sustantivos o con verbos en forma -ing.

---

🔹 Estructura 1: prefer + noun + to + noun

Usamos esta estructura para comparar cosas (sustantivos).

Ejemplos:

• ✅ I prefer coffee to tea.
  (= Me gusta más el café que el té.)

• ✅ She prefers dogs to cats.
  (= Ella prefiere los perros a los gatos.)

---

🔹 Estructura 2: prefer + -ing verb + to + -ing verb

Usamos esta estructura para comparar actividades o acciones.

Ejemplos:

• ✅ I prefer reading to watching TV.
  (= Prefiero leer a ver televisión.)

• ✅ They prefer walking to driving.
  (= Prefieren caminar que conducir.)

---

❌ Error común con “prefer”:

Muchos estudiantes cometen el error de usar «than» en lugar de «to» con «prefer».

• ❌ Incorrecto: I prefer pizza than pasta.

• ✅ Correcto: I prefer pizza to pasta.

🔸 Recuerda: Con «prefer» siempre usamos «to» para comparar.

---

✅ 2. LIKE BETTER

➤ Significado:

«Like better» también se usa para decir que te gusta más una cosa que otra, pero es más informal y común en el habla diaria.

---

🔹 Estructura: like + noun/-ing verb + better than + noun/-ing verb

Usamos esta estructura con cosas o acciones.

Ejemplos:

• ✅ I like reading better than watching TV.
  (= Me gusta más leer que ver televisión.)

• ✅ He likes basketball better than football.
  (= Le gusta más el baloncesto que el fútbol.)

🔸 Nota: Esta estructura es más informal y conversacional que “prefer”.

---

🆚 Prefer vs. Like Better – Comparación rápida

Application — 3 Activities:

1. Pair Work (10 min): Ask partner: What do you prefer: football or basketball? Write 6 preference sentences.

2. Group Survey (15 min): Conduct a mini class survey (food, sports, music). Collect answers and make graphs.

3. Creative Writing (10 min): Write a dialogue between two friends comparing preferences (at least 8 preference sentences).

Cierre (5 min):

• Share one interesting fact about classmates’ preferences.

Homework:

• Write 8 preference sentences using prefer and 5 using like better.

---

FRIDAY — Talking about Preferences (would rather)

Objective: Students will use would rather to express choices in specific situations.

Previous Knowledge (Home Activity):

• Bring 2 examples of situations where you would choose one option over another.

Inicio / Icebreaker (7 min):

• “Would you rather” game. Teacher asks funny questions: Would you rather be invisible or fly? Students choose and explain.

Activación (5 min):

• Quick pair questions: Would you rather stay home or go out tonight?

Conceptualización (25 min):

• Structure:

  • I would rather + base verb + than + base verb.

  • She would rather go out than stay home.

• Short form: I’d rather.

• Negative: I’d rather not go.

• Compare:

  • Prefer → general preference.

  • Would rather → specific situation.

• Examples:

  • I prefer pizza to pasta. (general)

  • I’d rather eat pizza tonight. (specific now).

Application — 3 Activities:

1. Pair Interviews (10 min): Students ask 5 “Would you rather” questions to their partner and record answers.

2. Group Debate (15 min): Groups discuss fun dilemmas: Would you rather study abroad or work in your country? Each student must use would rather.

3. Creative Game (10 min): Each student writes a funny “Would you rather” on a card. Cards are mixed and answered randomly.

Cierre (5 min):

• Roundtable: each student shares 1 “would rather” choice.

Homework:

• Write a paragraph (150 words) comparing your preferences using prefer, like better, and would rather.

---

Rubric (Weekly)

(same format as la que ya te mostré, adaptada para Present Perfect + Preferences)

---

✨ Motivational Phrase:
“Grammar gives you the tools, but your voice makes the message powerful. Speak it out! 🎤💡”