Teaching Tenses to ESL Students – Useful Materials

Tenses are often perceived as one of the most difficult grammar items to be learned and taught. Teachers usually face problems in finding the right way to teach them. While the conventional approaches seemed rigid in highlighting the rules, many educators believed that when it comes to tenses, explicit teaching of the rules are necessary before applying them in context. Here are some useful materials that might help you out:

1. Tenses, Not Tension by Norhayati Husin (UiTM Terengganu)

This PowerPoint illustrates the use of tenses in the form of timeline, with specific examples. Using this is good to help students understand the “rules” of when to use the correct tense. This is shared by Norhayati who has 11 years of teaching experience and she is currently teaching at UiTM Terengganu with special emphasis on teaching methodology.

2. Anglo-Link YouTube Channel

Anglo-Link provides a comprehensive videos on the tenses. These videos are separate into several parts and comparison of “similar” tenses are given to allow students to differentiate them clearly.

3. Walk The Plank Game – Present vs Past Tense

Fun and interactive game by English Media Lab for beginners in learning the difference between present and past tense. The game may look simple, but students might find it rather challenging. This can be used as a form of reinforcement.

4. The Six Verb Tenses

This PowerPoint presentation by immaculateheartacademy.org explains all the six types of tenses according to examples and common errors.

5. Teacher’s Guide in Explaining Tenses – Elihinkel.org

Animated presentation on how teachers can explain the verb tenses to the students. It can also be used by students for self-learning.

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