How to teach the present perfect (Year 3)

Overview

Having defined the present perfect, we learn there are two important things we need to understand in order to teach this aspect of grammar to pupils: verbs and tense. This leads us to dig a little deeper into the ‘to have’ and ‘to be’ verb forms. Next Rachel takes a look at how the verb dictates the tense of a sentence and we consider how the suffix can dictate the tense of a verb. Bringing this knowledge together, the present perfect tense is introduced and we see how it can be used to show that something has happened recently, or that it happened a while ago but is still having an effect on the present. Rachel also demonstrates how has / have combined with the past participle results in the present perfect. The unit finishes with examples of how writers use the present perfect in context, and the impact this has on their writing.

Course Materials:

Training Handout - Download

.pdf file

Presentation Slides - Download

.pptx file

Course Creator

Directory of the Primary English literacy consultancy, Rachel has over 20 years’ experience in primary education, in which time she has been a SENCO, English subject lead and deputy headteacher. She previously worked as an English consultant for Coventry Local Authority and has written for publishers including Collins and Teach Primary magazine.

About the Course

Whether you're looking to teach joining words with 'and' in Year 1, or you need your Year 6s to recognise the subjunctive form, this series of grammar videos from Rachel Clarke will arm you with some excellent strategies.