In The Travellers ESL activity, groups invent a trip they have been on, describe it to the class, and answer questions about their experiences.
2+
20-40 mins
Setup
Ideally, stick or project a map on the board. That way, students can use it for illustration purposes when describing where they have travelled.
Divide the class into groups of two or three.
Activity
- Each group invents a six-month trip that they have been on together (when teaching American English, the trip should still be ongoing if you want to practise the present perfect). They should write down a rough itinerary, along with some experiences they have had/what they did in each place.
- Before the groups share their trips, elicit possible questions as a class. Tell the students to imagine the travellers really have been away for six months – what would they ask them? Review the target language for different types of questions.
- The groups take turns presenting their trips, using the target language.
- After each presentation, the other students ask questions to find out more information.
Target Language
The Travellers ESL activity is a great way to practise using the present perfect simple and past simple appropriately. This would be a good activity for intermediate level students.
Note that the usage will differ slightly depending on whether you are teaching British or American English. American English does not generally use the present perfect for any completed actions (hence why the trip should still be ongoing).
Possible examples for the present perfect include We have visited eleven countries or Have you learned any new languages?. For the past simple, In Paris we visited the Eiffel Tower, What was the weather like in India?
The Travellers ESL activity is also clearly a great match for the topics of geography or travel. This could also suit advanced students. They might discuss in more detail the quality of life or effects of tourism in each country, or the effect the trip has had on them as people.
For a similar but more basic activity suitable for beginner and low intermediate students, try Around The World.
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