I cannot take credit for this because I copied and pasted it from a thread years ago, but unfortunately forgot to souce it, but I can tell you it works really well and the ss really get it after this explanation.It works very well for me, so give it a go.
To teach the unfinished time aspect of the present perfect, draw a time line on the board. let�s assume we are in April 2003. Divide the line into 4 months. Write �now� in the middle of April. Put two crosses into January, one cross into February, three crosses into March and one cross into April. Write 2003 above the time line and 2002 to the left of January. Write 30x below 2002. It�s best to start with the verb �take� because it has a different past tense and past participle. On our time line, the crosses indicate the number of "photographs taken". The time line should look like this.
2002.................................................2003
............Jan...................Feb................ Mar.................
Apr
(30x).../----x-----x------/------x-----------/-x---x----x-----/---x----now-----/
Present the time line by saying: "January is finished, February is finished, March is finished. April is not finished. 2002 is finished, but 2003 is not finished."
Now mime holding a camera and say: "I took two photographs in January, I took one photograph in February, I took three photographs in March. I�ve taken one photograph this month. "
Now point at the time line and count the crosses from January to �now�. Say: "I�ve taken � one, two, three, four, five six, seven � I�ve taken seven photographs this year."
Then point at 2002 and say: "I took thirty photographs last year."
Now ask questions while pointing at the time line.
How many photographs did I take in January?
How many did I take last year?
How many did I take last month?
How many have I taken this month?
How many have I taken this year?
And so on.
Now repeat the presentation with �letters written�, �films seen�, �cups broken�. These verbs all have a different past tense and past participle.
You can force questions and answers with:
Ask me about photographs in February: "How many �. ?"
And now ask me about films and this month.
And now about last year.
And now about this year.
And so on.
You can force negatives by asking:
Did you take four photographs last month?Have you taken three photographs this month?And so on.
