[Eric18]

Although it sounds a bit odd, I've had some success using magazine ads, photographs, and postcards. For example, students look at the image and write only in past tense. What did you do yesterday? Write to a close friend or relative. I usually suggest some irregular verbs to make the point clear. (In the US, you can find free postcards at many restaurants and you can often pick up inexpensive tourist postcards in popular destinations. I love giving students postcards to use for short writing assignments. Next, you pose various present perfect questions. How have your eating habits changed in the last year? What movies have you seen in the last month? What have we studied in this class so far? How have you changed in the last five years? What tourist sights have you seen in the last few weeks?
Postcards allow students to write short messages, focus on a single language skill, and display their English language skills to friends and family back home. You might find the technique adds some fun to what can be a rather boring grammar exercise.