Instructions for teachers
There are several different activities which can be done with this poem, which I would probably do in the order given (skipping some):
- Read out the poem, using actions and/ or pictures to make the meaning of the verbs and objects clear, and get students to answer the Yes/ No question at the end of each verse. Note that sometimes the answer is not clear, so students might disagree.
- Students listen to the poem again and do gestures for each action, also gesturing when they say Yes or No at the end of each verse
- Students listen to the poem again and watch the gestures and try to remember the verbs and maybe objects
- Students try to remember the whole poem from just the gestures
- Students listen to one of the Present Perfect sentences in the poem and try to think of other sentences that rhyme with it (from the poem or their own ideas)
- Students try to say the past participles from the infinitives of the verbs
- Students try to say past participles that rhyme with other past participles that the teacher says which are not in the poem, perhaps from the list below
- Students write similar poems about other objects, perhaps using the list on the last page below to help them
With teens and adults, I’d probably start with the past participles presentation sheet where they fill in rhyming past participles, get them to check their answers with the poem, get them to answer the questions in the poem, then do the second presentation task, before maybe getting them to write their own poems.
Never, Do You Think I Can?
A Present Perfect poem by Alex Case
I’ve sought a mouse.
I’ve bought a mouse.
I’ve caught a mouse.
But I’ve never taught a mouse.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve hung a bell.
I’ve rung a bell.
But I’ve never sung like a bell.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve spent money.
I’ve sent money.
I’ve lent money.
But I’ve never bent money.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve grown grass.
I’ve mown grass.
I’ve thrown grass.
But I’ve never blown grass.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve worn a coat.
I’ve torn a coat.
I’ve sworn at a coat.
But I’ve never drawn a coat.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve swept with a brush.
I’ve leapt over a brush.
But I’ve never slept on a brush.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve found a watch.
I’ve wound a watch.
But I’ve never ground a watch.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve begun a race.
I’ve run a race.
I’ve never won a race.
Do you think that I can?
———————
Past participles presentation
Without looking above, write the past participles of the verbs below, making sure that the ones in each verse rhyme.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (seek) a mouse.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (buy) a mouse.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (catch) a mouse.
But I’ve never ______________________________________________ (teach) a mouse.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (hang) a bell.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (ring) a bell.
But I’ve never ______________________________________________ (sing) like a bell.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (spend) money.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (send) money.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (lend) money.
But I’ve never _______________________________________________ (bend) money.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (grow) grass.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (mow) grass.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (throw) grass.
But I’ve never _________________________________________________ (blow) grass.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (wear) a coat.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (tear) a coat.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (swear) at a coat.
But I’ve never ________________________________________________ (draw) a coat.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve ___________________________________________________ (sweep) with a brush.
I’ve ____________________________________________________ (leap) over a brush.
But I’ve never _____________________________________________ (sleep) on a brush.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (find) a watch.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (wind) a watch.
But I’ve never _______________________________________________ (grind) a watch.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (begin) a race.
I’ve _____________________________________________________ (run) a race.
I’ve never _____________________________________________________ (win) a race.
Do you think that I can?
———————–
Past Participles presentation 2
Without looking above, put past participles into the gaps below to rhyme with the one which is still there.
I’ve sought a mouse.
I’ve ____________________________________________________________ a mouse.
I’ve ____________________________________________________________ a mouse.
But I’ve never ____________________________________________________ a mouse.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve hung a bell.
I’ve _______________________________________________________________ a bell.
But I’ve never ___________________________________________________ like a bell.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve spent money.
I’ve ______________________________________________________________ money.
I’ve ______________________________________________________________ money.
But I’ve never ______________________________________________________ money.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve grown grass.
I’ve _______________________________________________________________ grass.
I’ve ______________________________________________________________ grass.
But I’ve never ______________________________________________________ grass.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve worn a coat.
I’ve ____________________________________________________________ a coat.
I’ve ___________________________________________________________ at a coat.
But I’ve never ____________________________________________________ a coat.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve swept with a brush.
I’ve _________________________________________________________ over a brush.
I’ve never _____________________________________________________ on a brush.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve found a watch.
I’ve ____________________________________________________________ a watch.
But I’ve never ____________________________________________________ a watch.
Do you think that I can?
I’ve begun a race.
I’ve ______________________________________________________________ a race.
I’ve never ________________________________________________________ a race.
Do you think that I can?
Use the mixed infinitives below to help with the task above.
bend
blow
buy
catch
draw
grind
leap
lend
mow
ring
run
send
sing
sleep
swear
teach
tear
throw
win
wind
———————-
Rhyming past participles list by vowel sound
Use the lists below to make other Present Perfect poems.
au
found/ bound/ ground/ wound
e
bred/ fed/ spread
dealt/ felt/ knelt
sent/ bent/ lent/ meant/ spent
crept/ leapt/ kept/ slept/ swept/ wept
bet/ set/ let/ met/ upset
ei
made/ laid/ paid
taken/ shaken
i
ridden/ hidden/ forbidden
written/ bitten
driven/ given/ forgiven
hit/ lit/ quit
ee
been/ seen
read/ said
beaten/ eaten
o
sold
cost/ lost
O
grown/ mown/ thrown/ blown/ flown/ known/ shown
broken/ spoken/ woken
chosen/ frozen
or
born/ worn/ sworn/ torn/ drawn
caught/ fought/ bought/ sought/ taught/ brought/ thought
u
done/ begun/ won/ run
come/ become/ swum
cut/ shut
drunk/ shrunk/ sunk
hung/ sung/ stung/ rung
——————————–
PDF version for easy saving and printing: present perfect rhyming past participle poems
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