What is Present Perfect Productions?
While there are plenty of ESL and ESOL videos for kids, many are primarily vocabulary-focused and nearly all of them are generic and dry. In other words, they might teach the kids something, but only if the kids can manage to pay attention.
Our idea is to create aesthetically pleasing, engaging videos that introduce young ESL students to grammar concepts (especially verb tenses) in a funny, exciting, or silly way. The target age group is 8 to 13 and the skill levels range from pre-intermediate to upper-intermediate. But honestly, the courses nd videos are fun for learners of all ages!
THE PROJECT IS IN PROGRESS!
Sára's puppets and sets
About Us
Lara Strong, ESL teacher
She has been a teacher of English as a Second Language for the past twenty years and has taught all age groups in a variety of settings, including public and private schools, university ESL departments, private language schools, and one-on-one tutoring at home. She has an English degree from Bates College and a certificate in ESL from the Kent School of English.
Sára Jékely, animator
Sara Jekely was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary, In 2024, she graduated in animation from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. Her interests are in stop-motion animation, especially puppet design and set-making. In Budapest, she studied at the Secondary School of the Visual Arts, where she specialized in apparel design and leatherwork. Because of her diverse background, she takes a multidisciplinary approach not only to designing and fabricating puppets and sets but to her work in general, which includes quilting and weaving. She is the perfect animator for this project because of the beautiful and captivating sets and endearing and intriguing characters she creates.
Her work can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/user201358109/ or https://sarajekely.com/.
Dan Hur, animator
Dan Hur, born in 2000 in Seoul, is a filmmaker, animator, and sound designer. Dan graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in FAV (Film/Animation/Video). His creative journey reflects a quest for understanding the interplay between control and chaos, posing the question: in situations beyond our control, how do we respond? Initially drawn to medicine, he diverted to music and then to art, finally finding his niche in animation. Fueled by a relentless desire for control and a penchant for world-building, Dan’s work embodies a perpetual power struggle between creator and creation. Dan’s artistic process is characterized by spontaneity and emotion, where disparate elements blend to form a cohesive whole.
His work can be seen here:
How to Use the Videos:
Example: "Blueberry Pancakes"
Every video includes information for teachers, worksheets, and ideas for follow-up exercises. Here is an example of the information accompanying "Blueberry Pancakes."
Scroll down for the video "Blueberry Pancakes."
Guidance for teachers
Target language: Present Perfect Simple for events in the recent past with the results still visible in the present
Level: Pre-intermediate
Age group: 7-13
Words and expressions to pre-teach: The words in this video are very simple, but it’s worthwhile checking the following: sugar, flour, eggs, baking powder, blueberries, mixer, spatula, griddle, knock over, tummy ache, batter, drop, spill, smash, squash
Ideas for follow-up exercises
1. The teacher can show stills from the video in which the spilt milk, smashed eggs, etc. can be seen and ask the children to say in writing or speaking: what has happened/what has the girl done?
2. The children mime an action and its results (for example, pretending to run and then lifting their hands in triumph: they have won the race.)
3. The children draw their own sequences and then work in pairs or small groups discussing what has happened in their drawings.
4. Students do something, such as pick up a pencil, or put a book on a shelf, and the other students say what they have done: “Bob has picked up a pencil,” “June has put a book on the shelf,” “Nora has untied her shoes,” etc.
Overview
The present perfect for recent past is another tense that is difficult to demonstrate in a classroom. Because in many languages no comparable tense exists, students have a hard time getting the feel for it and recognizing in their daily lives when it should be used. This video will help them deepen their understanding by seeing a girl making blueberry pancakes for her mother for Mother’s Day.
The girl has several mishaps with the results there for everyone to see: she drops the bags of flour and sugar and when she exclaims “Oh no, I’ve dropped the sugar and flour” we can all see the torn bags and heaps of flour and sugar on the floor. She continues to have mishaps with the most disastrous when the cat races across the table (after lapping up some spilt milk despite a tummy condition) and sends ingredients and equipment flying. The girls cries “What have you done! You naughty cat!”
She finally manages to make the pancakes when her mother enters. She is dismayed by the mess and lists every mishap the girls has had (“you’ve smashed the eggs, you’ve squashed the blueberries …”), but she calms down when the girls serves her a beautiful plate of blueberry pancakes for Mother's Day. And then the cat comes along, with her tummy troubles caused by the milk. She jumps on the table, approaches the plate of pancakes with great curiosity until she begins heaving, as cats so often do. Is it a fur ball? Is it the milk? It doesn’t matter because it’s too late. We hear the sound of vomit (yes, sorry) but fortunately the results are left to the imagination. All we hear is the little girl’s voice: “Oh no, the pancakes
Example Video: Blueberry Pancakes
The video still needs some tweaking and will have subtitles.
This entire project is still in progress!
