English Lesson 18 - My Life as a Blogger
English Lesson 18 - My Life as a Blogger
Level: B1+
Format: Individual online lesson
Time: 60 minutes
Topic: Blogging & online content
Grammar: Present Perfect vs Past Simple
Vocabulary: blogging, social media, content creation
Main skills: Speaking + grammar + vocabulary
Lesson objectives
By the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:
talk about blogging and online content using relevant vocabulary;
distinguish between Present Perfect and Past Simple;
use Present Perfect for life experience, recent events and unfinished time;
use Past Simple for finished past events with a specific time;
tell a short story about an experience as a blogger/content creator.
1. Warm-up — “The Blogger Profile” (5 min)
Share this imaginary profile:
Mia, 27, travel blogger
📱 18,000 followers
✈️ Has visited 12 countries
📝 Started her blog in 2021
🎥 Has made more than 100 videos
💰 Earned her first money from blogging in 2022
😱 Has had one video go viral
🏆 Won a blogging competition last year
Ask the student:
What do you think Mia blogs about?
Which fact is the most interesting?
Has she had a successful blogging career?
Has anything similar happened to you online?
Then ask:
Why do we say “has visited” but “started”?
Don't explain the rule yet. Let the student notice the difference.
2. Vocabulary — “The Language of Blogging” (10 min)
Teach/review these words:
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
|---|---|
| blog post | an article published on a blog |
| follower | someone who subscribes to your content |
| engagement | likes, comments, shares and other interactions |
| go viral | become extremely popular online |
| upload | put a photo/video online |
| content | material produced for an audience |
| audience | people who watch/read your content |
| influencer | someone who can influence people's opinions or buying decisions online |
| clickbait | a title/image designed to make people click |
| sponsored post | content paid for by a company |
| gain followers | get more people to follow you |
| build a following | gradually develop an audience |
Quick challenge
Give the student these sentences and ask them to complete them:
My latest video has __________ 10,000 views.
I don't like __________ because the title is often misleading.
She has managed to __________ a huge following.
The company paid him to create a __________.
My posts don't get much __________.
That video __________ last month.
Then ask:
Which of these things would make you want to start a blog? Which wouldn't? Why?
3. Grammar Discovery — “What Happened to the Blogger?” (10 min)
Show these sentences:
A
I have written 50 blog posts.
B
I wrote my first blog post in 2021.
C
I have never worked with a big brand.
D
I worked with Nike last year.
E
I've just uploaded a new video.
F
I uploaded a new video yesterday.
Ask the student to sort them into two groups:
Present Perfect / Past Simple
Then ask:
What is different about the time?
Elicit the rule:
Present Perfect
have/has + past participle
We use it when:
the exact past time isn't important or isn't mentioned;
talking about life experience;
something has happened recently;
the time period is unfinished.
I've visited Italy three times.
She's just posted a new video.
I've written five posts this week.
Past Simple
verb + -ed / irregular past form
We use it when:
the action happened at a finished time in the past.
I visited Italy in 2023.
She posted a new video yesterday.
I wrote five posts last week.
Key contrast
I've written five posts this week.
→ this week is still continuing.
I wrote five posts last week.
→ last week is finished.
4. “Time Detective” — Grammar Game (8 min)
Tell the student:
You are a grammar detective. Look for clues.
Give them these expressions:
yesterday
ever
last year
just
in 2020
never
this week
when I was 18
already
two days ago
so far
recently
The student puts them into:
🟢 Present Perfect
ever, just, never, this week, already, so far, recently
🔵 Past Simple
yesterday, last year, in 2020, when I was 18, two days ago
Then challenge them:
Make one blogging sentence with each of these:
ever / last year / just / two days ago / so far
5. Controlled Practice — “Blogging Mistakes” (7 min)
Tell the student that a blogger has made mistakes in a post.
Correct the sentences:
❌ I have started my blog in 2022.
❌ I have posted my first video last year.
❌ I started blogging three years ago and I have written 80 posts.
❌ Have you ever went viral?
❌ I didn't make any videos this week.
❌ I have met an influencer yesterday.
❌ I've never worked with a brand before.
❌ She has uploaded a new video two hours ago.
Answers
I started my blog in 2022.
I posted my first video last year.
I started blogging three years ago and I've written 80 posts.
Have you ever gone viral?
I haven't made any videos this week.
I met an influencer yesterday.
Correct.
She uploaded a new video two hours ago.
The important one to discuss is #3:
started = finished event at a specific point in the past
have written = result/experience up to now.
6. Speaking — “Have You Ever…?” (10 min)
Now make the lesson personal.
Ask the student:
Have you ever...
written a blog post?
uploaded a video that got lots of views?
gone viral?
followed an influencer?
regretted posting something?
deleted a social media post?
received a strange comment online?
worked with a company online?
learned something useful from a blog?
spent too much time scrolling?
The student must answer with Present Perfect, but then you ask a follow-up question requiring Past Simple.
Example
Teacher: Have you ever uploaded a video?
Student: Yes, I have.
Teacher: When did you upload it?
Student: I uploaded it last summer.
Teacher: Why did you make it?
Student: I made it because...
This naturally creates the contrast:
Have you ever...? → Present Perfect
When did you...? → Past Simple
7. Main Speaking Task — “Become a Blogger” (8–10 min)
Tell the student:
Imagine you've decided to become a blogger.
They choose one topic:
🌍 Travel
🍳 Food
🎮 Gaming
📚 Books
💪 Fitness
🎬 Films/TV
👗 Fashion
🧠 Self-development
They create a fictional blogger profile.
They need to tell you:
What is your blog about?
When did you start it?
How many posts have you written?
What have you achieved so far?
What was your most successful post?
Have you ever made a mistake?
Who have you worked with?
What did you do last month?
What have you done this week?
What are you planning to do next?
Challenge
The student must use at least:
3 × Present Perfect
3 × Past Simple
5 × blogging vocabulary items
8. Final Challenge — “The Viral Post” (5 min)
Give the student this situation:
Yesterday, you uploaded a post. Today, it has gone viral.
They have to tell you the story.
Use these prompts:
Yesterday...
I decided to...
I posted...
At first...
Then...
Since then...
I've received...
I've gained...
I've never experienced...
So far...
Example target:
“Yesterday, I uploaded a post about my trip to Italy. At first, nobody reacted to it. Then one famous blogger shared it. Since then, I've received hundreds of comments and I've gained 2,000 followers. I've never had so much engagement before.”
9. Exit Ticket (2 min)
Ask the student to complete these without help:
I have never __________.
Last year, I __________.
I've just __________.
Yesterday, I __________.
So far this year, I __________.
Then ask:
What's the difference between “I've done it” and “I did it”?
If they can explain the difference in their own words, the lesson objective has been achieved.
Homework — “My Digital Life”
Write 120–150 words about your experience with blogs/social media/content.
The student must use:
5 Present Perfect sentences
5 Past Simple sentences
at least 8 vocabulary items from the lesson.
Optional title:
“My Digital Life: What I've Learned So Far”
Extra challenge: Include one sentence where changing the tense changes the meaning:
I've worked with...
vs.
I worked with...