1.4.4 Have / Has Lesson Plan


In the BrainPOP ESL movie We Have a Good Time (L1U4L4), Ben keeps Moby guessing about who his best friend is by giving clues about his identity. Ben introduces the present simple verb have / has as he describes this mysterious best friend. In this lesson plan, adaptable for grades K-8, students take notes about similarities and differences they have, and describe and listen for details, using the verb to have.

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:

  1. Take notes on a graphic organizer about similarities and differences.
  2. Use the affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms of the verb to have to describe themselves and others.  

  3. Describe details of a picture for their partners to draw.



have, has

Lesson Procedure:

  1. Same and Different. Working in pairs, have students take notes on a Venn Diagram about how they are the same and different. They can then use the notes as they describe the traits they have, or don't have, in common to the class. For example, students might say, I have brown eyes and she has blue eyes. Or, We both have red shirts. Encourage students to also use the negative, such as “I don’t have glasses, but he has glasses.”  The class may add any comparisons that weren't mentioned.

  2. Add a Sentence. Have students listen to the Hear It, Say It feature again. This time, tell them to add a sentence to what Ben says. Their sentences should use the verb have/has, and be about the images.
  3. My Name Is and I Have.... Do a Roundrobin activity with the class. Instruct the students to say their names and an object that starts with the same letter or sound as their names.Each student adds his own name and object, and then repeats what the previous people have said.


    Student 1: My name is Sam. I have a sandwich.

    Student 2: My name is Kim. I have a kite. Sam has a sandwich.

    Student 3: My name is Ben. I have a banana. Kim has a kite, and Sam has a sandwich…

    For an extra challenge, encourage every third student to say something he or she doesn’t have, such as “My name is Julie. I don’t have juice. I have jam.”
  4. Describe and Draw. Have all of the students draw a picture of a person and include as many details as they can. Tell them NOT to show their pictures to their partners. When they have finished, one student describes the picture, using have/has, and the partner draws it. Once completed, they compare the two drawings. Partners then switch roles and do it again.