On five index cards, write sentences in various tenses with blank spaces in place of the verbs. On five other index cards write the appropriate verbs to complete the sentences. Turn all of the cards over so that the writing is face-down, and arrange them neatly on a table. Have each student flip one card over, and then one more in an attempt to match each verb with its appropriate sentence. After each student's turn, all upturned cards are turned face down, unless a student makes a successful match, in which the matched cards are removed from the game and the same student goes again.
Write verbs in various tenses on small slips of paper and then mix them in a hat or box. Have each student draw a slip of paper and then write a sentence using the verb appropriately. You can also let students draw several verbs at a time, and use them to write entire paragraphs.
Choose a short passage from a familiar story -- a paragraph of five to 10 sentences -- to read to your class. Before you read, shift the tense of one verb so that it is incorrect. Ask your students to raise their hands when they hear a verb that they think is being used incorrectly. If you like, you can then repeat the game, re-reading the passage with a different incorrect verb to be identified.
Having students change the tense of an existing passage can help them recognize how tense shifts can affect writing. Either provide students with short passages from books, or let them choose one of their favorites, and ask them to re-write the passage using a different tense. Encourage them to be consistent with the new tense. Afterward, have them re-write again, this time using whichever tenses they choose. Afterward, have students read passages aloud, and point out how the verb shifts affect each passage.