Do you want to know how to write an ESL lesson plan? Here are some research-based strategies to help you create effective lesson plans.
Step 1: Write Lesson Objectives
Lesson objectives are the most important part of your lesson plan. They will help you structure your lesson, and are often connected to the broader learning outcomes of the class. When writing objectives, ask yourself, “What will my students be be able to do with the new language at the end of this lesson?”
The objectives need to be measurable and observable. Therefore, you need to use action verbs when writing objectives. For example, verbs and phrases like ask, answer, demonstrate comprehension of, and write are action verbs. You can observe students doing these actions. Verbs like practice and learn are not action verbs.
Step 2: Build Background
In this stage, you need to warm your students up on the lesson topic and theme of the day to prime them for optimal learning. This stage includes going over lesson objectives, connecting to the topic or theme of the lesson, and doing a warm-up activity. The warm-up helps you know what students already know about a topic, and this can inform your teaching.
It is important to remember that you are not teaching them the new grammar/language in this stage, but you are exposing them to it in context. For example, suppose you are teaching a lesson on modals of advice. In your warm-up, you can tell as story about an imaginary problem you have and ask students what they think you should do to solve this problem. Write their suggestions on the board, and tell them that they just gave you advice.
For some warm-up ideas, check out this post: 4 Simple & Engaging Warm-Up Activities for ESL
Step 3: Instruct
This is the stage where the teaching happens! To thoroughly explain a grammar point, you’ll need about 10-15 minutes of teacher-centered instruction. You need to explain three aspects of the grammar point: how we use it, what it means, and how to form sentences and questions using the grammar. It is important to show them several examples of the grammar in context in this stage. For a detailed explanation of this stage, check out this post.
Step 4: Practice
Now that you’ve explained the grammar point, students are ready to practice! You need to set them up for success and start easy with a controlled practice activity. This is called scaffolding. Some options for a controlled practice activities would be fill-in-the-blank (cloze), true/false, matching, or multiple choice. You can do more than one practice activity. When students complete the practice activit(ies), it is important to go over the answers with them before they move on to a more open-ended (and more difficult) activity.
Step 5: Application
In this step, students are applying the grammar to an authentic, real-life task. This is going to be an open-ended activity that will require them to write complete sentences and/or questions using the grammar. You can get creative here! For example, they can do a role-play, write a paragraph, or write a letter. It is important for the teacher to provide a model (example) of what students are expected to produce. Provide clear guidelines on length and how many instances of the new grammar they need to include. You should be letting students work during this stage, but make sure to check what they produce and provide feedback. For applied activity ideas, check out this post 4 Authentic Grammar Activities for Adult ESL
Step 6: Review and Homework
Make sure to check for comprehension at the end of the lesson, review the learning objectives, and explain/assign homework. The homework should mirror the applied activity.
Try these tips for how to write an ESL lesson plan! By following these research-based steps in your lesson plan, you’ll help your students achieve their language goals.
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