Module 4.2.

Lesson Stages and

Plans
At the end of this module you will:

 know the importance of dividing an EFL lesson into separate parts

 know the role of the teacher at each stage
 understand the importance of adequate planning
 be able to write a detailed lesson plan

Lesson Planning and the Stages of a Lesson

A successful lesson is dependent on good planning. The easiest way to plan a lesson is
to first identify your objectives, ie what you want to teach, then plan your lesson around
the warm-up, presentation, practice and production (exploitation) stages of a lesson.
Here is a guide to a basic lesson plan:

Warm-up
What? This is the first part of the lesson where you say hello, return homework and
perhaps review previous lessons and generate interest. A warm-up should be a fun and
easy activity.
Why?

 relaxes students
 generates interest and focus
 can act as a lead-in to the session’s main theme
 gets students talking in English

Points to consider:
The warm-up should be fairly easy so that students feel relaxed and confident using
English. At this stage you can introduce some of the lesson’s vocabulary and start to get
students to think about the topic.

Objective
 What? Introduce the day’s topic and structures on the board, and if possible tie them in
to what has been studied in previous lessons.
Why?

 students can see what they are going to learn – gives them a sense of purpose
 increases student motivation
 ensures that you do not get distracted from meeting the objectives

Points to consider:
It may help you with pacing and timing the lesson.

Presentation
What? This is the most teacher-centred part of the lesson. The teacher presents the
students with the necessary language and structures for the lesson. It is important at
this stage to elicit previous knowledge. At this stage chorusing the structures can be
used.
Why? - it provides students with the necessary tools to complete the later
communicative, fluency-based activities.
Points to consider:
Although this part of the lesson is teacher-centred it is important to elicit from the
students what they already know. This is important because students can only take in
so much new information in one lesson; by finding out how much the students already
know you will be able to judge the right amount for that lesson.

Controlled Practice
What? This stage gives students the opportunity to practice what has just been
presented. It allows students to practice and get accustomed to the language before
trying to use it in a context or situation. The teacher should actively monitor and correct.
Why?

 practice and reinforce the key language points

 teachers can correct any problems
 teachers can check students’ understanding

Points to consider:
Students should practice manipulating the language that has just been presented. The
exercises should focus on the language points and not introduce any other information
 (eg role-play exercises). The students need to cement the language so that they can
use it competently later.

Freer Practice
What? Now that the students feel more comfortable with the language they should be
given the opportunity to put it into a context. However, it is unrealistic to ask the
students to concentrate on both the new language and to have to think of a situation or
information for a role-play. So give students a standard situation, with all the appropriate
information for them to work with.
Why?

 it provides extra practice in using target language

 it is a transitional phase leading to freer and personalised use of the target language in
the production stage

Points to consider:
At this stage the students need the opportunity to practice the language in a natural
context. However, they are not yet confident enough to think of the context and use the
language freely. Therefore the teacher should provide the discussion questions or role-
play scenario or whatever information the students need to practice the target language.

Production (Free Practice)

What? Students are now offered the opportunity to use the target language in a free
and personalised way. The language is internalised and students are able to produce
and use it appropriately. The focus at this stage of the lesson is fluency and mimicking,
as far as possible, authentic language outside the classroom. The teacher acts as
facilitator and monitor, and should delay feedback until after the activity.
Why?

 it ties the lesson together

 it personalises the target language
 it enables students to interact naturally
 it builds confidence

Points to consider:
At this point you should only be giving students ideas to work with, and allowing them to
use the language as they feel appropriate. Also you can encourage the introduction of
other language that the students know. The aim is to let the students use the language
in as natural and as fluent a way as possible within the classroom.
 Follow-up
What? Students are now brought back together as a group. It provides the opportunity
for feedback and reflection and encouragement.
Why?

 it helps students remember the objective of the activity

 it brings the students back together as a class
 it provides a sense of achievement

Points to consider:
This is preparation to finish the lesson. Students need the opportunity to feed back and
ask any questions.

Wrap-up
What? This brings the lesson to a close. Provide a quick recap of the objectives, target
structures and vocabulary studied that day. Tie in the lesson with previous or later
lessons. Summarise the objectives of the lesson and what the students have learnt. It is
time to set homework and talk about the next session.
Why?

 it brings the session to a close

 it lets students see what they have achieved and gives them a sense of achievement
 it prepares the students for the next lesson

Choosing Objectives
It is essential to have clear objectives, and to be clear about not only what you are
teaching but also why you are teaching it. Clear objectives provide a clear framework for
the teacher to select and evaluate the potential value of activities. Objectives should be
written on the board and shared with students so that they can see what they have
learnt by the end of a lesson.
Your objectives for a lesson can focus on different areas, for example:
- Grammar and function
eg giving advice - ‘If I were you.’
- Correction
 eg a specific focus such as definite and indefinite articles, combined with general
consistent correction
- Discussion Skills
eg agreeing and disagreeing
- Vocabulary
Introduced so that students become familiar with and are able to use the words
- Idioms
Introduced so that students become familiar with and are able to use them
- Specific reading / listening /writing skills
Introduced to develop specific skills eg predictive skills, listening / reading for gist /
writing stories focussing on the correct use of past simple and past continuous

Need Analysis
The following should be considered:
Why is the language needed?

 for work, for study, for an examination, for travel, for promotion etc.

How will the language be used?

 Medium: speaking, writing, reading

 Channel: eg telephone, face to face
 Types of text or discourse: eg academic texts, lectures, informal conversations,
technical manuals etc

What will the content be?

 Subjects: general, specific eg law, medicine, business etc

 Level: secondary school, postgraduate, layman, technician etc
 tailored to students’ interests

Who will the learner use the language with?

 native or non-native speakers

 level of knowledge of the receiver eg professional, student, layman
 relationship eg colleague, superior, teacher, relatives

Where will the language be used?

 physical setting eg office, hotel, school etc
 human context eg alone, meetings, on the telephone, presentations
 context eg in own country, abroad etc

When will the language be used?

 frequently, seldom
 concurrently with the course or subsequently

Aims of the Lesson

Defining the aims: You need to be clear with the aims; a lesson can be deemed a
success if the students have learnt what you wanted them to learn.
Your aims for a lesson may be to introduce a grammatical point, to develop reading
skills or raise awareness of aspects of phonology etc.
Do not be over ambitious and introduce too many aims for one lesson; students need
time to digest and be able to use new language correctly.
Do not overestimate or underestimate your students; you must gauge and aim the
lesson at the right level for your class.
Whatever you are teaching (eg a grammar structure, a set of vocabulary or reading
skills etc), it is essential to have a theme for the lesson; a lesson with a theme is a lot
more digestible than one without. You should consider what interests your students and
what theme would help them to learn the material more effectively. Another thing to
consider is function, eg complaining - this gives students a reason for studying.
Examples of lesson aims:
By the end of the lesson the students will be able to:

o talk about their daily routines
o ask others about their daily routines
o use adverbs of frequency (ie sometimes, usually, often, occasionally, never)

By the end of the lesson the students will be able to:


o understand idioms related to work
o use work related idioms appropriately in conversation

By the end of the lesson the students will be able to:


o Write a simple text about their experiences using appropriate linking devices (ie and,
but, so)
o Use appropriate linking devices within a simple written text to indicate the chronological
order of events (ie first, then, after, later)

How to Organise the Students

It is important when planning a lesson to consider how you are going to organize the
students to maximize the effectiveness of the lesson.
First we can consider Student Talk Time (S.T.T.), and then Teacher Talk Time (T.T.T.).
Of course the aim of any lesson is to maximize S.T.T., however, during the presentation
stage of the lesson, for example, there is going to be more T.T.T. than during the
production stage.
We also need to consider the role of the students and the teacher during each activity,
eg the teacher’s role during an activity might be observation of individuals, groups or
pairs, or more active presentation or feedback to the class. Remember to vary the
dynamics of the group to encourage the participation of all students.

Potential Problems
However experienced a teacher you may be, at times difficulties will arise. If these
difficulties have been considered before the lesson and contingency plans drawn up,
you will be in a better position to deal effectively with the problems.
The easiest way to predict potential problems is to look at the lesson from the students’
point of view; this is where it is beneficial to have a good understanding of your students
and their backgrounds.
There are, of course a whole host of potential problems but, with a little preparation,
many of them can be overcome.
With regards to comprehension difficulties, the answer is to have concept checking
questions at hand. Think of questions that you can ask to check that students
understand what you are teaching.
Similarly, if you see a problem with phonology, have a few words written down to give
students further practice.
Apart from difficulties with concept (meaning), structure (the grammar) and phonology
(pronunciation), you may experience related to cultural differences. For example in
some cultures students may not be used to working with members of the opposite sex,
or they may not be used to having to express opposing opinions etc. When handled
gently and carefully these problems can be overcome; it is important to explain how
your classes work from the start.
 Students not showing interest: this can happen tom even the most experienced and
inspiring teacher; it doesn’t necessarily reflect on the lesson being taught. Consider
possible extenuating circumstances, eg hung over students, personal problems etc. It is
essential therefore to always have standby material which can be used if the main
material is not going well. Always be ready to listen to your students and be flexible; it is
better to leave an activity (with the option of returning to it at a later date) than to
continue with an activity that is clearly not working.
Students asking questions that you don’t know the answer to: If students have
questions that relate to the content of the lesson, hopefully you will have identified them
as potential problems and will therefore have ready answers. However, other questions
unrelated to the lesson may arise. When this occurs and you do not know the answer,
remember that everyone is human. You may be able to deflect a problem by telling
students that you will deal with it later, hence giving yourself the opportunity to prepare
your answer. Of course it is better to admit to students that you don’t know an answer
rather than to try to adlib and waffle your way through it, which will only confuse
students more.

Time Management
The timing of your lessons is an area which should be built into your lesson plan, to
guide you during your lesson, and to avoid running out of materials, or conversely being
unable to finish what you have planned due to lack of time. Write estimated timings for
each activity in your lesson plan. Timing is something you will find easier as you get to
know your students, and also as you gain experience.

Reflective Practice
To be an effective teacher it is important that we honestly review and evaluate our
teaching. We should consider:- was the lesson effective?

 were the aims met?

 were the students able to master and produce the language?
 did the students enjoy the lesson?
 how could the lesson have been improved?
 was there enough S.T.T.?

Also, do not be afraid to ask for the students’ honest feedback on activities and lessons
- this feedback can be invaluable. This can be done in the format of an anonymous
questionnaire.
Example Lesson Plans
Example Lesson Plan 1 – Group/Class Teaching
Level Elementary - Adults

Aims To practise the present progressive in its various contexts.

Students may be aware of this tense's basic use, ie to

Assumptions describe actions going on at the moment of speaking, but
are unaware of its uses in other contexts.

Anticipated Students may want to use will + verb when referring the the near
problems future.

WHAT TO STUDENT TEACHER

STAGES
DO ACTIVITY ACTIVITY

Questions about
sport/spare time in
the present simple
show picture of
football team you Active revision of Focus of students'
Introduction:
support. Talk present simple attention
about plans for
Sat afternoon. I'm
travelling to watch
- playing at -

Ask students how

they are spending Initial use of
their time at the present Encouragement to
weekend. "Are progressive in use present
you going out or near future progressive
remaining at context
home?"

Presentation:
Show another Passive Focus of students’
picture connected
 with sport (to link
with intro) Ask and
answer own
question "What's
going on here?
"Well ..... "What's
he/she wearing?
Write present attention
participles on
board with ref to
doubling of
consonants (eg
hitting) and
dropping of 'e'
before ....ing

Students given
picture(s) with 2 or
more people in
them performing
Practice: Active - response
various actions. Interaction - with
to teacher's
(1) Ask what's going students
questions
on. Write
unfamiliar verbs
on board (public
practice).

Passive – monitor
They are given a by walking around.
timetable with Feedback:
Practice: different fixed spokesperson
Active -ask and
engagements. All could comment on
(2) answer in groups
(3 or 4) would like how difficult it was
to go out for a or otherwise to
meal sometime. arrange the
meeting.

Negotiation: I
can’t come on
Tuesday evening.
I’m seeing my old
school friend (pre-
 arranged)

Writing: you're
planning a holiday
in the UK. Write a
letter to your
penfriend who
lives in
Manchester
informing him/her
Practice: of your plans for Active - working Passive -available
your holiday. Give on his/her own if required
(3)
details of your
plans to visit the
city of . . . (date).
Begin letter Dear .
..
End letter Kindest
regards...

Time left? Think of

your regrettable
habits . . . and put
Passive -monitor
them down on Active - working
Production: feedback at the
paper, eg I'm on his/her own
end
always locking
myself out of the
house.

Example Lesson Plan 2 – One to One Teaching

This is the scenario. A student has decided that he/she would like to attend a British
university. Their standard of English is quite good but in order to get it up to university
entrance standard they have decided to supplement school / college lessons with a
weekly one-to-one lesson. This is likely to be a fairly long term arrangement so you will
get to know each other very well. As the selection of, and application to, a university can
be a lengthy procedure, you have decided to concentrate on this in the early stages.

Level Upper Intermediate.

Lesson 2 hours
duration

Aim To guide student through a typical university prospectus.

Objective To enable the student to make an informed choice when

applying for university entrance.

Assumptions Student has chosen his/her subject and has a long list of suitable
universities.

Expected Student is unfamiliar with collating information from a range of

problems prospectuses and handbooks.

Two or three prospectuses.

Atlas/maps.
Materials Tourist brochures.
Grid.

Warm-up General chat about everyday matters. Teacher speaking more

freely than he/she would in a class situation. This helps to build
(10 minutes) social skills and the vocabulary used when making small-talk.

Discuss with student what he/she might be looking for in a British

university (other than a suitable course).
Allow student to lead the discussion as far as possible.
Introduction [Teacher to make notes and also have a list of suitable ideas to
(20 minutes) prompt student if necessary].

Look at geographical situation of the universities under

consideration. Look through tourist information.

Presentation Produce two or three prospectuses. Show how they all differ in
layout. Begin to look at sections which address the particular
(15 minutes) concerns expressed in the Introduction.

[Teacher's note: unlike a class situation where you have prepared a

lesson on a specific structure with pre-prepared materials, in this
instance to a large extent you are letting the student dictate the
material to be covered. Therefore it is important that you
 have familiarised yourself with all those aspects which you
envisage the student will want to discuss. Naturally of particular
concern will be information for international students].

Practice Give student photocopied pages of information

for International Students to read through and ask him/her to
(10-15 highlight anything he/she doesn't understand or items of
minutes) particular interest.
[Teacher's note: try to anticipate problem areas and prepare
remedial materials].

Teacher: Whilst student is reading, put the kettle on and make a drink.

Coffee and a chat. Once again let the student lead the way unless
BREAK you have something specific you wish to discuss but keep it light.
(10 minutes) Possibly look more closely at the tourist material to give the student
an idea of what is available in the vicinity of the university.

Practice Go through the reading material and test understanding. At this

(10 minutes) stage you can address any problems encountered

Introduce the idea of formulating a chart to enable the student to

compare the pros and cons of several universities.
Production
Using the pre-prepared grid, extract information to complete a
(20 minutes)
comparison table. Get the student to suggest suitable column
headings.

Suggestion for comparison table:

Situation No of foreign Type(s) of English language

students accommodation lessons/assistance
City/Town/Rural

Manchester

York

East Anglia
Homework: Read through other prospectuses and enter information onto grid.
Self-check 1
Self-check 1
Why is it important to plan a lesson?

Self-check 2
Self-check 2
Write a lesson plan for a group of beginners on the use of the prepositions on/in/at.
Refer to the grammar unit. Make sure you PRESENT the language point; then you get
the students to PRACTISE (maybe in more than one activity); then allow the students to
PRODUCE the language.

Self-check 3
Self-check 3
What are the significant differences between lessons for groups and those for
individuals?
Level Elementary - Adults
Aims To practise the present progressive in its various contexts.
Assumptions Students may be aware of this tense's basic use, ie to describe actions
going on at the moment of speaking, but are unaware of its uses in other
contexts.
Anticipated Students may want to use will + verb when referring the the near future.
problems

STAGES WHAT TO DO STUDENT ACTIVITY TEACHER

ACTIVITY
Introduction: Questions about Active revision of Focus of students'
sport/spare time in present simple attention
the present simple
show picture of
football team you
support. Talk about
plans for Sat
afternoon. I'm
travelling to watch -
playing at -
Ask students how Initial use of present Encouragement to
they are spending progressive in near use present
their time at the future context progressive
weekend. "Are you
going out or
remaining at
home?"
Presentation: Show another picture Passive Focus of students’
connected with sport attention
(to link with intro) Ask
and answer own
question "What's
going on here?
"Well ..... "What's
he/she wearing?
Write present
participles on board
with ref to doubling of
consonants (eg
hitting) and dropping
of 'e' before ....ing
Students given Active - response to Interaction - with
Practice: picture(s) with 2 or teacher's questions students
more people in them
(1) performing various
actions. Ask what's
going on. Write
unfamiliar verbs on
board (public
practice).
 They are given a Active -ask and
Practice: timetable with answer in groups Passive – monitor
different fixed by walking around.
(2) engagements. All (3
or 4) would like to go Feedback:
out for a meal spokesperson
sometime. could comment on
how difficult it was
or otherwise to
arrange the
meeting.

Negotiation: I can’t
come on Tuesday
evening. I’m seeing
my old school friend
(pre-arranged)
Active - working on Passive -available if
Practice: Writing: you're his/her own required
planning a holiday
(3) in the UK. Write a
letter to your
penfriend who lives
in Manchester
informing him/her
of your plans for
your holiday. Give
details of your
plans to visit the
city of . . . (date).
Begin letter Dear . .
.
End letter Kindest
regards...
Production: Time left? Think of Active - working on Passive -monitor
your regrettable his/her own feedback at the end
habits . . . and put
them down on paper,
eg I'm always locking
myself out of the
house.

Level Upper Intermediate.

Lesson 2 hours
duration
Aim To guide student through a typical university prospectus.
Objective To enable the student to make an informed choice when applying
for university entrance.
Assumptions Student has chosen his/her subject and has a long list of suitable
universities.
Expected Student is unfamiliar with collating information from a range of
problems prospectuses and handbooks.
Materials  Two or three prospectuses.
 Atlas/maps.
 Tourist brochures.
 Grid.

General chat about everyday matters. Teacher speaking more freely than
Warm-up he/she would in a class situation. This helps to build social skills and
the vocabulary used when making small-talk.
(10 minutes)

Introduction Discuss with student what he/she might be looking for in a British
university (other than a suitable course).
(20 minutes)
Allow student to lead the discussion as far as possible.
[Teacher to make notes and also have a list of suitable ideas to
prompt student if necessary].

Look at geographical situation of the universities under

consideration. Look through tourist information.

Presentation Produce two or three prospectuses. Show how they all differ in
layout. Begin to look at sections which address the particular
(15 minutes) concerns expressed in the Introduction.
[Teacher's note: unlike a class situation where you have prepared a
lesson on a specific structure with pre-prepared materials, in this
instance to a large extent you are letting the student dictate the
material to be covered. Therefore it is important that you
have familiarised yourself with all those aspects which you envisage
the student will want to discuss. Naturally of particular concern will
be information for international students].

Practice Give student photocopied pages of information for International

Students to read through and ask him/her to highlight anything
(10-15 he/she doesn't understand or items of particular interest.
minutes)
[Teacher's note: try to anticipate problem areas and prepare
remedial materials].
 Whilst student is reading, put the kettle on and make a drink.
Teacher:

Coffee and a chat. Once again let the student lead the way unless you
BREAK have something specific you wish to discuss but keep it light. Possibly
look more closely at the tourist material to give the student an idea of what
(10 minutes) is available in the vicinity of the university.

Go through the reading material and test understanding. At this stage you
Practice can address any problems encountered
(10 minutes)

Production Introduce the idea of formulating a chart to enable the student to

compare the pros and cons of several universities.
(20 minutes)
Using the pre-prepared grid, extract information to complete a
comparison table. Get the student to suggest suitable column
headings.
s