● Lesson Types

● Lesson Aims
● Lesson Structures
 Language Arts subject: what are its main teaching goals?

1. Knowledge gaining 2. Receptive skills

teaching vocabulary teaching grammar

(clarifying, practicing for accuracy and (clarifying, practicing for
fluency) accuracy and fluency) listening: to help students
process an audio text,
develop listening skills

3. Productive skills

speaking:to help students practice and develop

speaking skills in definite contexts
You can design and use 4 main lesson types
when teaching LA:

1. Vocabulary lesson
2. Grammar lesson
3. Speaking lesson
4. Listening lesson
 Do you agree that an aim of a lesson depends on its type?
● Grammar lesson aims:
● Vocabulary lesson aims: -students will better understand …
- students will learn… (vocabulary topic) (grammar topic) in the context of
- students will be better able to use unusual experiences, etc.
(vocabulary topic) when talking about… - students will develop
(context) accuracy/fluency in using …
- students will practice building dialogues, (grammar structure)
monologues, etc. in the context of… - students will be able to use “going
(vocabulary topic) to” grammar structure when talking
about their plans and intentions

● Speaking lesson aims:

● Listening lesson aims:
-students will have better
-students will have better
developed speaking skills when
developed listening for
asking and answering questions
gist/details/specific information
(etc.) about …(topic)
skills in the context of (topic)
- students will develop speech
accuracy/fluency in the context of
…(topic)
Vocabulary Lesson Structure
Warm up (not always needed): small talks, classroom rules reminding,revision
Why it’s needed: to prepare students for the lesson, help them “switch” to English and start speaking using it
Lead -in-: something related to the vocabulary topic of the lesson (a picture, question, item, etc.)
Why it’s needed: to generate students’ interest in the vocabulary topic, help them predict the topic of the lesson, check
what they already know about the topic
Exposing students to the target language (theme vocabulary): matching words and pictures activities, any kinds of
texts with theme vocabulary, matching words and definitions, an audio or video
Why it’s needed: to focus students’ attention on the target language, elicit target language so that students could guess
some of the words by examples and descriptions, check what students know on the topic
Clarification of MFP: 1. clarifying the meaning of the word you are teaching (pictures, descriptions, mini-stories,
drawing on the board, mime/gestures, examples of the kind, synonym/opposite). A teacher uses eliciting on this stage,
checks understanding with concept checking questions/personalized questions (only complicated words).
2. clarifying the form of the word: what part of speech a word is, countable/uncountable regular /irregular, its function in a
sentence, is it a word or phrase (idiom, etc.). All the words must be written down on a board (online board)
3. clarifying pronunciation: how many syllables, which is stressed, model and drill (teacher says the word and students
repeat it altogether aloud)
Why it’s needed: students will know the meaning of the words, will know how to use them in a sentence correctly,
pronounce them correctly
Practice:
1 Controlled practice (to practice accuracy); gap fill task, sentence unscramble task, etc.
2 Freer practice: interviewing each other in pairs (mini groups) using made by the teacher questions that include theme
vocabulary
How do we correct students if they make mistakes in the target language? (immediate correction!)
What do these 3 fragments have in common? (all can be used as a “lead-in”)

What is your favorite food?

A: I think dancing is a kind of

sport. It helps you to stay in a Always adapt it to your students age!
good physical shape.
B: I don’t think so, it’s a kind
of profession.
Why do we elicit?
to find out what students know /don’t know
to help students retain the information
to make the lesson student-centred

How do we elicit?
teachers use examples, definitions, situations, pictures, gestures/miming,
synonyms/opposites

When do we elicit?
when teaching vocabulary (clarifying the meaning of the words and phrases), when
teaching grammar (clarifying the meaning of a grammar structure, situations when
it’s used, why it’s used, etc.), any time it’s needed.
Library

WONDERFUL
 How do we check if students understand the meaning of the target language
(vocabulary)?

Personalized questions
Concept Checking Questions
(CCQ’s) Example:
Example1: a cucumber
- Is it a fruit or vegetable? (veggie) Mary, do you like cucumbers?
- Does it grow on trees? (no, on the Have you ever felt exhausted, Ivan?
ground)
- Can it be of different colors? (green only)

Example 2: exhausted
- when someone is exhausted , do they
have energy to do something? (no)
- when someone is exhausted, do they
feel bad? (yes)
- when someone is exhausted, should
they stop working? (definitely)
 What problems can we have with CCQ’s/ Personalized Questions?

Personalized questions

Concept Checking Questions

(CCQ’s) Not everyone
likes answering
Must be always short,
them (shy
simple, easy to students), can be
understand and answer! time-consuming
You can mess it up, if the
questions are too
complicated , or not clear
and concise!
Grammar Lesson Structure
Warm up (not always needed): small talks, classroom rules reminding,revision
Why it’s needed: to prepare students for the lesson, help them “switch” to English and start speaking using it
Lead -in: something related to the context in which a definite grammar structure will be demonstrated (a picture,
question, item, etc.)
Why it’s needed: to generate students’ interest in the grammar topic, help them predict the topic of the lesson, check what
they already know about the topic
Presenting and clarifying the meaning of a grammar structure:situations with the model sentence (sentence with the
grammar structure), pictures+model sentence, items+ model sentence, text based presentations, drawing timelines
( grammar tenses)
Why it’s needed: to highlight and focus students’ attention on a grammar structure, clarify its meaning (when and why it’s
used in in speech/on paper)
Checking understanding of the meaning: matching activity (students match a grammar structure with the descriptions
of cases where its used, True or False activity, CCQ’s (the same like with vocabulary)
Why it’s needed: students will know the meaning of a grammar structure, will understand in which communicative
situations they can use the structure
Clarifying form and pronunciation:a teacher and students construct the grammatic formula of an affirmative, negative
and interrogative sentence. After that, the teacher says the model sentence aloud (makes 3 sentence forms) and students
repeat (model and drill). The teacher may concentrate students’ attention on the sentence stress.
Practice:
1 Controlled practice (to practice accuracy); gap fill task, sentence unscramble task, choose the correct option task, etc.
2 Freer practice: asking /answering questions with the grammar structure(interviewing), solving the problems by giving
advice and providing solutions/opinions, telling stories to each other (students mostly work in pairs/mini-groups)
How do we correct students if they make mistakes when building sentences with a grammar structure ?
(immediate correction!)
You can call your grammar lesson successful if….

grammar is contextualized grammar is visualized

students understand the meaning

students can build the form correctly students can use it in their
speech
Speaking Lesson Structure (productive skills lesson)
Lead -in: something related to the context/topic of the lesson (a picture, video, question to discuss)
Why it’s needed: to set the context and generate students’ interest in the topic, help them predict the topic of the lesson
Preparing to speak-1: 1.With a speaking task model: students read a theme text/watch a theme video and complete
based on it activity, the same can be done with the picture. For example, when a teacher wants students to speak about
the most common travelling problems, she/he can ask them to read the text about someone who is telling about their
travelling problems. Students will have to read the text and make the list of the travelling problems mentioned in it,
compare their lists with peers (work in pairs).
2. Without a speaking task model: when a teacher wants students to speak about the most common travelling problems,
he/she asks students to make the list of the most common travelling problems( they work individually) and present their
lists to their peers (work in pairs).
Why it’s needed: to provide students with the ideas for a speaking task, to provide students with the model of a speaking
task, to help students prepare for a speaking task
Preparing to speak-2: providing students with useful language: a teacher should provide students with the language
that will help students to successfully complete their speaking task. It can be taken from the previous activity (text/video)-
the teacher highlights and clarifies it , explains the meaning and form of the vocabulary so that students could use it when
speaking. Otherways, the teacher can prepare some useful language, present and clarify it separately on the board
(online board).
Why it’s needed: students will learn some useful vocabulary and become more prepared for the speaking task
Speaking task:a teacher gives students instructions on the speaking task (they must be clear and concise). Students
perform the speaking task ( students can negotiate and make top 5 the most annoying travelling problems) , usually they
work in pairs or in mini groups. The teacher monitors each pair/group, listens to how they communicate, notes down the
mistakes students make. The teacher doesn’t interrupt students when they speak!
Why it’s needed: to help students practice oral fluency in definite context
Errors correction (feedback): the teacher puts students’ phrases with mistakes on the board, students and teacher do
Listening Lesson Structure (receptive skills lesson)
Lead -in: something related to the context/topic of the lesson (a picture, video, question to discuss)
Why it’s needed: to set the context and generate students’ interest in the topic, help them predict the topic of the lesson
Pre-teaching blocking vocabulary: a teacher clarifies the vocabulary which can be new for the students in an audio
text. This stage shouldn’t be long!
Why it’s needed: to help students understand the audio text better, to enable students to complete the next task (after they
listen)
While -listening stage:
Listening for gist: students listen to an audio for the 1-st time and complete set by the teacher task
Why it’s needed: students will get general understanding of an audio text
Listening for detail (specific information): students listen to an audio for the 2-nd time and complete set by the
teacher task
Why it’s needed: students will get deeper understanding of the text, will get details about it
Post-listening stage(speaking or writing task)
Speaking task: students complete based on the context of an audio task speaking activity (pairs/groups). E.g. If they
listened to the story about someone’s bad habits, they can speak and give advice on how to get rid of them. Remember
about the blocking vocabulary!
Why it’s needed: to help students practice oral fluency on the topic of the lesson, to give students the opportunity to
personalize the topic.
Writing task: students complete based on the context of an audio task writing activity (individually). E.g. If they listened to
the story about someone’s bad habits, they can write a letter replying to the author of the story and giving advice on how
to get rid of bad habits. Or, they can make the list of the most useful advice on how to get rid of specific bad habits. The
writing task can be different, it all depends on the teacher’s aim and ideas.
 You are a professional English teacher if you …

1. know how to use 2. can convey the 3. know when

different lesson types meaning of the target and how to
successfully language correct your
(vocabulary/grammar) students’
correctly mistakes

4. encourage 6. your lessons

5. give clear always include
students to
instructions speaking
interact with
when you activities
each other
set the task

7. your lessons are student-

centered