For example, does the lesson require or is it suited to speaking activities, role-plays, brainstorming, listening exercises, etc. Activities should have a clear link to the aims and language focus.Ī good lesson plan needs to include careful consideration of teaching activities. Teaching ActivitiesĪfter defining the aim and the language focus, consider the types of activities that will be used in the lesson. In short, think of the 'aim' as the communicative skill you want the students to achieve and the language focus as the elements of the language that will allow them to achieve that skill. Therefore, the lesson could review complex sentence structure as a way of helping students achieve that aim. Language focus: complex sentence structure: subordinating conjunctions, dependent and independent clauses.įor students to become better writers, the teacher has set the aim of having students use varied sentence structure as this is an important component of good writing. Look at the example below:Īim: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to employ a variety of sentence structures in their writing. If the aim is what you want your students to be able to do by the end of the lesson, the language focus specifies the elements of the language they need to work with to achieve the aim that was set. The language focus should be directly linked to the aim of the lesson. At the end of any lesson, students should get better at something. In other words, you are aiming to create a lesson that ends with students possessing more knowledge and skills than when they started. For example, 'By the end of this lesson, students will be able to follow a lecture and note down key points by listening for signposting language.'īy doing this you are prioritising aims that focus on achievement and help ensure lessons are more student-centred. Using 'will be able to' statements is a useful way of articulating lesson aims. Here is a list of factors to consider when planning a lesson: Lesson AimsĪ good place to start is to ask, ''What language skill am I trying to develop?” A lesson plan needs to start with aims so that classes have a clear purpose and direction. To create effective yet realistic plans, teachers should try to anticipate and prepare for what can happen during a lesson to the best of their ability. For example, consider students' learning preferences, their level of proficiency, the class size, seating arrangements, etc. Many factors need to be accounted for when planning a lesson. Teachers need to be able to think ahead for unexpected scenarios because it is not realistic to expect that a meticulously planned lesson will proceed accordingly. Following a lesson plan to a tee is not recommended. On the contrary, teachers still need to employ creativity and improvisation skills. Planning should not limit or restrict the teacher. Furthermore, planning encourages the teacher to think about the process of teaching, which gives them a feeling of security knowing they are prepared to instruct the class. A lesson plan also helps the teacher with the timing of activities to ensure the students receive a well-balanced and time-managed lesson. A lesson plan gives the teacher a framework for the lesson and guides classroom management, student participation, and interaction patterns. Planning improves your ability to select teaching activities and materials that will best match the needs of your students. Lesson planning is important for developing the structure of a lesson and organizing its content. But planning is always essential no matter the experience of the teacher. The more experienced teachers become, the simpler their lesson plans can be. Less experienced teachers should consider detailed lesson plans with one or two variations of tasks and exercises in case things don't go to plan, or at the very least, they should have an organized list with a logical and effective order of activities. Depending on the experience of the teacher and the nature of the lesson, the planning process can be quite varied. Planning a lesson before teaching is a fundamental part of giving an effective ESL lesson.
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