For those who haven’t done a CELTA or any ESL teacher training and are confused by what they find when searching for lesson ideas and especially how to write a lesson plan (PPP, TL, LL, SS, MFP, CCQs ????), rest assured, you will find here a simple lesson framework to help you on your way. With this framework you can take any material from any source that you’d like to use and make it work for you.
Why do we find lesson planning so difficult?
Time, energy, effort, having to adapt, not engaging learners enough…
Why is a lesson framework needed?
It provides a structure, clear aims, clarifies and enhances course book material, ensures focus and learner interaction, leads to achievement of aims.
What are lesson frameworks?
It’s like a template/structure/outline to help you plan a lesson that works. It helps ESL teachers organize and structure their teaching. It has a list of stages, with aims determined by the lesson type. It’s a repeatable pattern where you simply change the tasks/activities in each stage.
What are some common lesson planning mistakes?
No clear structure/not enough structure, following course books too closely, too much to cover in a lesson, having to plan from scratch, not having clear aims and focus.
Lesson types
The lesson type determines which framework you use. In general, there are seven types of lessons:

Just ONE of the lesson types above should be your MAIN AIM, although others could be secondary aims and are often included in the lesson.
Example 1 – A READING lesson[1]
What do LL need to do in a reading lesson?
- Comprehension tasks
- Skim for main ideas
- Scan for specific information
- Predict and learn/revise vocabulary
- Express opinion
Framework example for a reading lesson
Stage | Aim |
---|---|
1. Lead-in | To engage learners in the lesson & set context/topic |
2. Gist Task | To practise skimming for main ideas |
3. Vocab Pre-teach | To remove ‘blocking’ words/pre-teach potentially problematic words |
4. Detailed Task | To practise intensive reading for detail |
5. Productive Task | To practise fluency |
If you are using a coursebook, evaluate the page and fit it into your framework. Don’t feel that you need to follow it to the letter, but rather try to reflect on and follow the needs of your learners. When you use a coursebook, ask yourself if you need to do everything on the page in one lesson? Think of a coursebook as ‘raw’ material to make your own lesson, except it’s not from ‘scratch’ because you are using one of the frameworks! The framework will enhance the coursebook or any authentic material you want to use and will help you to create an engaging and cohesive lesson.
Example 2 – A GRAMMAR lesson
What do learners need in a grammar lesson?
- Have ONE grammar structure as the main aim e.g. to develop ability to use quantifiers
- Experience a context/introduction to topic in the ‘lead-in’ as it creates an environment where the grammar is likely to occur.
- Have an opportunity to give feedback and have answers clarified. This increases learners’ interaction and confidence.
- Receive teachers’ monitoring during the ‘feedback/pair check’ to identify and gain insight into errors.
- Have the chance to practise the grammar for accuracy in a controlled manner.
- Produce the grammar more freely and fluently in conversation/discussion.
- Receiving ‘delayed error-correction’ is sometimes helpful at the end of a lesson. This can also include addressing an error commonly made which might not be immediately connected to the lesson.
Framework example for a grammar lesson
Stage | Aim |
---|---|
1. Lead-in | To engage learners in the lesson & set context/topic |
2. Diagnostic Test | To check learners’ knowledge |
3. Clarification/Presentation | To clarify target language (grammar explanation) |
4. Controlled Practice | To practise using target language accurately |
5. Freer Practice | To practise using target language fluently |
Some extra guidelines:
- Decide on your lesson type e.g. vocabulary or grammar lesson.
- To keep things organized include the estimated time spent on each section. E.g. Keep your ‘lead in’ stage just 5 minutes long.
- Remember each stage itself will have an activity that will have a cycle e.g. Lead in: The activity is showing LL a picture, then they ‘think, pair and share’ (Instructions – work alone – pair check – feedback)
- Choose activities to accomplish your stage aims (e.g. games, video, realia, balance individual/pair/group work, use visual aids to engage learners such as slides up on screen, authentic materials like menus/adverts/timetable etc.)
- Pre-empt what could go wrong/not work and what you would do about it.
- To extend higher level learners, have an ‘extension’ activity ready e.g. an extra freer practice activity.
- To end your lesson, try to always do a plenary/short review of what you have looked at together in class.
- It’s good to self-evaluate briefly after your lesson and see what did/didn’t work.
- Now look at the 2:19 lesson plan template included for your use. Put the framework information you have been presented into this template and add your own activities.
Hopefully you now have some helpful points to guide you in feeling more confident as you plan lessons in the months to come.
ESL Glossary
PPP – Presentation, Practice, Production
TL = Target Language
SS – Students
LL = Learners
MFP = Meaning, Form, Pronunciation
‘Think, pair and share’ = good for a lead-in after looking at a picture
ICQ = Instruction checking questions
CCQ = Concept checking questions
Plenary = What have you learnt today?
Realia = Objects and material from everyday life used as teaching aids
Resources
2:19 Teach to Reach Lesson plan template
TEFL Horizons ‘Foolproof Lesson Frameworks’ webinar; Sharon Felt; 030823.
FluentU: How to Create an ESL Lesson Plan in 6 Steps | FluentU Language Learning
Footnotes
[1] Idea taken from TEFL Horizons’ webinar ‘Foolproof Lesson Frameworks’ 030823 by Sharon Felt
Written for 2:19 Teach to Reach
Marina Swainston-Harrison
August 2024