How to Create a Lesson Plan for ESL Students

We will look at the basics of lesson planning: Where to begin, how to choose goals or learning outcomes, and how to structure tasks within a lesson.

Our first step is choosing the purpose of the lesson. What do you want to accomplish with this lesson? A good way to describe this is by finishing this sentence: "At the end of this class, my students will be able to ..."

I personally feel that communicative outcomes are best, so an outcome such as, "At the end of this class, my students will be able to order food in a restaurant," is much better than, "At the end of this lesson, my students will understand modal forms."

After defining our lesson's purpose, we are now ready to begin ordering tasks. I personally like to use the "Hook, Book, Look, Took" (HBLT) approach. Let's begin with Hook. The hook is the part of the lesson where you draw your students in, pique their interest, and set the tone for the rest of the lesson. The Hook does not need to be long, but it is a crucial part of the lesson.

An example hook for Ordering Food in a Restaurant might be having a discussion with students about their favourite restaurants, or debating the most important quality in a restaurant.

(Interesting side note - for those familiar with Myers-Briggs Personality Inventories, the Hook part of the lesson will engage those with strong 'N' type personalities. If you fail to provide a good Hook, 'N's will likely be disengaged for the rest of the lesson!)

Now that you have got everyone's attention with your Hook, it's time to move on to the Book. As the name suggests, Book is the part of the lesson where you teach explicitly - explaining grammar rules or new vocabulary, etc. Many teachers try to cram too much into the "Book" part of the lesson. Just choose ONE focus for your book - either vocabulary OR grammar OR pronunciation etc. Don't try to do it all - you will lose your students.

It's time for Look. This is the part of the lesson where you practice what you taught in step 3. So if you taught politeness modals (Could I please have a hamburger, etc.) in step 3, now it's time to practice them. This is often done with worksheets, cloze exercises, dialogues, listening activities, etc.

This is the final part of your lesson plan. Took is where you take what you learned into the real world. This can be done with role plays, free practice, etc. The idea is to make it as real as possible, so that when students finish the class, they are ready to use their new knowledge outside the classroom.

For adult learners, it is also very helpful to include a time of reflection at the end of class. Be sure to ask your students what they learned during class (discussion, written, or any format you choose!)

I hope you found this helpful! Be sure to check out my blog for more helpful tips and suggestions! Please visit www.sassycat.ca!