SAMPLE TBL LESSON PLAN

Lesson Objective:  Student will practice how to properly order food and
drinks at a restaurant

Level:  Intermediate–Low

Materials Needed: A restaurant menu in the target language A recorded

listening segment between a waiter/waitress and a customer (if available)

Procedure:1) Pre-Task:  Brainstorm ideas with the students about how

to order food & drinks at a restaurant.  Identify common phrases that are
used, how one might get a waiter/waitress’s attention, what etiquette is
used in a restaurant, etc.  If possible, play a recorded listening segment of
someone placing an order in a restaurant as a model for the students. (If a
recording is not available, model the dialogue with another person for the
students.)

2) Task:  Provide the students with a restaurant menu and set up a role
play where the students have to place an order at the restaurant.  Have
the “waiter” ask the typical questions (ex. “Can I get you something to
drink?” “How would you like that cooked?” “Can I get you anything else,”
etc.) and the “customer” respond appropriately (“I would like…” “Excuse
me, where is your restroom?”, etc.) 

3) Post Task:  Have the students reflect on how they performed during
the task.  Elicit language analysis on the relevant language used during the
task (ex. The language of permission/requests…”Can I…?” “Could I…?”
“Would you…”, etc.) and discuss any communication problems
encountered by the students during the task.  Have the students suggest
how they might improve their performance and then give them the
opportunity for additional practice by having them switch roles and
repeating the task.  If possible, give the students further opportunity to
practice the task by taking them to a restaurant and having them order or
having the students call a restaurant and place a take-out order over the
phone.

 
 TBLTask-Based Learning

As its name implies, Task-Based Learning is an approach that is based on

the completion of tasks.  Rather than the teacher pre-determining a
specific grammatical or lexical focus of the language to be studied, a task-
based lesson is focused on students completing a specific task and then
analyzing and further practicing the language which was used to complete
it.  Task-Based Learning gives students a more varied and natural
exposure to the language as the language arises from the students’ needs
to complete the prescribed task.  It also provides students with more
opportunity to practice communicating in the target language.

Pre-Task Phase – Introduction of the Topic

In this phase, the teacher introduces the topic of the lesson and helps the students
brainstorm some of the language that may be useful for completing the task. 
Instructions on what the students will be doing in the task stage are given.  When
possible, the teacher might also play or show a recording of people doing the task in
order to give students a model of what will be expected of them.

Task Phase

The students complete the given task using the language resources they have while
the teacher monitors and offers encouragement.  The teacher determines whether
to set a time limit for the completion of the task (best for encouraging fluency) or if
the students can take as much time as needed to complete the task (best when
emphasizing accuracy).

Post-Task Phase – Reporting, Reflecting & Reviewing

During the post-task phase, the teacher encourages the students to reflect on how
the task was performed, provides error correction, and gives the students an
opportunity for a repeat performance of the task if necessary.  Relevant language
used during the reporting step as well as any recorded segments the students
listened to are highlighted, and the teacher may select certain language areas for
further practice.  This may be done through additional classroom activities,
homework assignments, or a real life-application of the skill. (Examples: Visiting a
restaurant and ordering food; going to the post office and mailing a letter; calling an
office to acquire some information, etc.)