Identifying the different

components of a lesson plan

lecture 6
The outline
1. How do we identify the different components of a lesson
plan?
2. Key concepts.
3. Key concepts and the language teaching classroom.
 Do you think a lesson plan is most like …

an instructional leaflet?
a photograph?
a road map?
a computer programme?
a series of road signs?
a written summary?
something else?
what we want our learners to do
how we want them to do it
 Here are some ways a lesson plan helps the
teacher
Before the lesson Writing down the aims and the procedures for
each stage of the lesson helps us to make sure
that we have planned the clearest and most
logical sequence to enable us to achieve those
aims
During the lesson The plan can also help us to check timing (the
amount of time we plan for each stage) and to
check that the lesson is following the sequence we
decided on and remind us what to do next
After the lesson We can keep the plan as a record of what
happened, making any changes necessary to show
how the lesson was different from the plan. We
can then use the plan and notes to help plan the
next lesson
 When we plan a lesson, we ask ourselves a
number of questions
Lesson plan components
Class profile Who are we planning the lesson for?
Timetable fit How is the lesson connected to the last lesson and /or the next one?
Main aim(s) What do we want learners to learn or to be able to do by the end of the
lesson?
Subsidiary aims What else do learners need to be able to do during the lesson to enable
them to achieve the main aim?
Stage aims What is the purpose of each stage of the lesson?
Personal aims What aspects of our own teaching do we want to develop or improve?
Assumptions What do we think learners already know or can already do related to the
aims?
 When we plan a lesson, we ask ourselves a
number of questions
Lesson plan components
Anticipated problems What may learners find difficult in the lesson? What may they not
be used to doing? What may they not feel confident about?
Possible solutions What action will we take to deal with the anticipated problems?
Teaching aims, materials, What should we remember to take to the lesson?
equipment
Procedures What are the tasks and activities for each stage?
Timing What length of time will we need for each stage?
Interaction patterns In which ways will learners work at different stages, i.e.
individually, in pairs, in groups, as a whole class?
Homework What further work will learners need to do before the next
lesson?
 Look carefully at this lesson plan, which aims
to introduce and practise language for
describing people
Lesson plan components
Level and number of learners/class 24 students at Intermediate (B2) level
profile
Timetable fit Students have already worked on simple descriptions of
people
Main aim(s) To extend range of vocabulary for describing people
Oral fluency practice
Subsidiary aims Students use appropriate language for basic physical
descriptions
Assumptions Students can use present simple & past simple to describe
habits and past events
Anticipated problem Students may be unwilling to repeat the same task in the last
stage of the lesson
Possible solution If necessary, suggest that students report description from
their original partner rather than repeating their own
 Look carefully at this lesson plan, which aims
to introduce and practise language for
describing people
Timing Procedure Stage aims Aids and materials Interaction pattern
5 minutes Students talk about Warmer/lead-in: to Family photographs Pairwork
their families get students talking brought in by
and introduce the students
topic
10 minutes Students select To introduce new Short gapped Individual work
appropriate vocabulary transcripts → pairwork
adjectives to Recorded dialogues
complete CD player
descriptions of family
members in
transcripts of mini-
dialogues

They listen to the Intensive listening Teacher → whole

mini-dialogues and class
check answers
 Look carefully at this lesson plan, which aims
to introduce and practise language for
describing people
Timing Procedure Stage aims Aids and materials Interaction pattern
10 minutes Students exchange To give students fluency (none) Pairwork
information about their practice:
own family members describing personalities, (Teacher monitors)
habitual behavior and
specific past events
10 minutes Teacher gives feedback To highlight need for Teacher’s notes Teacher →
on language used new language Whiteboard whole class

Students do gap-fill task

To introduce new
language
To focus on accuracy Worksheet Individual work
10 minutes Students repeat family To provide an (none) Pairwork
description task opportunity for students (new partners)
to improve their spoken
performance

To give students further

fluency practice