Dr Marina Mattheoudakis

Ling 3-329
Fall Semester 2019-2020

LESSON PLANNING

The rationale behind all types of lesson planning

What?
Content

Why?
To whom? How?
Aims/Objective
Learners’ profile Methodology
ss

Results:
Evaluation

Mialaret, G. (1996). Eισαγωγή στις επιστήμες της αγωγής . Αθήνα: Τυπωθήτω

What should go in a plan?

1. Learners’ profile: class description

Example:
The students in this upper intermediate class are around 15 years old. There
are 14 boys and 12 girls. Because the class starts very early in the morning
students are usually sleepy. They have to get involved in interesting
activities and I have to keep them busy.
2. Timetable fit
Example:
The lesson takes place from 7.45 to 9 am on Tuesday and Thursday. In the
past three lessons the students have been discussing the issues of journeys
and traveling. They have been looking at vocabulary and expressions related
to traveling. They have revisited a number of past tenses including
hypothetical past conditionals. Next week the class will start working on…..
3. Lesson aims and objectives
Aim (the overall goal):
- to improve our students’ reading ability
Objectives (very specific and usually more than one):
(a) to encourage them to predict content
(b) to use guessing strategies to overcome lexical problems, etc.

4. Activities, procedures and timing: the main body of a formal plan.

This will also include: aids, types of interactions, specific language focused on

5. Anticipated problems and possible solutions

6. Additional possibilities
 LESSON PLAN

Date: Class / Time: Length:

level:
No of pupils: 25 B’ Lykeio 9.45 – 10.30 45’
Boys: 11 Upper-
Girls: 14 intermediat
e
Aim: to improve students’ reading and speaking ability

Objectives: (a) to give ss practice in predicting the content of a text

(b) to give ss practice in reading for gist
(c) to give ss practice in reading for detail
(d) to allow ss to practice speaking by involving them in a debate

Stage Int/ion Procedure + language focus Time Aids

/Activity
warm-up T–C T invites ss’ comments on the 5’ Pictures of
(lead-in) differences between these post offices,
services in cities and in villages. schools and
She asks ss what they think of police
the future of village services in stations in
this technological era (creation of English
interest and activation of cities and in
schemata). Relevant vocabulary villages
is used; new words ss require may
be written on the board
Presentation
The text is T-C After ss have briefly discussed 7’ text
given to ss this topic, T asks them to go
quickly over the text (skimming)
and find out what it is about. T
presents the technique in some
detail and explains ss how to do it
within 2’-3’ minutes (paragraph
structure, topic sentence).

Pair-work S-S Ss in pairs discuss what they 3’ Pen and

understood and take notes paper
Whole class SS-SS Different pairs exchange their 3’
discussion opinions about the content of the
text

Practice
Pair-work S,S,S, T asks ss to read the text 6’ Text
carefully for detailed
comprehension

S-S Ss are given a table to fill in 6’ A table to

based on the text: problem/who is fill in
responsible/reasons/results
Production
Discussion in SS-SS T divides class into 4 groups of 5 5’:
the form of a ss each. Two groups are going to prepar
debate defend the closure of village ation
services and two groups are going
to attack it (for and against,
advantages and disadvantages).
Language focus: verbs and phrases
of expressing opinion: believe,
think, support, my opinion is, etc.
Ss in their groups prepare a mini- 2’ X 4
speech and the chairperson of groups
each group delivers it. = 8’
speec
hes

T-C T sums up and concludes; 2’

homework assignment: paragraph
writing on the protection of
traditional shops in Greek villages.
Anticipated problems: Possible solutions: Relate the problem to similar situations
Students may find the in Greece (e.g. traditional Greek shops that have closed
text uninteresting down because super markets have replaced them).
because it discusses a
problem that is not
relevant to the Greek
reality.
Additional possibilities:

What you have to comment on:

(a) Explain why you use visuals in the warm-up stage (raising students’ interest,
activation of relevant schemata and setting of the situation. Also, it helps
students to focus and concentrate after the break). Explain what you mean
by schemata
(b) Clarify that vocabulary is not the focus of teaching in this lesson
(c) As a teacher, you will explain in some detail to students what skimming is.
First of all, what the literal meaning of the word is; Secondly, how the
structure of a text helps us to skim it.
(d) Explain why you make extensive use of pair work and group work (increase of
Student Talking Time – STT – vs Teacher Talking Time – TTT). Refer to
fluency building; explain that you will not correct students’ mistakes and
errors as this is a fluency activity and not intended to promote accuracy.
(e) You may also want to comment on how you will change students’ seating
arrangement in order to facilitate pair work and group work.
(f) Since debate is a difficult classroom activity, you should clarify that you
have trained your students in debating and you frequently use it with your
class as it builds up their oral fluency and confidence.
Two popular ways of planning and teaching
(1) Warm-up - Presentation – Practice – Production (PPP)
(2) Task-based Learning (TBL)

Stages of a PPP lesson and corresponding activities

Warm up
 Visuals
 Guessing
 Mime
 Games
 Elicitation
 Situation setting

Presentation
 Reading texts
 Listening passages
 Visuals
 Substitution tables
 Short dialogues
 Model sentences

Practice
 Drills
 Reading aloud
 Copying
 Fill in table / flow chart
 True / false questions
 Question and answer
 Cloze exercises
 Multiple choice exercises
 Comprehension questions

Production
 Questionnaire
 Games
 Songs
 Memorization / reciting
 Role play
 Discussion / conversation
 Mini-speeches
 Note taking
 Information gap
 Matching
  Essay and paragraph writing
 Dramatic activities
 Pair work / group work
 Half dialogues
 Guided and free composition

Task-based learning
Students are just as likely to learn language if they are thinking about a non-
linguistic problem than if they are concentrating on particular language forms.
Instead of a language structure, students are presented with a task they have to
perform or a problem they have to solve.

Stages of a TBL lesson

1. Introducing the topic or task (by brainstorming, using texts, etc.)

2. Doing the task (in pairs without correction)
3. Planning the reporting back (teacher goes around advising)
4. Reporting back (students speak in front of class; teacher chairs and
comments but doesn’t correct)
5. Teacher input
6. Language analysis, review and practice

1: pre-task
2-3-4: task cycle
5-6: language focus
 LESSON PLAN

Date: Class / level: Time: Length:

No of pupils: 20 B’ Lykeio 9.45 – 10.30 45’
Boys: 11 Upper-
Girls: 14 intermediate
Aim: to improve students’ reading and speaking ability and revise use of past
participles

Objectives: (a) to give ss practice in predicting the content of a text

(b) to raise ss’ awareness of cohesion and coherence
(c) to give ss practice in reading for detail
(d) to raise ss’ awareness of the use of past participle

Tasks Interaction Procedure Time

Pre-task T-C T. presents the problem facing village 3’
services in England and asks ss to
brainstorm and list three
consequences of this problem.
Task cycle 1:
speaking
Task 1 S-S Pairs of students list possible 3’
consequences

Planning 1 SS Pairs rehearse how to explain and 3’

justify what they listed

Report and SS-C Pairs present what they wrote to the 10’
reading 1 class and justify it. The class listen
and count how many different
consequences they have come up with

The class discuss and vote on which

four consequences might be the ones
mentioned in the newspaper article.
Write them on the board.

S,S,S Give out the text with a missing line.

Ask ss to read to see whether their
four consequences are in the report.
Finally ask which pair had found most
 of them.
Task cycle 2: S,S,S Ss read the text again and discuss in 5’
Reading pairs where the ‘lost line’ must have
come from.

Planning and S-S Ss tell each other where they think 3’

report the line fits and why. Do not tell them
if they are right or wrong (except if
everyone agrees). Give out the text
with the line in place, so they can see
if they were right.
Language focus S-S T asks ss to find and underline all 15’
past participles in the text and
explain their use.
T-S T explains the difference between
the use of past participle in the
formation of passive voice and its use
as an adjective.
T-S T reviews and assigns homework: a 3’
gapped exercise on the use of past
participles
Bibliography

Harmer, J. (2001). The practice of English language teaching. England: Longman

Mialaret, G. (1996). Eισαγωγή στις επιστήμες της αγωγής. Αθήνα: Τυπωθήτω
Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. England: Longman
Woodward, T. (2001). Planning lessons and courses. Cambridge: C.U.P.