LESSON PLAN – CELTA

Name: Brett Fitzpatrick Date: Thurs 13/01 TP no.16

Level: Elementary Length: 45 mins Time: Slot – TBA

Theme: “Suresh's Day” Lesson type:* Reading/ (speaking grammar)

Class profile: Materials/Aids: (incl. book details)

I'm expecting a small number of students. Perhaps
around 5. Ability is still elementary – but improving.
The students have been making real progress and
are enjoying the lessons. They have fun even when
being challenged by material well outside their
comfort zone.
Handout 1, with reading and questions adapted from
a text at:
http://esl.about.com/od/beginnerreadingskills/a/prese
nt_simple_tim.htm
Handout 2, a speaking task handout, with space to
make a list of the things done every day, and spaces
for yesterday and now, to help students question
each other about daily routines.

Lesson aims:
1. At the end of the lesson the students should be better motivated to practice reading, and better able
to read for gist and detail.
2. They should also, at the end of the lesson, be better able to differentiate and use past simple,
present simple and present continuous.

Personal aim/s: To get the students reading English for fun.

Assumptions: Students will be interested in the business related subject of the reading (which touches on
outsourcing). Students will have a passive knowledge of vocab and tenses (present simple, present
continuous and past simple) needed to perform the speaking activities if they are given sufficient help.

Anticipated problems and solutions Tasks/Timing:

Problems
This is the first time, that I am aware, of the students
being set homework and there being some kind of
follow up.
Students may therefore not have done their
homework. This could negatively impact the lead-in,
where I am inviting summaries based on the
homework reading.
Students may want to use present simple to report
on their books and describe the picture, rather than
the tenses I am trying to activate.
Solutions
I'll ask them to summarise something else they read
in English, (newspaper article, magazine, website).
If this fails I'll put them in groups of two to think of the
last English book they read. (I know at least one
regular has previously read an English book).
I'll then get them to summarise this, but indicate that I
am disappointed the homework wasn't done.
I will admit that this is OK, but will encourage the
tenses I want with phrases like, “But you read the
book in the past,” or, “I think the picture is happening
now.”

Last lesson the students proved themselves very I'll put as much of the questions and instructions on
adept at reading tasks, but much less adept at the handouts as possible and fold over
understanding instructions. supplementary tasks to avoid confusion.

Students have problems with accuracy in speaking.
Confidence in speaking also seems to be a big issue
for some of the students.
Using all three of the tenses that I want to focus on
today together (past simple, present continuous and
present simple), and switching repeatedly between
them, may well be challenging.
I'll continue to promote self-correction in the more
controlled practice, even though this can slow things
down, to give them as much support in achieving
accuracy as possible.
During the freer practice I'll monitor the students who
I suspect to be less confident about speaking in
English very closely.
I'll encourage them not to use avoidance strategies,
such as giggling and repeatedly rereading
instructions.
I'll attempt to activate each one individually in a
context that helps to differentiate it from the others.
Stage Procedure Stage Aim
name /
Time /
Interaction
Lead-in T holds up book that he has read chapter one of. T gives a short To contextualise reading
/ 5-7 mins / summary, and invites questions. as a skill to be applied
both inside and outside
T-sts T asks if students did the homework he set them last time (to buy a the class.
Penguin graded reader or similar and read chapter one).
To activate past simple,
Hopefully at least one student did. (used to describe what
books the students looked
Open class They take turns to give a summary and field questions from the at, what the characters
other students. did, etc.)
Reading T displays handout, says, “Next we're going to do more reading, To activate the present
set up and answer more questions, but before we do I want to talk about continuous tense (used to
/ 5-6 mins / the picture.” describe what is
happening in the picture,
Teacher distributes handouts. what the workers are
Open class doing, are they sitting on
Teacher asks for a volunteer. or at the desk etc.)
To activate the vocab
Volunteer describes what they see in the picture, this activity is associated with call
thrown open for the class to help the volunteer. centres.
Reading 1 T presents handout again and says, “Now let's read the text and To give students practice
/ 3-4 mins / answer the question.” at reading for gist.
T-sts ICQ 1 “What is the question?” (What kind of company does To revise/introduce
Suresh work for? [Teacher will accept either call centre or bank.]) appropriate language and
vocab for later speaking
Students do task. tasks.

st-st Pair check [Teacher says, “In groups of two...(makes groups with
hand gestures)... check your answers”]

Sts-T Feedback on task for the answer.

Reading 2 Teacher tells students to fold out the lower half of the handout. T To give students practice
/ 10 mins / then asks them to do the follow-up questions. at reading for detail.
(How does Suresh get to work?
Are Suresh's customers in the USA, Europe or India? To activate the present
T-sts Does Suresh give information straight away? simple tense.
What details does Suresh need from every caller?
What time does he go home?
Where does Suresh exercise?)

Students do exercise

st-st Then the students are asked to pair check their answers.

sts-T Feedback on task to check answers.

Controlled Teacher shows second handout. To provide controlled
practice practice talking about daily
/ 7 mins / T says, “Your partner will tell you ten things they do every day. routines, using the TL
T-sts Write them in the spaces here.” tenses.

St-st Students do task.

St-T Feedback on task. Nominate students and ask what they have
written down.
T-sts T says, “Now unfold the bottom of the handout. Ask questions and
fill in the sections.”
 Teacher demonstrates task, with students.
St-st Students do task.

St-T Feedback on task

Less Teacher says, “Tell each other about the most interesting thing you To give less controlled
controlled did last year.” practice using
practice predominantly past
setup simple, the most
/ 7 mins / problematic of the three
T-sts tenses because of the
irregular forms of some
common verbs.
Students do task.

Teacher monitors for examples of well constructed, and less well

constructed English for feedback on language.
Feedback Bring freer practice to a close. To give students an
/ 4 mins / opportunity to talk about
sts-T Feedback on task, including giving students the opportunity to ask the freer practice and cool
questions on feedback that interests them. down.

Open class Feedback on language. To do remedial work.