Home | Comprehensive Lessons - ESL Classroom Grammar & Activities
Here's three of the thirty chapters in this book. These show the standard lesson structure as well as a fun practical follow up lesson. You also get to see a materials list and grammar points beforehand.
Lesson 8 of 30
TOWNS (Prepositions)
This lesson's objectives are to talk about towns and use the grammar point: prepositions. The practical will be to create a town map. Time: 40 & 40 min.
Things to Do
Print the preposition worksheet from online resources.
Materials needed include A4 paper.
Bring or print a map for Show and Tell. It is not essential what the plan covers.
Grammar: Prepositions - Simplified
Two objects use a preposition to explain their locations to each other.
Prepositions can be found in different types.
Preposition + noun
Use - Time: at, on, in, during, until, before, by
Use - Place: at, on, in, next to, under, between, in front, behind, on the left
Lesson
1 Show and Tell: 5 min
Show the entire class the map.
Ask encouraging questions: "I'm lost. Can you help me? Where can I find the Clinic?"
2 Keywords: 5 min
Subject: places, shops, signs
Grammar: next to, between, near, on, under, in front of, behind, left of, on the left
3 Expressions: 10 min
The book is on the floor.
Your bag is between the cabinet and the door.
The bank is on the left of the butchers.
I must go to the dentist at 3 pm.
4 Activity: 15 min - Classroom Scavenger Hunt
Hand out the preposition worksheet.
Students in pairs go around the classroom, finding places with two objects, which can be explained with a preposition.
They record their sentences using the objects and prepositions on the worksheet as they go.
5 Review: 5 min
Ask the teams for their uses of the prepositions.
Practical
1 Activity 1: 10 min - Brainstorm a New Town
Students must plan and design a small-town map, including places and road layout.
Ask questions like, "What buildings do you need?" and "What is in your town?"
A map can have transport links, places, geography, and more.
2 Activity 2: 10 min - Draw the Map
Draw a road network of something like downtown or a city - The roads need to be clear for the game.
Draw on the plan, the buildings, and other items.
3 Activity 3: 5 Min - Make the Game
Draw on the roads some coin-sized circles. Work out clear movable areas for the game pieces to fit. There should be plenty with at least one in all cross-sections.
Write inside the circles a number between 1 and 5. These are for the points in the game.
4 Review: 15 min
Put all players' pieces somewhere on the board.
A player then rolls the dice and moves in any direction via the dice number - The dice score is their points.
Each place they go to must make a sentence connected to a shop/place nearby.
To win, they must have the most points by the end of the game.
Lesson 9 of 30
HEALTH (Comparatives and Superlatives)
This lesson's objectives are to discuss being healthy and use the grammar points: comparatives and superlatives. The practical will be to make a healthy promotional poster. Time: 40 & 40 min.
Things to Do
Bring vegetables and snacks in a supermarket bag.
Materials needed include A4 or, even better, A3 paper for the practical lesson.
Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives
We can compare something using adjectives.
Comparatives: adjective + “er/ier”. If the adjective has over one syllable, use "more" or "less."
Superlatives: adjective + "iest". If the adjective has over one syllable, use "most" or "least."
(If the end of the adjective is a "y" (funny), then change the "y" to "ier/iest" (funnier/funniest).
Lesson
1 Show and Tell: 5 min
Show the contents to the class.
Ask encouraging questions: "What's this? Do you like tomatoes? Is chocolate healthy? Which is healthier, apples or oranges?"
2 Keywords: 5 min
Subject: healthy, unhealthy, fit, exercise
Grammar: unhealthiest, healthier, comparative, superlative
3 Expressions: 10 min
I am healthier than my father.
A tennis ball is bigger than a golf ball.
The beach ball is the biggest.
What are the unhealthiest foods you eat?
4 Activity 1: 15 min - What is Healthiest?
Make groups and brainstorm ten healthy things.
Go around the room, asking questions about their answers.
5 Activity 2: 5 min – Collate their Answers
Stop the class, relay all groups' answers onto the board, and tally up the best 5.
6 Review: 5 min
Ask random students to create comparative or superlative sentences using chosen foods.
Practical
1 Activity 1: 10 min - Design a Poster
Students will design an advertisement poster about something healthy. Of course, they can be purely fictitious.
Create a rough draft of what their healthy poster will include.
Include keywords and images to describe their message.
Proofread their work.
2 Activity 2: 15 min - Draw a Poster
Hand out the A4 or A3 paper for their posters.
Give guidance on their designs, mainly what is essential to say.
3 Review: 15 min
Students must act out something they can do to be healthy.
It could be, "I play football, I go swimming, or I run with my dad."
The students take their turn to guess the actions.
Lesson 21 of 30
ENVIRONMENT (Second Conditional)
This lesson's objectives are to talk about the environment and use the grammar point: second conditional. The practical part will be to debate the environment. Time: 40 & 35 min.
Things to Do
List situations to talk about for the lesson.
These could be as simple as they can be.
Create a brief presentation on the environmental effects.
For the practical, research some debate topics.
Materials needed include A4 paper.
Grammar: Second Conditional
The second conditional tense use would be used in a hypothetical form.
If + past simple +, present continuous verb
Lesson
1 Show and Tell: 5 min
Show a presentation on environmental effects.
Ask encouraging questions: "What do you think is happening here?"
2 Keywords: 5 min
Subject: recycling, eco-friendly, protection, conservation, pollution, natural disasters, global warming
Grammar: if, would have, past, present
3 Expressions: 10 min
If you tidied your room, it would be easier to live here.
If I won the lottery, I would buy an expensive car.
I would buy that jacket if I were you.
If he were fitter, he would be on the football team.
4 Activity: 15 min - Hypothetical Questions
Start a discussion by asking, "What would you do if you could help with global warming?"
Create groups and give them some A4 paper.
Use the keywords list to ask them for more discussion points.
5 Review: 5 min
Ask random students for their answers.
Practical
1 Activity 1: 5 min - Mini-debate on Specific Topics
Students will have a mini-debate class on environmental issues.
Giving tips on making a debate such as a fact is more powerful than opinion.
First, choose an environmental issue to talk about in groups.
2 Activity 2: 5 min - The First Statements
Get the groups to produce the opinion/focal point of their groups.
There should be a spokesperson per group.
3 Activity 3: 5 min - The Reply Statements
Now that they know what we have said, they can support their follow-up argument.
From here on in, they now take turns in giving more responses.
4 Activity 4: 15 min – Filter the Debaters
If some groups have identical thinking, then try grouping them up.
Get all students into groups with the same thinking.
Continue to get responses.
5 Review: 5 min
Go through quickly what has happened and ask for their thoughts.
