Skip to content

English Lesson Planning Tips for New Teachers: Boost Your Success

English lesson planning tips for new teachers

The following English lesson planning tips for new teachers are intended to help teachers design lessons that meet their learners’ needs and be aligned with the target standards. It is needless to say that it is of paramount importance to prepare lesson plans that include clear objectives, engage learners through the activation of their prior knowledge, raise their awareness about the target language through contextualized situations, and help them personalize it through expansion activities.

lesson plan tips
A teacher preparing a lesson plan

Introduction:

Designing an effective lesson plan is crucial for English language teachers to meet their learners’ needs and align with the target standards. In order to achieve this, it is essential to include clear objectives, engage learners by activating their prior knowledge, raise awareness about the target language through contextualized situations, and provide expansion activities for personalization.

Here are 14 English lesson planning tips for new teachers to help them create impactful lesson plans.

Quick lesson plan tips

English lesson planning tips for new teachers
English lesson planning tips for new teachers

While preparing your lesson plan, it is wise to follow these tips to cater to learners’ needs:

1. Set Objectives

Clearly identify objectives that are relevant to the target standards. State these objectives at the beginning of the lesson plan. For instance, the objective of a lesson on the present continuous tense could be: “By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to form and use the present continuous tense to describe actions happening at the time of speaking.” Ensure that the objectives are specific and measurable.

2. Create learning activities

Create learning activities based on the identified objectives. Design tasks and exercises that enable students to practice and reinforce the target language skills.

3. Begin with a warm-up

Begin the lesson with warm-up activities to get students in the mood to learn. These activities, which can include tongue twisters, riddles, and command drills, should not last more than 2 to 5 minutes. They don’t necessarily have to be directly related to the lesson objectives.

4. Activate prior knowledge

Activate prior knowledge through lead-in activities. Build on what learners already know, taking them slightly beyond their current level of proficiency.

5. Contextualize the language

Contextualize the language. Introduce target language structures through clear situations, preferably using authentic texts (spoken or written). Avoid teaching isolated grammar structures; instead, emphasize the context in which they are used.

6. Presentation

Ensure that your presentation of the target language is efficient, clear, and tailored to students’ needs.

7. Discivery learning

Minimize lengthy explanations and instead use discovery activities to raise students’ awareness about the target structures. Encourage students to explore and uncover language patterns through well-formulated questions.

8. Wait time technique

Use the wait time technique effectively. Allow students sufficient time to think and process their responses after asking questions. Rushing for quick answers may hinder their learning progress. Properly utilizing wait time creates a deeper level of engagement.

9. Varying the modes of work

Promote cooperative learning by incorporating various modes of work, such as pair work, group work, or teamwork, into your lesson plans. Collaborative activities enhance students’ language learning experience.

10. Skill-getting

In the skill-getting phase of the lesson, introduce a variety of activities that cover both accuracy and fluency. Incorporate opportunities for both spoken and written productions, receptive and productive learning, as well as visual and kinesthetic learning styles.

11. Seqencing activities

Progress from easy to more challenging activities within the skill-getting phase to gradually develop students’ language skills and confidence.

12. Skill-using

In the skill-using phase of the lesson, provide meaningful situations where students can practice and apply the language in authentic contexts. Encourage them to use the target language to communicate effectively.

13. Expansion

In the expansion phase, help students transfer their newly acquired language to personal situations. Include activities in your lesson plan that encourage students to use the target structures to talk about their own experiences and engage in real-world communication.

14. Review

Finally, conclude the lesson with a concise review of the key points covered and provide opportunities for students to reflect on what they have learned.

Conclusion

Teachers who follow these tips can create lesson plans that cater to learners’ needs, promote active engagement, and facilitate effective language learning. Remember that flexibility and adaptability are essential when implementing lesson plans. They allow you to respond to students’ individual progress and adjust the pace and content accordingly.


Copyright © My English Pages. All rights reserved.