Level 3 Assignment B
Step 1: Review an online lesson plan
There are significant issues with the lesson plan below. Think of two improvements you could make for each stage of the lesson plan. You may spot more than two
issues per stage, but please select the two you feel are most necessary and write them in the template. Say what the issue is, why it is an issue, what you would do
to improve it, and why this would be beneficial.
You can refer to Unit 5 to help you with this step. You do not need to provide any materials for this step.
Class: A2 pre-intermediate 10-12 years old Date: xxx Topic: Used to
Number of students: 12 Duration: 60mins
Lesson type: Grammar (online)
Lesson aim: To introduce students to 'used to' for past states and habits that are no longer true.
Lesson objectives:
● To practice accuracy in the controlled practice stage via a worksheet.
● To develop fluency in the freer practice stage with a role play.
Materials and equipment:
PPT showing Tim before and after.
Handouts for controlled practice activity.
Role cards for freer practice.
,Anticipated problems: Solutions:
1. Students will use their L1. 1. Remind them to speak English.
2. Students won’t hear the difference between ‘use to’ and ‘used to.’ 2. Give lots of examples and do drilling tasks.
3. Students may not have a good Internet connection. 3. Remind them not to worry and to turn off their cameras to see if that
helps.
, Stage Stage Aim Timing Interaction Teacher Activity Student Activity
Warmer To introduce 15 minutes Whole class The teacher tells students to write on the Students come up to the board and write an
students to the board something that they liked to do when activity that they used to do.
target they were younger.
grammar in
the lesson Teacher-class After two minutes, the teacher asks students Students sit down and listen in silence.
to sit down and then continues to talk about
his/her own life.
Improvements:
Example: The stage aim is incorrect, as the target grammar should not be used in the warmer – students don’t know it yet! I would change the stage aim to
‘To establish a context for the lesson,’ as this will help me to select a suitable activity to engage the students in the lesson.
1. The teacher introduces the topic of the lesson before any context is given to the students, which is incorrect. During this stage, the aim should be to
not introduce and/or teach the topic and target grammar of the lesson, but should rather be used to set the context for the lesson, by getting
students to think in the right timeframe: the past. Currently, the activity might reveal the topic before the students have a chance to be guided
through the context, which will affect the flow of the lesson, especially in the Presentation stage. To ensure that the topic is not revealed immediately,
the students should be prompted to answer the questions that have been asked in the previous point, as this ensures the focus is not on the
grammar which will be taught (“used to”) but rather naturally guides the students to think in the past tense, leading to a stronger understanding from
the students which is beneficial.
2. The activity presented in this stage is mainly teacher-centred, instead of focusing on student interaction. This is problematic as during the warmer
stage, the aim should be to involve learners as much as possible and refresh their existing knowledge about the target language through
teacher-to-student communication or activities. In this lesson plan, students are expected to only write one thing and then listen to the teacher,
without being given the opportunity to ask questions. This limits positive interaction, potential speaking practice, and can have a negative affect on
the interest of the students for the upcoming lesson. To improve on this aspect, the activity should be modified to be student-centred. For example,
on the board should be some questions which are interesting, fun and relatable in order to grab the attention of the students without overwhelming
them. The following questions can be used as a guideline; “Did you have a pet growing up?”, “What type of games did you like to play when you
were younger?” and “Do you still stay in the same house from when you were little?”. These questions will set the context for the upcoming lesson,
and motivate them to answer aloud in English and will allow for praise and/or error correction. This change is beneficial as it does not overwhelm the
students and sets a positive tone for the rest of the lesson.
, Stage Stage Aim Timing Interaction Teacher Activity Student Activity
Presentation Introduce topic 15 minutes Teacher-class Show the class some images of a boy, Students listen and make notes.
and grammar around 9 years old. His name is Tim. Show
him doing well at football, the piano, and
dance. Tell the class that the boy is very
interested in sports and music.
Next, show some images of Tim a little older,
around 13. He doesn’t like sports anymore,
and he doesn’t play the piano. Instead, he
likes gaming and reading.
Give the students an example sentence with
used to directly and write it on the board.
Write the form of used to on the board
without asking the students first.
If they seem to understand, do not ask
concept-checking questions. Students repeat sentences with the target
language.
Drill some sentences about Tim.
Improvements:
1. The teacher does not elicit the model sentence, but rather immediately provides the grammar rule. In this stage of the PPP model, it is important that
the students notice the target grammar through the information provided by the teacher before the teacher presents it. In this stage, the teacher
writes the sentence and immediately reveals the target grammar (“used to”) and its form on the board. To improve this, the teacher should actively
engage the interest of the students by asking the class to identify the grammar form, and prompt them to recognize patterns in the sentences before
presenting the rule.This can be achieved by using elicitation to involve the learners. The teacher can draw the student’s attention to the photographs
and ask questions to elicit the model sentence, such as, “Does Tim still play football?” and “Did Tim play football before?”. The teacher should then
allow the students to answer these questions, whilst guiding them to the correct answer (“Tim used to play football.”) which can then be written on
the board. This is beneficial as it ensures that the students actively understand the form and the meaning through an interactive approach.
2. The teacher does not utilize concept-checking questions to ensure that the students understand the meaning and form of “used to”. It is incredibly
important for the teacher to ask concept-checking questions during this stage before moving to the next phase of the lesson. Concept-checking
questions are used to ensure that the students understand the concept that has been introduced to them. The teacher did not incorporate
concept-checking questions, thus cannot confirm the students have grasped an understanding of the meaning and form of “used to”. This can be
achieved by asking concept-checking questions after revealing the target grammar and encouraging the students to answer them. The teacher can
ask the students “Is Tim still playing football?”, to which the students should answer “No”. The teacher can then ask the students, “Do we use ‘used
Step 1: Review an online lesson plan
There are significant issues with the lesson plan below. Think of two improvements you could make for each stage of the lesson plan. You may spot more than two
issues per stage, but please select the two you feel are most necessary and write them in the template. Say what the issue is, why it is an issue, what you would do
to improve it, and why this would be beneficial.
You can refer to Unit 5 to help you with this step. You do not need to provide any materials for this step.
Class: A2 pre-intermediate 10-12 years old Date: xxx Topic: Used to
Number of students: 12 Duration: 60mins
Lesson type: Grammar (online)
Lesson aim: To introduce students to 'used to' for past states and habits that are no longer true.
Lesson objectives:
● To practice accuracy in the controlled practice stage via a worksheet.
● To develop fluency in the freer practice stage with a role play.
Materials and equipment:
PPT showing Tim before and after.
Handouts for controlled practice activity.
Role cards for freer practice.
,Anticipated problems: Solutions:
1. Students will use their L1. 1. Remind them to speak English.
2. Students won’t hear the difference between ‘use to’ and ‘used to.’ 2. Give lots of examples and do drilling tasks.
3. Students may not have a good Internet connection. 3. Remind them not to worry and to turn off their cameras to see if that
helps.
, Stage Stage Aim Timing Interaction Teacher Activity Student Activity
Warmer To introduce 15 minutes Whole class The teacher tells students to write on the Students come up to the board and write an
students to the board something that they liked to do when activity that they used to do.
target they were younger.
grammar in
the lesson Teacher-class After two minutes, the teacher asks students Students sit down and listen in silence.
to sit down and then continues to talk about
his/her own life.
Improvements:
Example: The stage aim is incorrect, as the target grammar should not be used in the warmer – students don’t know it yet! I would change the stage aim to
‘To establish a context for the lesson,’ as this will help me to select a suitable activity to engage the students in the lesson.
1. The teacher introduces the topic of the lesson before any context is given to the students, which is incorrect. During this stage, the aim should be to
not introduce and/or teach the topic and target grammar of the lesson, but should rather be used to set the context for the lesson, by getting
students to think in the right timeframe: the past. Currently, the activity might reveal the topic before the students have a chance to be guided
through the context, which will affect the flow of the lesson, especially in the Presentation stage. To ensure that the topic is not revealed immediately,
the students should be prompted to answer the questions that have been asked in the previous point, as this ensures the focus is not on the
grammar which will be taught (“used to”) but rather naturally guides the students to think in the past tense, leading to a stronger understanding from
the students which is beneficial.
2. The activity presented in this stage is mainly teacher-centred, instead of focusing on student interaction. This is problematic as during the warmer
stage, the aim should be to involve learners as much as possible and refresh their existing knowledge about the target language through
teacher-to-student communication or activities. In this lesson plan, students are expected to only write one thing and then listen to the teacher,
without being given the opportunity to ask questions. This limits positive interaction, potential speaking practice, and can have a negative affect on
the interest of the students for the upcoming lesson. To improve on this aspect, the activity should be modified to be student-centred. For example,
on the board should be some questions which are interesting, fun and relatable in order to grab the attention of the students without overwhelming
them. The following questions can be used as a guideline; “Did you have a pet growing up?”, “What type of games did you like to play when you
were younger?” and “Do you still stay in the same house from when you were little?”. These questions will set the context for the upcoming lesson,
and motivate them to answer aloud in English and will allow for praise and/or error correction. This change is beneficial as it does not overwhelm the
students and sets a positive tone for the rest of the lesson.
, Stage Stage Aim Timing Interaction Teacher Activity Student Activity
Presentation Introduce topic 15 minutes Teacher-class Show the class some images of a boy, Students listen and make notes.
and grammar around 9 years old. His name is Tim. Show
him doing well at football, the piano, and
dance. Tell the class that the boy is very
interested in sports and music.
Next, show some images of Tim a little older,
around 13. He doesn’t like sports anymore,
and he doesn’t play the piano. Instead, he
likes gaming and reading.
Give the students an example sentence with
used to directly and write it on the board.
Write the form of used to on the board
without asking the students first.
If they seem to understand, do not ask
concept-checking questions. Students repeat sentences with the target
language.
Drill some sentences about Tim.
Improvements:
1. The teacher does not elicit the model sentence, but rather immediately provides the grammar rule. In this stage of the PPP model, it is important that
the students notice the target grammar through the information provided by the teacher before the teacher presents it. In this stage, the teacher
writes the sentence and immediately reveals the target grammar (“used to”) and its form on the board. To improve this, the teacher should actively
engage the interest of the students by asking the class to identify the grammar form, and prompt them to recognize patterns in the sentences before
presenting the rule.This can be achieved by using elicitation to involve the learners. The teacher can draw the student’s attention to the photographs
and ask questions to elicit the model sentence, such as, “Does Tim still play football?” and “Did Tim play football before?”. The teacher should then
allow the students to answer these questions, whilst guiding them to the correct answer (“Tim used to play football.”) which can then be written on
the board. This is beneficial as it ensures that the students actively understand the form and the meaning through an interactive approach.
2. The teacher does not utilize concept-checking questions to ensure that the students understand the meaning and form of “used to”. It is incredibly
important for the teacher to ask concept-checking questions during this stage before moving to the next phase of the lesson. Concept-checking
questions are used to ensure that the students understand the concept that has been introduced to them. The teacher did not incorporate
concept-checking questions, thus cannot confirm the students have grasped an understanding of the meaning and form of “used to”. This can be
achieved by asking concept-checking questions after revealing the target grammar and encouraging the students to answer them. The teacher can
ask the students “Is Tim still playing football?”, to which the students should answer “No”. The teacher can then ask the students, “Do we use ‘used
