FIRST ESL

LESSON PLAN
FOR NEW
TEACHERS

JA Starr Suitable for ages 12 to adult

This easy-to-understand first lesson plan is designed for beginning

teachers to conduct a new class, confidently breaking the ice both with
and between students, establishing ground-rules and teaching a little
English while having fun. It is complete, self-contained and includes
photocopyable pages.
 FIRST ESL LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TEACHERS

FIRST ESL LESSON PLAN FOR

NEW TEACHERS
S U I TA B L E F O R AG E S 1 2 T O A D U LT

GENERAL ADVICE
Before we start, a couple of general tips. One is to be early for the class if possible. If you're new to
teaching, if you can be the first in the room or at least arrive when there is only a few students, then its a
good idea to start chatting to them and it's psychologically easier than walking into a full classroom full
of students.

The other tip is to be prepared. If any needed photocopies are already prepared and in order, this plan
also printed, anything that needs to be cut up already cut up, then it gives a feeling of confidence and as
well as sending a message of competence to the students. Also, with all but they very youngest of
students, a well-dressed teacher has an easier time. I know that a lot of schools allow informal dress, and
perhaps people have the idea that students will bond more readily to dressed-down 'hip' teachers as they
feel more similar with less distance. The plain fact is that this just is not true. You are not their friend,
you are their teacher and as much as people say it doesn't matter, people respect you more when you
dress appropriately. I know this as I started casual and smartened up over the years, and discipline-wise,
it only becomes easier going forward.

Let's take a look at a suggested lesson plan. Don't worry if it doesn't make sense at this point as I'll
explain everything. You can also adapt the order and what is and isn't incorporated (from the included
extras in the last appendix) according to your individual class needs.

If you need further plans and resources beyond the first day, including actual teaching, lesson planning,
teaching pronunciation etc. the please check out my video-course.
https://www.facebook.com/BeginnerESLTeaching/ https://www.udemy.com/beginner-esl-teaching/

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Preparation
1 - First of all, make sure youve read through this entire document so you know what is coming and
what to prepare.

2 - The first handout is the pictorial class rules, what students should and shouldn't do. You'll need to
decide which version you want and print one off for each student.

3 - Print the Snowball Question slips and cut them up, enough for one per student.

4 Make sure you have whiteboard markers and they they are filled up.

5 Make copied of the last Should You or Shouldnt You (as many copies as there will be students).

6 Make copies of the table in appendix one and cut them up individually, you need as many tables as
there are students.

7 Copy the extended scenarios page of appendix two and cut them up individually. You need only
make one copy for the whole class.

THE TEACHING DAY- STEP-BY-STEP

1 - Walk in.

2 - Close the door.

3 - Smile.

4 - Go to the desk and arrange your things on the table.

5 - Write your name and country of origin on the board.

6 - Tell them your name and country, smiling. Say, 'Hi! I am NAME and I'm from COUNTRY'. You
need to project your voice, which might be far more quiet than you realize. There are quite a few
youtube videos about voice projection. Take deep breaths and expel more air than usual when talking as
it's the breath that carries the voice forward. Raise the volume slightly but without shouting. Ask the

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students at the back of the room if they can easily hear keep checking throughout the lesson. Speak
slowly and articulate well. Simplify spoken language whenever possible.

7 - Write your name on a white sticker and put it on your chest, then hand out stickers to the class and
ask them to do the same. Tell them to write large letters.

8 - As counterintuitive as it might seem, it's actually best to start with the class rules. It sounds like it's
boring, but it works. The students are a bit nervous and it takes the pressure off them because the
exercise is easy and only requires them to say yes or no. Also, it gives them a chance to listen to your
speaking voice and get used to a new accent. Take the Should you or Shouldnt You handout in the last
appendix of this document, either mine copied directly for the students to circle yes or no, or whatever
adaptation you decided to make yourself, and hold it over your chest so the students can see. Explain
that the lesson will begin with a few class rules. Hand out the pictures in one go to one student, not one-
by-one to each students. So count the students, say, fourteen students. Then count off the same number
of handouts. Give them to the first students and say, 'take one and pass it on'. Always give out handouts
this way. Always explain what they are and what you want them to do before you give them out.

9 - Ask the questions, should you or shouldnt you, in class: bring your books, use a dictionary, answer a
friend's call; answer a boss etc. Add any more you want to. Engage them in a discussion of why you
should or shouldn't. The goal is to reach a consensus of expected behaviour rather than just tell them
rules as a consensus is easier to enforce. Later on if things ever start getting out of hand you can always
say, 'Do you remember what we all agreed on in the beginning?'.

10 - Next, introduce the game of Two Truths and a Lie. Write three statements about yourself on the
board, two being true and one being untrue. I usually write:

a - I used to teach in Bangkok.

b - I used to teach in Tokyo.

c - I never married.

Explain that only one of the statements is a lie and they have to guess which one it is. I usually do it as a
vote, (by showing hands), and write on the board (as a tally) which one the class is choosing. I nearly
always win this first one as I'm not as young as I used to be [cough] and they assume I'm already
married (not knowing the average earnings of an ESL teacher!).

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Tell them that they are going to play themselves later and to start thinking up some truths and lies about
their own lives (don't launch straight into this game or they stand at the board unprepared and not sure
what to write).

11 - Next, Snowball Questions. Take one of the small pieces of paper from appendix one depending on
the age of your students. Hold it over your chest and explain that they are to fill out the form by
answering the questions simply, where they were born, their dream job (demonstrate this by saying that
you're a teacher but dream of being president or an astronaut, so this will give them an idea. Subject is
either the subject they like best at school (under 18) or major/degree (went to uni) or what subject they
are most interested in generally. What they are most scared of is self-explanatory. Leave (+) for now.
Make sure they understand they must not write their name on it.

12 - Hand out the papers and wait until each has been completed.

13 - Demonstrate scrunching up the paper into a ball and tell them to do the same.

14 - Make them stand up and form two lines facing each other.

15 Now its time for a 'snowball fight'. That is, they throw their piece of scrunched up paper (the
snowball) at a person opposite them, a random person. Then, with all the papers on the floor, each
student picks up any random one and does it again, i.e. throw it at some random person. This is
continued until the cycle has been completed at least three times.

16 - Now, each student should have ended up holding a random piece of paper and the goal is to find the
owner by mingling and asking each other questions like, 'what is your dream job, what are you most
scared of' etc.

17 - When the owner is found, one last task is to find out something interesting by asking one more
question for (+) (which can be anything at all). After this they sit. When all are sitting, go round the
students and they introduce each other, telling the class about the person they 'found', e.g.' This is David,
his dream job is an accountant', etc.

18 - When one of them has done an introduction, have that person (who was introduced) come up to the
board and write two truths and a lie (about themselves) while the next person is introducing their partner.
When the introduction is over, switch to having the class guess the Two Truths and a Lie game.

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[To make this clearer, you are now playing two games at the same time. While they play Snowball
Introductions there is one student at the board preparing a Two Truths and a Lie round, then switch to
the class guessing two truths and a lie, then switch back to students introducing each other. This works
because it avoids silences while the class has to wait for people to write their truths and a lie on the
board, as while doing this is being prepared, someone else is being introduced.]

Carry on with this game until either everyone had both been introduced and played two truths and a lie
or they look bored.

19 - By now, the ice should be broken a little, both between you and the students and the students
themselves. Now is a good time to switch to some groupwork, reinforce the rule consensus and also give
yourself a little break. The following will work with a class of adult students. Take the extended class
rules scenarios in appendix two and cut them up individually. Arrange the class into groups. The size of
the group depends on the amount of student. Between three and six per group would be OK. Randomly
give one scenario to each group and ask them to read and discuss the dilemma and come up with advice
for the person concerned. Set a time limit, say you will be asking for their answer in five minutes.

20 - Sit back and relax.

21 - After five minutes, stop them talking by clapping your hands. Ask the first group to read their
scenario aloud and then report their advice regarding that situation. Discuss it generally with the class.
Remember, the point is for the students to reach a consensus on acceptable behavior in the class.

22 - Do the same with the other groups.

23 - Continue, handing out more scenarios until they are finished.

24 - Praise them for their intelligent discussion. It's best to finish off with a movement based activity or
two as it will feel like a high point and leave a good impression. Firstly, arrange a game of Stand Up If.
You will need to move the chairs into a circle, with one less chair than there are students, so one student
standing is 'it'. This student says, 'Stand up if ....', then a criteria, such as 'you are wearing a watch', or
'you are a girl' or 'you have black hair' etc. Those who now stand up can sit down again but not in the
same chair. So everyone scrambles to find a new chair, and this results in a new person being 'it', who
says, 'Stand up if...' and so on.

25 - First is Last. Have the students stand in a circle. Explain that you will give one student a word, eg.
elephant. Now the next student has five seconds to say a word that begins with the last letter of the

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preceding word, so the last letter of elephant is T, so they can say Tame, the last letter of tame is E so the
next student could say, EGG, the next GAME, the next EXCELLENT, if one student takes more than
five seconds or repeats a word, they sit down and it skips to the next student, same word (i.e. the last
successful one). Winner is the last person standing.

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 FIRST ESL LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TEACHERS
Lesson Plan
Stage Activity Purpose Interaction Time

1 Introduce Introduce the T (teacher) 1 (minute)

yourself teacher

2 Pictorial Class Easy start for T-S (students) 3

Rules students.

Establish class
consensus
concerning rules.

Students get used

to teacher's
accent

4 Snowball Icebreaking. T-S-S 20

Questions and
Two Truths

5 Rule Scenarios Further rule S-S 25

consensus.
Continued
icebreaking.

6 Kinetic Group Fun S-S 11

Games

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APPENDIX ONE

1 Where are you from? 1 Where are you from? 1 Where are you from?

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________

2 Dream job 2 Dream job 2 Dream job

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________

3 Subject 3 Subject 3 Subject

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________

4 Most scared of 4 Most scared of 4 Most scared of

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________

5 (+) 5 (+) 5 (+)

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________

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 FIRST ESL LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TEACHERS

APPENDIX TWO EXTENDED CLASS RULE SCENARIOS

[If you want to personalize this for your class/context, it could be rewritten with local names for people,
names of local universities and companies etc.If youre teaching children then you could rewrite it
according to their own discipline needs, ask colleagues or on forums what the local issues are likely to
be. ]_______________________________________________________________________________

Mary is studying accountancy at a local university. Her phone often rings during class. Sometimes it's
her mother, sometimes it's her sister. Is it OK for her to answer the phone?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Mr Tan is the boss in a large firm. His phone often rings. Should he answer it?

____________________________________________________________________________________

James finishes university at 3pm and then studies in the library. His English class starts at 5pm. and he's
often late. Is it OK for him to be late? What could he do?
____________________________________________________________________________________

Mr San is a supervisor at a construction company. He finishes work at 5.30 but is often late for his 6pm.
class even though he rushes. What can he do?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Cary and Lin have been friends since they started studying English three years ago. They often talk in
class but not in English. Is this OK?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Mr Hun drives a taxi. He never finished school. He wants to learn English to talk with tourists. He often
asks his classmates question but rarely in English. Is it OK?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Celline is already an English teacher in her spare time. She joined the class to make friends. She only
comes a few times a week. Is it alright for her to miss most of the classes?

____________________________________________________________________________________
Panny lives in a student dormitory and every weekend travels far to spend some time with his family,
returning to the dormitory very early Monday morning. He does well in the English class but never
comes on Fridays. Is this alright?

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APPENDIX THREE EXTRA GAMES

NAME GAME

All players sit in a circle. Each repeats their name once. One says their name twice, then someone elses.
That person says their name twice, then someone else's, and so on...

I WILL NEVER LAUGH

One player is 'it', and can only say one word, a fruit or vegetable, such as 'potato'. Another player asks
them questions and they can only answer with this one word. Time them and stop when they either smile
or laugh. Winner is the questioner who got their target to laugh the soonest.

'What is your name?'

'Potato.'

'Where are you from?

'Potato.'

Etc.

TIME LINE

The students are not allowed to speak, only gesture, and must try and line up in order of age.

BODY-BINGO

Each player gets a bingo square and each cell has a 'find someone who' type question. They need to go
around the class asking questions of their classmates, and if someone answers yes to one of the
questions, the square can be marked (with their name). The winner is the first to get a line, horizontal,

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vertical or diagonal.. Suggested questions: find someone who: likes tv; plays football; reads science
fiction; enjoys camping; snores; has petted a cat recently; enjoys shopping; has a nickname; is scared of
lightening; likes pizza; can touch nose with tongue; likes going to the movies; has visited California;
enjoys playing tennis; can change a tire; is wearing jeans; has a sister; can sew on a button; was born in
the summer; can boil an egg. -- Or use the template in appendix five

CATCH A CELEB

Write the name of famous people on sticker. Attach one sticker on each students back while they are
lined up facing in the same direction. They have to write down the names of their classmate's celebrities
while hiding their own. Winner gets the most names (set a time limit).

SPOT THE CHANGES

Half the class go out the room. The other half make ten changes to the room and or themselves. The
students come back and individually try and notice. Winner is the person who either notices the most
changes or notices ten first.

FREE DREAMING

Players fill in a table, questions about their ideal life. If life were perfect... . Have the students fold up
the paper and put in in a hat/bag. Mix them up and give them back out. Now students read the answers
to the paper they picked and try to guess whose it is. Suggested questions: where would you live
describe your work what three main hobbies would you have what kind of car would you drive what
pets would you have what three foods would be on your weekly menu What three pieces of music would
be in your collection what kind of clothes would you wear describe your home who would live in your
house and what would they be like.

CONSENSUS GAME, ALSO GOOD AS A FREER PRACTICE

Have the students rank a list of things. For example, divide the class into two groups and make a list of
things you might need on a trip to china: money; sleeping bag; Chinese dictionary; camera; novels;
knitting; cooking pot; antibiotics; tea bags; sewing kit; sunglasses; book on Confucius; hiking boots;
umbrella; cat; an evening outfit; sandals; sun hat; peanuts; toothbrush; diary. Other ideas: things needed

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on a tropical island; most stressful activities/events; weekend camping; areas of priority for a
government; how to spend 1000 dollars for the classroom.

At the end, make a grid on the board, as many columns as there are groups and five rows. Row 1, 2 and
3 are the top three, and row 4 and 5 are the lowest-ranking answers. Elicit the groups answers and use
the grid to compare how everyone thinks and stimulate discussion.

BAD LETTER

Nominate a bad letter that students cannot use in a word. Ask them questions and see how long they can
speak for without using the letter. (Obviously, dont choose Z or X for the letter!)

PASS THE BOMB

Students sit in a circle. A key or object is passed around. Shout stop and name a letter, the object keeps
going around. The person who had the object when you shouted must now name five words beginning
with that letter before the object returns to them.

LAST WORD

Put the class into two groups. Shout out a category, eg, hospital. Students shout out all the related
words they can think of, like doctor, needle, medicine etc. When they cant think of another, then say,
going, going GONE!, and the last word is the winner.

WHATS MY LINE?

Have one student sit at the front facing the rest of the class. Write an occupation on the board. The
student facing the other asks questions about their job and the other students can only answer yes or
no, and the person by the board tries to guess what the job is.

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 FIRST ESL LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TEACHERS
NUMBER CRUNCH

Ask the students to think of any number under 20 and write it on the board, do this seven times, i.e. have
seven different numbers. Now ask one student for a number between 100 and 500.

Now set a time limit and the students use the seven smaller numbers to get as close as possible to the
large number, so they can add them together, minus, times them etc.

As the instructions are a little bit complicated, you might want to put a simplified game on the board and
complete it yourself so they can see what to do.

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APPENDIX FOUR

Love is ____________________________ Life is ____________________________

Religion is ____________________________ A friend is ____________________________

Dogs are ____________________________ Being old is ____________________________

Music is ____________________________ Happiness is ____________________________

Art is ____________________________ Happiness is ____________________________

Children are ____________________________ Being young is ____________________________

Love is ____________________________ Life is ____________________________

Religion is ____________________________ A friend is ____________________________

Dogs are ____________________________ Being old is ____________________________

Music is ____________________________ Happiness is ____________________________

Art is ____________________________ Happiness is ____________________________

Children are ____________________________ Being young is ____________________________

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 FIRST ESL LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TEACHERS

APPENDIX FIVE BODY BINGO TEMPLATE

Note: this is localized for Cambodia (where I work). You could think of making a rule that each student
name can only be used once, or only used once per line etc. depending on the size of the class.

Was born in a capitol

Has more than one Is older than 20 Has a pet
city
brother

can drive a motorbike likes Thai food can draw

has been on a ship

wasnt sick at all last

likes K-pop went abroad last year
can sing year

has good eyesight is strong rarely eats chocolate

has a foreign friend

Was born in a capitol

Has more than one Is older than 20 Has a pet
city
brother

can drive a motorbike likes thai food can draw

has been on a ship

wasnt sick at all last

likes kpop went abroad last year
can sing year

has good eyesight is strong rarely eats chocolate

has a foreign friend

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LAST APPENDIX

The following pictures are the first handouts, Should you or shouldnt you Depending both on your
needs and/or artistic ability, you have three choices. Either you can copy the completely formatted
version and the students simply circle yes or no as you ask the questions or you can photocopy the
basic unformatted pictures and write customized questions on in your own hand and photocopy that
sheet, -- or lastly just use the pictures as prompts to make your own version from scratch. Whichever
choice you make, just remember to keep any written English as simple as possible.

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 FIRST ESL LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TEACHERS

In class, should you or shouldn't you...

Eat food Drink Be on time

Bring your books Use a dictionary Ask Questions and

speak English only

Answer the phone Answer a boss Answer a friend

Circle the best answers Page 17

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 FIRST ESL LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TEACHERS
If you found this document useful, then please check out my complete video course specifically for beginning
esl teachers. The games in this document are just the ice breakers for the first lesson or so. My complete course
teaches how to actually teach, construct lessons and lesson plans, teach pronunciation, grammar etc. plus new
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https://www.udemy.com/beginner-esl-teaching/?couponCode=NEWSTARTFORYOU

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Please acknowledge myself (JA Starr) as the author and provide/maintain the links to:

https://www.facebook.com/BeginnerESLTeaching/

https://www.udemy.com/beginner-esl-teaching/

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