Planning a Lesson or a Series of Lessons

Meaning: These are the broad goals of your lesson. They describe what you want learners to achieve in terms of content and skills.

Why it matters: Teaching aims give direction. Without them, lessons risk drifting into unrelated tasks.

ESL Example (Science – Recycling):

• Aim: Learners will understand recycling processes and why they are important.
• Aim: Learners will develop the ability to classify everyday objects by material.

Tip for teachers: Always write aims from the learner’s perspective. Instead of “to teach about recycling,” write “learners will understand recycling processes.”

Meaning: This focuses on learning outcomes—clear statements of new knowledge, skills, or attitudes gained during the lesson.

Why it matters: Learning outcomes help you measure success. They also make it clear to learners what they are working towards.

ESL Example (Geography – Maps):

• Before: Learners know basic directions (north, south, east, west).
• After: Learners can measure distances on a map using a scale.
• Learning outcome: “By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to measure and describe distances between landmarks using map scales.”

Tip for teachers: Always check whether outcomes are achievable (realistic for your class) and measurable (you can see if learners succeed).

Meaning: Learners should connect new knowledge with what they already know. Planning should show which parts review old content and which introduce new material.

Why it matters: Revisiting reinforces memory and gives learners confidence. New content stretches their knowledge without overwhelming them.

ESL Example (Science – Materials):

• Revisit: Names of common materials (wood, glass, paper, plastic).
• New: Properties such as transparent/opaque, flexible/rigid, and the concept of magnetism.

Tip for teachers: Mark revisited content clearly in your plan. Build a short warm-up activity around it before moving to new material.

Meaning: Communication refers to how learners will use language in the lesson. This includes vocabulary, grammar structures, and functions (e.g., describing, comparing, hypothesizing).

Why it matters: In CLIL, learners must use language to process and express subject content. Without structured opportunities, they may stay silent.

ESL Example (Recycling Lesson):

• Vocabulary: bottle, can, paper, glass, recycle, reuse, reduce.
• Structures: “This bottle is made of glass.” / “I think it can be recycled.”
• Function: Classifying and describing.

Tip for teachers: Plan both receptive communication (listening, reading) and productive communication (speaking, writing).

Meaning: CLIL does not only teach facts. It develops cognitive skills such as remembering, comparing, classifying, reasoning, predicting, or evaluating.

Why it matters: Thinking skills prepare learners to transfer knowledge across subjects and use English in higher-level tasks.

ESL Example (Science – Magnetism):

• Skill: Predicting which materials are magnetic.
• Skill: Classifying objects into magnetic/non-magnetic groups.
• Skill: Explaining reasoning (“I think it’s magnetic because it is made of metal”).

Tip for teachers: Use Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs (classify, compare, explain, evaluate, hypothesize) when writing thinking skills into your lesson plan.

Meaning: Tasks are the specific activities learners engage in to meet aims and outcomes.

Why it matters: Tasks are the bridge between theory and practice. They must be engaging, meaningful, and designed for interaction.

ESL Example (Recycling Lesson):

• Task 1: Learners sort real objects into recyclable and non-recyclable groups.
• Task 2: Learners create posters showing “3 ways to reduce waste at home.”
• Task 3: In pairs, learners explain their posters to classmates.

Tip for teachers: Always vary tasks—include individual, pair, and group work. This keeps energy high and caters to different learning styles.

Meaning: Language support refers to scaffolding tools that help learners use subject-specific English successfully.

Why it matters: Without support, learners may know the content but lack the language to express it.

ESL Example (Science – Magnetism):

• Word cards with key vocabulary (magnetic, non-magnetic, smooth, rough).
• Sentence starters: “I think it will stick because…,” “This object is made of….”
• Graphic organizers like Venn diagrams for classification.

Tip for teachers: Anticipate where learners might struggle with language and prepare tools in advance.

Meaning: Materials include anything you use to present content and support learning—worksheets, visuals, real objects, digital resources.

Why it matters: Well-chosen resources make abstract concepts clear and provide real-world context.

ESL Example (Recycling Project):

• Worksheets with pictures of recyclable items.
• Realia (plastic bottles, cans, jars, cardboard).
• Online videos showing recycling processes.
• Digital maps for geography connections.

Tip for teachers: Always check materials in advance for both subject difficulty and language load. Adapt if needed.

Meaning: Evaluation checks whether learners have met the learning outcomes. It can be formative (ongoing) or summative (at the end).

Why it matters: Evaluation provides evidence of progress for both teacher and learners.

ESL Example (Recycling Lesson):

• Teacher observation checklist (Did learners classify correctly? Did they use target vocabulary?).
• Peer feedback on posters (“One good thing, one suggestion”).
• Quick quiz: Match symbols with recycling materials.

Tip for teachers: Don’t rely only on written tests. In CLIL, oral responses, group tasks, and project work also show learning.