ESL Lesson Plans

Select from 1,454 free downloadable PDF lesson plans, with answers and teachers' notes where needed, for all levels, including exam lessons for ESL/EFL teachers. Use the navigation below to browse our English lesson plans.

A Treasure Trove of ESL Lesson Plans for Teachers

Dive into the vast collection at UsingEnglish.com, where over 1,454 meticulously crafted PDF lesson plans await you. Where necessary, these plans come with answers and teachers' notes, ensuring that you're well-equipped for all levels, including exam lessons. Whether you're teaching beginners or advanced students, this resource promises high-quality content that can make your lesson planning seamless and effective. We provide you with rich and diverse topics, all tailored for the ESL/EFL teaching community.

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Latest Added or Updated Lesson Plans

Needs Analysis- Extended Speaking and Instant Practice

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | Students give mini-presentations on using English, roleplay typical situations where they need to use their English skills, then discuss how to improve their knowledge and abilities outside the classroom.

Needs Analysis and Aptis Speaking Part One Practice

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | A good first lesson for Aptis preparation, with students first answering questions to find out their language learning needs, then talking about the same typical Speaking Part One topics in more exam style, then finally linking it to real-life small talk.

Nationality Words- Syllables And Stress

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | Two fun card games to practise how many syllables nationality words have and/ or which syllable they are stressed on, good for both words to talk about different places and as an easy introduction to syllables and word stress.

Nationality Words- Bluffing Game

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | Personalised speaking practice of the language of personal preferences and country and nationality words with a fun lying game, including a coin game variation.

Nationality Word Endings

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | Students practise adding suffixes to country words to make nationality adjectives with two fun matching words with the same endings card games, a slow one based on pelmanism/ the memory game/ pairs, and/ or a fast reactions one based on Snap.

Names of Jobs- Subject Questions Quiz

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | Students practise both subject questions and a wide range of jobs people do vocabulary by setting each other easy quiz questions, then try to remember how suffixes are used to make job nouns.

Multiword Verbs Random Pelmanism Game

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | Students try to make and explain phrasal verbs with a fun card game based on pelmanism/ pairs/ the memory game, but with any combination okay as long as they can justify it.

Movies Vocabulary- Opinions

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | Student learn a lot of useful words and phrases for talking about films while practising the language of opinions, ending with trying to remember and classify the movie vocabulary that they have used.

Movies Vocabulary and Self-Study Discussion

Updated: 18th Mar. 2024 | Students learn movie vocabulary while they discuss how to use English-language films to learn English, good for learner training with a very popular topic of conversation.

Months- Hangman

Updated: 17th Mar. 2024 | Students give hints about what month they are thinking of until their partner can spell that month letter by letter in a hangman spelling game, including personalised speaking and suggested descriptions of what happens in particular months.

Modals of Obligation, Prohibition and Permission- Class Rules

Updated: 17th Mar. 2024 | Students practise "have to" etc as they make rules for things that students should be forced to do, be encouraged to do, be banned from doing etc, then compare with real class rules.

Modals of Deduction Practice- Guess the Sport

Updated: 17th Mar. 2024 | Students use strong and weak modals of probability to guess which sport their partner is describing, with useful names of sports and descriptions of sports phrases, and a modal verbs grammar presentation.

Modals of Deduction - Guess the Country

Updated: 17th Mar. 2024 | Students use strong and weak modals of probability to make guesses as their partners give hints on which places they are thinking of, first with countries and then with cities, with a modal verbs grammar presentation in between.

Modals- Language Learning Advice

Updated: 17th Mar. 2024 | Students practise modals of obligation, advice, etc as they discuss good and bad ideas for language learning, also good for learner training.

Modals- Green Initiatives Debate

Updated: 17th Mar. 2024 | Controlled practice of have to, don't have to, etc with students' own ideas for green policies, then adding the right modal verbs to suggested ecologically friendly ideas, with useful environmental vocabulary.

Meeting People- Phrases

Updated: 16th Mar. 2024 | Students use and try to memorise typical responses in social situations with people you know and don't know such as how to answer common small talk questions, in four stages.

Meeting People & Meeting People Again

Updated: 16th Mar. 2024 | Fun presentation and practice of phrases for meeting people for the very first time and people you already know with a quick reactions game, followed by trying to remember those phrases and thinking of similar language for smoothly ending those chats.

Meeting People- Key Words, Phrases, Dialogues and Topics

Updated: 16th Mar. 2024 | A comprensive review of language and tactics for effective meeting for the first time and again, including memorising the most useful phrases, looking at typical confusions, and discussing what topics are good and not in particular situations.

Meeting People- Jigsaw Dialogues and Useful Phrases

Updated: 16th Mar. 2024 | Students roleplay first and later meetings at conferences, classify phrases for meeting for the first time and again, put them in order, then test each other on the phrases and situations.

Meeting People and Small Talk Yes/No Questions Games

Updated: 16th Mar. 2024 | Practising closed question formation through typical questions for social situations such as yes/ no questions for starting conversations, ending with students trying to remember the questions they just used, plus an optional coin game.

Meeting for the first time and again- needs analysis and questions review

Updated: 16th Mar. 2024 | Students interview each other with typical small talk questions for new or old contacts - great as a first class, especially in Social English preparation courses.

Medical English- Present Progressive Mimes

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Students act out and guess actions related to health and medicine, with medical English vocabulary synonyms presentation and practice.

Medical Controversies- Vocabulary and Discussion

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Students ask for and give opinions on medical controversies based on discussion questions, suggested topics, suggested opinions phrases and more in-depth discussions of mind over body.

Making Self-Study Tips- Linking Words Practice

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Learner training and practice of conjunctions and other linking phrases through discussion of good advice on studying English outside class, including contrasting similar linking words and expressions.

Making Arrangements- Phone Calls Game

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Fun competitive practice of phone calls and making arrangements, with students trying to make the most new things to their schedules, with future time expressions practice and presentation.

Making Arrangements- Cultural Differences Modal Practice

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Students use modal verbs and similar forms like "have to" to discuss cultural norms in making arrangements, brainstorm language for doing those things, then use modal verbs to suggest arrangements, say no politely, etc.

Make Your Own Conditionals- Discussion Questions

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Students use suggested question stems and topics to make first conditional, second conditional, 3rd conditional and mixed conditional conversation questions for each other, with a suggested link to a Business Partner B2 video.

Make Sentences from Syllables- Scrabble Game

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Fun practice of counting and making words with the right number of syllables through a game based on Scrabble, putting words of different lengths together to make example sentences to get right of cards.

Love and Relationships Vocabulary

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Practising love and relationships vocabulary through a fun Q&A truth or dare coin game, with a personal relationships vocabulary phrasal verbs, other idioms and other collocations presentation.

Looking at Both Sides- Dominoes

Updated: 15th Mar. 2024 | Fun presentation or practice of phrases for looking at both pros and cons through a matching card game based on dominoes, particularly good for speaking in EAP classes and speaking exams such as IELTS Speaking Part Three.

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