Lesson Plans: Modals

ESL lesson plans for teachers of the English language. Check out our collection of lesson plans filed under the 'Modals' grammar topic.

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Abilities of Animals Can/ Can’t Games

What animals can and can't do games.
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Can & Can’t Drawing Coin Game

Modals of ability practice, flipping a coin to decide what to draw, and guessing what the other person's drawings mean, including fun things to sketch like "The beetle can drive a car".
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Can & Can’t- Coin Games

Fun practice of abilities modals with a coin for finding things in common, getting particular answers, bluffing, guessing and finding differences.
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Can a kangaroo drink your blood? Animal Abilities Mix and Match

Students make funny and then serious questions on the abililties of animals to practise can and can't by turning flaps in a book
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Can and Be Able to Present and Past Ability Discussion Questions

Speaking practice of the past of can/ can't through discussion questions, with a grammar presentation and freer practice through question stems.
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Can you eat your house? Abilities Mix and Match

Making funny and sensible "Can you...?" questions activities.
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Can, can’t and prepositions dice game

Prepositions of position and abilities dice game.
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Christmas- Modals of deduction

Guessing how likely descriptions are to be about Xmas in different countries
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Conspiracy Theories- Speculating about the Present and Past Practice

Present and past probability and possibility phrases practice on the topic of conspiracy theories across the world, including past modals of deduction.
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Festivals and Celebrations- Modals of Obligation, Prohibition and Permission

Students discuss what rules they want for Xmas and then for other seasonal events for practice of modals and similar language like have to and allowed to, good for business grammar classes.
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Good and taboo can for ability questions

Fun can/ can't practice with real small talk questions using that language, and a little cultural training
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Guess the Place- Speculating Practice

Practising speculating with modals of deduction etc with a guessing game, including names of places vocabulary.
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Making Arrangements- Cultural Differences Modal Practice

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.
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Modals of Deduction - Guess the Country

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.
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Modals of Deduction Practice- Guess the Sport

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.
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Modals of Obligation, Prohibition and Permission- Class Rules

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.
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Modals Review

Modals with probability and other meanings review
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Modals- Green Initiatives Debate

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.
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Modals- Language Learning Advice

Students practise modals of obligation, advice, etc as they discuss good and bad ideas for language learning, also good for learner training.
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Questions with can dice games

Yes/ No questions with can speaking game
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World History Past modals of possibility and probability discussion questions

must/ might/ may/ could + have + past participle to discuss likely and unlikely explanations for historical events
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Xmas things with can and can’t games

Can you for abilities questions on Christmas vocabulary, including testing each other on actions, noises, spelling and pronunciation

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