Ideas for Teaching Intermediate ESL Students

Finding ESL lesson plans ideas can sometimes be difficult. Here are a few, free lesson plan ideas for you to use with an Intermediate ESL class. Each idea may be adapted for various ability levels, or even other English classrooms. Each idea comes with an objective and material ideas.

1. Writing Activity

-Objective: To help reinforce English vocabulary students have been learning and give context base for writing

-Materials: paper and pencil

-Have students choose a hobby that they would want to share with the class. Have the student describe a step by step activity based within that hobby, such as how to dribble a basketball, or how to draw a dog. Then have other students read the description and try to learn how to do the activity based on the instructions. Explanation may be in order for how to write step by step instructions and teacher should do an in class example.

2. Sustained Reading and Reading Log

-Objective: To continue the teach the joy of reading in a pressure free environment

-Materials: Book of student's choice and a notebook

-Give students time in class to read books of their choice, maybe occasionally giving recommendations. Have students keep track of their reading.

3. Reading Reaction

-Objective: To measure comprehension of heard reading

-Materials: Book chosen by teacher, paper and pencil

-Teacher chooses a novel or novella to read to the class. The class will keep a notebook or notes on the reading, keeping track of main ideas and plot themes. This may be used in conjunction with explaining plot outlines. Students will also keep track of questions they have and will be asked at various times to write reactions on the reading. This activity may be an ongoing assignment for a couple days or weeks, being given a certain time.

4. Choose Your Own Ending

-Objective: To teach students to continue a theme and help their understanding of the aspects of a story.

-Materials: paper and pencil

-After having students read almost an entire book, or after reading it to the class, the students are forbidden to know the ending right away. Students will then write their own ending, how they think the story will end. Have students share their ideas and why they think the story will end the way they chose. Discuss the plot points and contextual clues that gave them the ideas. Finally, read the end of the story and discuss the similarities and differences in their ideas.

5. In Class Writing Journals

-Objective: To allow students an opportunity to write in response to prompts by the teacher. Allows students to take ideas and let them flow, using the English language.

-Materials: Notebook, pencil

-Have students keep a notebook and each day have them write a response to different prompts provided by the teacher. This is a good way to keep track of the student's writing progression and to give keys to where a student may need extra help in their writing.

6. Reader's Theater

-Objective: To teach students about different types of literature and give them an opportunity to act out what they comprehend in their reading.

-Materials: Play/book, props chosen by students

-Students will act out a scene or section of a book, using props if they so choose. This gives an opportunity for the students to show what they understand in their reading and to have a little bit of fun with it.

7. Real World Language in Real World Situations

-Object: To reinforce the use of English in certain situations. This teaches differing dialects and language coding used for audiences.

-Materials: Strips of paper with certain real life situations on them. Props if you so choose.

-Write a particular scenario on the board, like a job interview or asking for change on the board. Give each group of students a particular audience i.e. Rich executive, Urban street corner, have the students act out their particular scene for the class and discuss the different language styles used for different audiences and situations.

8. Current Events

-Object: To give students context based reading habits and an understanding of the different places where they can find reading. Also, it gives them an idea of how language differs in different contexts.

-Materials: News Article, piece of paper

-Have students find an article about their home country or, if they can't, about a different country and then discuss what is going on. Have the students present the event to the class and then discuss it. You may also want to discuss different writing styles, like news writing to bring in more language based instruction with the article. Have the students write a reaction to the article to turn in.

Remember that the key to a successful classroom is to use background experiences in anything you do to help the students relate and build upon what they've learned. And most of all, remember to have fun!