Lesson planning for new ESL instructors [with free lesson plan]

I was absolutely terrified the first time I stood in front of my middle school English class. Though I had prepared for this moment for months in my TEFL course, looking back there’s little you can fully prepare you for having 30 pairs of eyes on you at once. I was their teacher and they were waiting for instructions.

In my first few classes, the lesson plans I created as part of my TEFL course lasted little over half of my class time. Though my students loved me for letting them out of class early, I felt underwhelmed. It took some practice and a review of my TEFL training to finally create the ideal lesson plan for my full hour of class.

Luckily for you, I’ve put together a couple of these lesson plans that will help you in your ESL classroom and save you the trial and error. These are downloadable so you can take them anywhere.

The topics of these lesson plans, transportation and food, are universal - feel free to adapt them to any age group. They are suitable for students who are comfortable speaking English in front of others and can participate in an open discussion in English.

My advice to you in your first few classes is to be patient, to always prepare an extra activity or lesson and to have fun! Your students will teach you as much as you will teach them.