Present, Practice, Produce: A Basic Lesson Structure by Sara Davila

Lesson Plan Elements A typical lesson plan has several common parts. These areas will be seen in all lesson plans regardless of the type of format or framework a lesson plan follows. Lesson plans for EFL can follow several frameworks including PPP, R-PPP, Hunter Style, PDP, EIF, and the IOF. While many frameworks for lesson the mostly widely used for planning EFL lessons is the PPP. The elements of the lesson include key indicators to guide teachers who may be following a lesson written by another professional. First there is the opening area of the lesson which typically includes a title, objectives, and materials to be used in the lesson. The title is a quick set of keywords that when read easily summarize what the content of the lesson will be. This includes title such as Hobbies Present Tense or Things from My School Practice. Titles clearly describe the types of materials that will be introduce or reviewed during the course of the lesson. Lesson plan objectives are also included in the opening area of the lesson plan. The objectives are designed to clearly state the goals of the lesson that is planned. These goals include linguistic goals as well as communicative goals, goals for group or pair work, individual work goals, material completion goals, and goals of usage. In general teachers are encouraged to write objectives for lessons that are either observable or demonstrable by students while working in the lessons. For example teachers may be tempted to write Students understand present progressive sentences. While this objective states what students will do in the lesson a teacher cannot know or observe student understanding of present progressive sentences. To create a clearly observable objective the previous could be rewritten as follows Students will answer a question using a present progressive sentence. Now the objective is demonstrable and a teacher watching can observe success while working through the lesson. This is especially useful when teachers begin to plan internal assessment in the lesson plan. Also included in the opening area of a lesson plan are areas for list of materials. The materials list includes all items used in the lesson or parts that need to be prepared for a lesson. For example materials might include: paper, pencils, erasers. For a lesson where students need to use precreated materials the list might include: 12 inch circles pre-cut. Materials allow for easy planning of a lesson and smooth completion. Sometimes included in an opening area are anticipatory issues sets. This spaces allow teachers to think about potential difficulties with lesson and present possible solutions or items to prepare to prevent or address issues as they arise during instruction. This area can be filled out by a teacher completing the lesson the first time or they could be written after a prior experience with the lesson and provided to assist understanding and planning of the lesson by new teachers.

After the opening area teachers will next see the procedural area. The procedural area is broken down to follow the framework of the lesson being taught. While the details will vary from framework to framework the procedural area will usually include the different steps of the lesson, an estimation of the time of completion for each parts and a description of how to assess lesson success. The procedural areas may also include teacher scripting or potential teachers/student student/student conversation and group staging or planning. In the assessment area of the procedural section teachers will find information on what questions to ask or what actions/responses to observe while students are working to know if students are processing and learning the information of the lesson. These assessment tactics generally address how teacher will know that students are meeting the objectives and are based closely on the stated objectives of the lesson. What follows is information on the procedural breakdown of a PPP lesson plan framework.

Types of Lessons
There are two types of lesson plans that can be conducted in the English language classroom, these types being based on the kinds of skills that students are expected to work with during the lesson. The two types of lesson plan are broken into receptive skills (reading and listening) and productive skills (speaking and writing). In the EFL classroom both types of lessons are beneficial to the learner and allow students to develop strengths in the respective areas. While the type of plan suggests the specific focus and objective of the lesson it does not eliminate the need for other skills. Indeed a productive lesson will incorporate a great deal of listening and reading, and a receptive lesson can call for a high amount of speaking and writing. While the focus is on the type of skill teachers should always keep in mind how all skills can be incorporated into the lesson plan. When talking about production, particularly speaking production, it is important to keep in mind that demonstration of productive skills in a lesson is the use of time for student to student speaking. Direct communication with peers it the best use of productive speaking time and works towards the goals of EFL teachers as facilitators of communication. Using in class time for teacher to student communication is important, however when students are responding directly to the teacher or engaging the teacher in one to one conversation, this speaking production is controlled practice. Production is when students are allowed to speak freely, engage each other, use the language comfortable, and be free to make mistakes or errors. Free production is the backbone of EFL communicative education and the role of the classroom teacher. The PPP framework for constructing lesson plans works well for both productive or receptive skills lessons.

Productive Skills In a productive skills lesson imagine the PPP as a triangle :

The triangle allows the teacher to visualize the time used in the lesson. In a productive lesson the time for student to student production of language is the greatest use of in class time and resources. Generally the time breaks down as follow:

In a productive skills plan the Presentation time is used to introduce new language and key phrases. This can include use of power point, flash cards, vocabulary pictures, chanting, repetition drills, direct elicitation from the students, posters and information on the white board.

During the Practice phase of a productive skills plan teacher have students practice with controlled activities. This can include: A worksheet, teacher presented questions that students answer, teacher asking a question, having one student answer, and then the entire class repeat, questions with correct and incorrect answers, a patterned dialogue, peer to peer flashcards, or reading and repeating with the blackboard or white board. The key to remember with practice in a productive skills plan is the use of correct or incorrect answers. During the practice phase there are clearly defined correct or incorrect uses of language. This is also the phase in which the teacher listens and corrects for errors. This allows the students to practice and learn correctness. The Production phase of the productive skills lesson is when students have the opportunity to speak in pairs or in groups with peers without too much structure being provided by the teacher. Activities can include students writing questions to ask peers based on the topics, students creating a dialogue based on the topic, students providing personal information without structure, students using flashcard with unique answers, students using structured questions with unique answers, students playing a game with unique answers, and students using information from the board or the practice activity but in a personalized and unique manner. This time is free from error, as the purpose is production not correctness. Receptive Skills To understand the time in a receptive skills plan it helps to imagine a diamond shape.

The time breaks down in a Receptive Skills PPP plan as follows:

As can be seen in the receptive skills plan the largest amount of time is spent in the practice phase where students have a chance to engage the language but a focus is placed on correct or incorrect answers. In the Presentation phase of the receptive skills plans the teacher introduces the new information or key phrases that may be used in the listening or reading activity. This could include flash cards, drills, chants, vocabulary with pictures, the use of power point, or eliciting information from the students. Following students begin the practice phase. During this phase the teacher leads a student through activities to help with information processing presented in the reading or listening activity. Here the focus is on overall comprehension broken into stages. I personally break this into five stages moving from general comprehension to detailed examination of the information in the activity. The stages I use are as follows: 1. General: What is it about? Very broad non-specific question 2. More detail one: Where do you think they are? What do you think they are doing? More detailed but still broad 3. More detail two: What are their names? What is the name of the place? What are they doing? More detailed, less broad, more specific answers. 4. More detailed three: What is this person doing? Why are they doing it? Where are they? Why are they there? Much more detailed, very specific answers. 5. More detailed four: How are they doing this? How do they feel? Why? What are they using? Can you find the key expression? Can you find the vocabulary words? How is it being used? Very specific, very detailed Through this five stage practice students have an opportunity to listen or read multiple times while taking a deep look at the material or content that is being worked with. The use of correct and incorrect answers allows teachers to examine student understanding of the material. Finally in the production stage of the receptive skills lesson students use the information from the lesson and personalize. Again this time is free of error. Activities include: discuss the listening/reading with a partner, tell your partner what you would do if it were you, write a journal

entry about a time when you felt this way, and use the vocabulary or key expressions in your own story.

Creating a Lesson in the PPP Style

PPP Lesson Plan Framework The Present, Practice, Production (PPP) lesson plan has three core parts. New language, such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary, is given to students during the Present stage. In the second stage, Practice, students are then allowed to work with the new language they were just given. This can be accomplished in the form of individual, pair, or group work. In the third stage, students are given tasks that allow them to reinforce the new content through production: dialogues, role-plays, written work, and so on. In the PPP lesson plan is designed to generate interest, recall past work, or to lower the affective filter. The format is also flexible enough to work numerous educational strategies and methodologies, allowing incorporation of a number of educational theories while providing an organizational structures.

Presentation During this stage teachers make an introduction to the language. The purpose is to provide vocabulary, structures, or information that will help students use the language while working through the lesson. Depending on the educational method teachers choose to you the introduction could vary. Some possibilities for an introduction are below. For the example below the lexical topic is the family. Multiple Intelligences In a class structured on a multiple intelligences format the introduction could include showing pictures of a family (visual) asking students to point to each person in the family as the vocabulary word is introduced (bodily kinesthetic), and saying each word in a chant (verbal, musical). Communicative In a class using communicative methodology the teacher can ask students who the people in their family are. Ask students to write the names of the people on the family in their paper or on their notebook. Then have students tell a partner about the family members. Task Based Learning In a task based classroom the teacher may show students a family tree. Have students name each family member in the family tree. This would also be an introduction to a family tree task.

Practice The practice phase of the lesson allows students to practice with the language strucutre or vocabulary in a more controlled way. This provide an opportunity for students to properly understand how the language works before the production stage. As the with presentation stage, the practice stage can fit a number of different educational methods. The examples below continue using the family lexical set. Multiple Intelligences In the multiple intelligences classroom students are provided with a picture of a family (visual) and some basic information about family members (verbal). Students work in teams (interpersonal) to create a family portrait using visuals to represent the information Communicative In the cooperative group classroom students take time to practice the language with flash cards. One student shows the card while a partner says the vocabulary word. Task Based Learning In the tasked based classroom the students use a teacher created information gap to relate information on a family tree. Both students have different family trees and must communicate the information that has been created.

Produce The production stage of the lesson encourages students to use the language of the lesson in new ways. During this stage students will personalize and demonstrate how the language has been internalized. This can include a number of different tasks from varying methodologies to show understanding. The following activities continue with the family lexical set. Multiple Intelligences After completing a family portrait with a group based on teacher presented materials students may choose to create either a personal family tree story book with pictures (intrapersonal, visual, verbal), a song or chant about their own family (musical), or a role play with a partner talking about the people in their family (bodily kinesthic, verbal, interpersonal). Communicative

In a communicative classroom students participate in a circle time activity, dividing the class between the two teachers. In the circle each student takes a turn talking about the members in their family. Task Based Learning In the task based learning classroom after completing a structured information gap based on teacher provided materials, students create a second family tree by sharing information about their own families with a partner. R-PPP The R-PPP lesson plan is very similar to the PPP plan except that in lieu of a warm-up activity, the plan calls for review activities. This format encourages teachers to place greater emphasis on reviewing past material to ensure student retention. During this review stage, the teacher should plan engaging activities that will lower the affective filter while reviewing all of the objectives from the previous session as well as any language targets learned previously that are pertinent to the new lesson. The PPP format provide structure for the creativity teachers demonstrate in the classroom. Through this model teachers can feel organized and ready to engage students in learning that focuses on the language while providing supportive activities to get students to language production.

Sample Lesson Plan Template:

Title of Lesson: _____________________________________________________

Lesson Objectives (vocabulary goals, grammar goals, communicative goals): Students will be able to ______________________________ Students will be able to ______________________________ Students will be able to ______________________________ Students will be able to ______________________________ Materials: _______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Anticipated Problems: _______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Ways to address anticipated problems: _______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Details Assessment Presentation:

Introduction of Content and Language Describe activities that will introduce students to new language, or activities that will refresh the language for a review.

Estimated time: Practice:

Students begin to work with language Describe the activities that show how the students will apply the language personally, or describe how students will practice with previously review language.

Estimated Time: Production:

Students internalize and use language Describe the activities that show how students will use language to

Lesson Plan
Sara Davila
Title (Unit): Its Next to the Subway Station Grade (Level): Middle School (45 minute, mixed ability class) Lesson Focus: Speaking Objectives - Students will be able to describe a specific location of place. - Students will be able to list directions (left, right, across from, straight, near, far). - Students will state directions in response to a question about a specific location. Key Expressions: Students will focus on using the following language:
How do I get to the (Subway station, bank, post office, hospital, store, market) Just go (straight, left, right, on the corner, across from the) I appreciate your help.

Materials: Paper, pencil Procedure Details Review locations of place with Ss. Elicits places Ss know.
T: Today we will talk about places. What place are we in now?

Presentation: Introduction of Content and Language (Time: 10)

Ss: The school. T: Write, what other places do you know? Write places Ss provide on the board. Elicit direction words Ss know. Provide any language Ss do not know. T: Today we will talk about directions. For example, which direction am I pointing in? S: Left. Write all direction vocabulary for the lesson on the board.

On the board draw a quick map that includes some building and streets. Ask Ss to label the map. Have Ss draw the map on paper or in notebooks. Practice: Review giving directions with Ss. Students begin to Ask Ss to label the streets on the map. Draw a starting point or YOU work with ARE HERE point on the map. Have Ss complete the same on their language map. (Time: 10) Divide Ss into pairs. S1 ask how to get to a place from start. S2 provide directions using the map. Monitor and correct as Ss work. Have Ss change roles and repeat with a different location. Continue to work in pairs. Regroup pairs or continue with current partners. Production: Students internalize and use language Have one S close notebook. Partner will have pencil and paper. Ask S1 to describe to S2 directions. The directions should include how to move from their home to the nearest subway. S2 listens and draws a map to the subway, checking with S1 for accuracy of the description of the map. S2 should include any extra details or buildings that relate to vocabulary for the lesson (post office, bank, school, etc). When finished have Ss change roles and repeat. Monitor as Ss work and correct as necessary.

(Time: 20)

Assessments or Other Work (Time: 5)

Have Ss change pairs. Describe directions from previous partners house to new Ss. Continue as time permits.

Anticipated Problems & Solutions: Ss may be unfamiliar with on the corner and across from. Solutions:
Teach during presentation. Monitor during student practice and production periods.