Planning a class that keeps learners talking is hard when time is short. These esl lesson plan ideas show you four frameworks (PPP, TTT, ESA and TBL) and how to match one to your learners’ level.
For a wider toolkit of materials, see our guide to esl teaching resources.
| Item | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Dominant frameworks under Communicative Language Teaching | Four (4): PPP, TTT, ESA, TBL |
| Decade PPP was mainly developed | 1970s |
| Steps in a basic task-based lesson | Three (3): pre-task, task, review/feedback |
| Test-Teach-Test for beginners | Not suitable for beginner levels |
| How an Engage-Study-Activate lesson must begin | With an Engage phase |
These figures come from a TESOL training provider’s framework guide and an ESL activities site’s task-based learning overview. Guidance can change, so check the sources before you rely on them.
Choose a framework before you choose activities
A lesson planning framework is a step-by-step structure that helps you meet language and communication goals. Different frameworks suit different aims, class levels and needs, according to the same framework guide.
Under Communicative Language Teaching, that guide names four dominant frameworks:
- PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production): the most structured option.
- TTT (Test, Teach, Test): assessment first, then targeted teaching.
- ESA (Engage, Study, Activate): a flexible mix of three kinds of activity.
- TBL (Task-Based Learning): a task drives the lesson, and language focus comes later.
The guide describes these as moving from “weak” to increasingly “strong” communicative approaches. The continuum depends on how much structure you give for presenting language, and how much freedom learners get to use it, as the guide explains.
Whatever you pick, write the plan down. An ESL resource site advises less experienced teachers to prepare detailed plans with one or two variations of tasks and exercises in case things go wrong. At the very least, keep an organised list of activities in a sensible order.
A PPP lesson plan for teaching new grammar
PPP was mainly developed in the 1970s, as the shift to Communicative Language Teaching began in earnest. It is the framework most commonly used in course books, especially for lower levels, according to the framework guide. Knowing it helps you work out what a course book activity is trying to achieve.
One TEFL training blog describes a simple version with five stages in total: the three core stages plus a warmer at the start and a plenary at the end.
- Warmer: introduce the context with an image, a short anecdote or a few questions.
- Presentation: bring out the target language through the warmer’s context.
- Practice: controlled work that stays on the target language.
- Production: learners use the language more freely, speaking or writing.
- Plenary: a short close to the lesson.
Warmer: set the context without using the target language
The warmer should be short and relatable for your learners’ age and level. The same blog advises you to avoid the target language at this point, because students do not know it yet (TEFL training blog). For more ways to open a class, try these esl warm-up activities.
Presentation: elicit, then check meaning
Use the warmer’s context to draw model sentences out of learners with questions they can already answer. Then ask concept checking questions, such as “Is the action in our sentence still happening? Is it finished?” The aim is to cover meaning, form and pronunciation with as little teacher talk as possible, as the TEFL training blog explains.
Pictures can carry a lot of the meaning here, so you may find these english flashcards ideas useful for vocabulary-heavy lessons.
Practice and production: from accuracy to freedom
For controlled practice, the same blog suggests gap-fills, matching tasks, multiple choice or error correction. Let learners swap worksheets and peer check, which saves you marking and encourages autonomy.
Production then gives learners a chance to use the new language in speaking or writing. The framework guide notes that every PPP lesson uses the productive skills, which makes practice meaningful and memorable.
When should you use Test-Teach-Test?
In a Test-Teach-Test lesson, you first assess what learners already know about a language point. Your teaching then targets any gap the test uncovers, or builds on what learners proved they know. A second test shows whether the teaching worked.
Because you cannot test learners on something they have not been taught, TTT is not suitable for beginner levels, according to the framework guide. It also notes the framework is popular in courses that help students achieve higher scores in standardized tests such as IELTS or TOEFL.
A practical way to try it with an intermediate class:
- Give a short gap-fill on one grammar point and collect the results.
- Teach only the errors that appeared most often.
- Finish with a speaking or writing task that shows whether the gap has closed.
Engage-Study-Activate for flexible lessons
Jeremy Harmer proposed ESA as a response to the shortcomings of highly structured PPP, as the framework guide reports. Lessons move among engaging students in a topic, studying language points, and activating language to reach a communication goal.
The one fixed rule is that you begin with an Engage phase, an activity that sets the context and gets students interested. After that, there is no obligatory order or number of phases, so a lesson might include several Activate phases around a Study phase.
For example, you could open with a photo discussion, let learners complete a short communication task, study the language they struggled with, and then repeat the task. The main purpose of ESA is to bring genuine communication into any lesson while still leaving room for language work.
Task-based lesson ideas for real communication
In task-based learning, students complete a specific task in pairs or small groups using whatever language they need, as an ESL activities site explains. The task is not about language: it might be organising an event, conducting an everyday transaction or doing a survey, according to the framework guide.
The same activities site also lists presentations, information gap activities, justifying an opinion and solving a problem as task types. It describes a three-step lesson (source):
- Pre-task: introduce the task, show examples of finished work and set minimum expectations.
- Task: learners work in pairs or groups while you monitor. Aim for fluency and communication, not high accuracy.
- Review and feedback: learners present their results, and you note errors you hear more than once to use as class feedback.
Plan carefully, because lesson planning can take longer than with PPP and course books are not usually designed for this style. If learners lack the language to complete a task, the lesson can slide back into a more traditional one. The biggest problem is a poorly designed task: aim for a challenge that is hard enough to make learners work but not so hard they give up.
Fixing common PPP problems
PPP is useful, but a TESOL training blog on PPP pain points lists several issues teachers meet. Each one has a practical fix.
- Practice does not carry into production. Students perform well in controlled practice but struggle in the Production stage. Make sure your production task gives enough support without scripting every sentence.
- Lessons become teacher-centred. Long grammar explanations turn learners into passive listeners. Elicit language with concept questions instead of lecturing.
- Lessons become repetitive. PPP can turn predictable if used mechanically. Add games, role plays, authentic materials or problem-solving tasks.
- Mixed levels. Stronger students may dominate pair work while weaker students struggle to participate, so monitor pairs closely.
The same blog says variations such as task-based learning and Engage-Study-Activate are key to overcoming the repetition problem. That makes framework-switching one of the easiest ways to refresh your classes.
Frequently asked questions
Which framework is best for beginners?
Show answer
PPP is a sensible starting point. The framework guide says its structure and predictability make it very useful for teaching grammar at lower levels, while TTT is not suitable for beginners (source).
How detailed should my lesson plan be?
Show answer
It depends on your experience. Less experienced teachers should prepare detailed plans with variations in case things go wrong, while more experienced teachers can use simpler ones, according to an ESL resource site.
Can I mix frameworks in one course?
Show answer
Yes. The PPP pain-points blog recommends variations such as task-based learning and Engage-Study-Activate to keep lessons from becoming repetitive (source).
What should I do after a task-based activity?
Show answer
Have learners present their results, then note language errors you hear more than once. Use these notes for class feedback or as a topic for another lesson (source).
