Day 3: Lesson Planning Frameworks
Promise
After this lesson you can choose between three lesson-planning frameworks, PPP, ESA and TBLT, and plan a short lesson with the one that fits your class.
Audience: English teachers and trainee teachers, including adults in Réunion (French first language); plain English A2–B1 in the new parts.
Time to read: 25 minutes · Format: web page
Before you start
You will be able to: name the stages of PPP, ESA and TBLT, say when each one fits, and spot the framework in a lesson plan.
Three words you need first:
- framework — a fixed order of lesson stages.
- controlled practice — exercises with one correct answer, like a gap-fill.
- task — an activity with a real outcome, like a plan or a decision.
You need: about 25 minutes. A lesson you want to plan helps.
📌 Day 3: Lesson Planning Frameworks
📌 Introduction: Why Lesson Planning Matters
In the 1980s, lesson planning was seen as a rigid, bureaucratic process. By the 2010s, frameworks like PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) and ESA (Engage, Study, Activate) became the gold standard.
Today, in 2026, lesson planning is a blend of human creativity and AI integration. Frameworks like TBLT (Task-Based Language Teaching) and Penny Ur’s principles are not just tools—they are the backbone of effective ELT.
📚 Key References
- Ur, P. (2012). A Course in English Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. [corrected 28 Oct 2026]
- Harmer, J. (2015). The Practice of English Language Teaching (5th ed.). Pearson. [corrected 28 Oct 2026]
- Thornbury, S. (2005). How to Teach Speaking. Pearson Longman.
- CELTA Syllabus. Cambridge English. (edition year UNSOURCED)
Segment 1 of 3
📚 PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production)
PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) is a teacher-centered framework designed for structured language input. It is most effective for:
- Introducing new grammar structures (e.g., present perfect, conditionals).
- Teaching functional language (e.g., making requests, giving advice).
- Lower-level classes (A1–B1) where controlled practice is essential.
Theoretical Basis: PPP is rooted in behaviorist learning theory (Skinner, 1957), which posits that language acquisition occurs through habit formation via repetition and reinforcement. It was later adapted for communicative language teaching (CLT) by incorporating a “production” stage (Ur, 1996).
Three Stages of PPP
1. Presentation
Goal: Introduce the target language (grammar/vocabulary) in a clear, contextualized way.
Teacher Actions:
- Elicit what students already know (e.g., “How do we talk about past habits?”).
- Present the language in context (e.g., a dialogue, a story, or a situation).
- Clarify meaning, form, and pronunciation (MFP) using:
- Timelines for tenses (e.g., “I had breakfast before I came here”).
- Concept questions (e.g., “Is this action finished or unfinished?”).
- Phonemic script for pronunciation (e.g., /hæd/ for “had”).
Student Role: Listen, observe, and answer questions. No production yet.
2. Practice
Goal: Provide controlled and semi-controlled practice to reinforce accuracy.
Types of Practice:
| Type | Example Activity | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Controlled | Gap-fill exercises, drills, matching | Focus on form (e.g., “Fill in the blanks with had or did“). |
| Semi-Controlled | Guided role-plays, sentence completion | Focus on meaning + form (e.g., “Ask your partner about their childhood using past simple”). |
Teacher Role: Monitor for errors and provide immediate correction.
3. Production
Goal: Students use the target language freely and creatively in a communicative task.
Example Activities:
- Debates (e.g., “Should children have homework? Use past simple to give examples”).
- Storytelling (e.g., “Describe a memorable trip using past continuous”).
- Problem-solving (e.g., “Plan a party with your partner using will for offers”).
Teacher Role: Facilitate, monitor, and provide delayed error correction (after the activity).
⚠️ Critical Note: PPP is often criticized for being too linear. Modern adaptations (e.g., “PPP Lite”) allow for recycling stages (e.g., returning to practice after production if errors persist).
Example PPP Lesson: Present Perfect for Experiences
Level: A2
Topic: Life experiences (“Have you ever…?”)
1. Presentation
Context: Show a photo of a skydiver and ask:
Board Work:
Meaning: An experience at an unspecified time in the past.
Pronunciation: /hæv/ (weak form: /həv/), stress on participiple (e.g., JUMPED).
CCQs:
- Is the time important? (No)
- Did she do this yesterday? (We don’t know)
- Can she do it again? (Yes)
2. Practice
Controlled: Students complete a gap-fill:
(Answer key: have visited / has eaten / have seen)
Semi-Controlled: Students ask each other using prompts:
- …eaten something strange?
- …traveled alone?
- …met a celebrity?
3. Production
Task: “Find Someone Who…” bingo.
- Have you ever broken a bone? → Sign here if YES
- Have you ever forgotten someone’s name? → Sign here if YES
Teacher Monitoring: Note repeated errors (e.g., “She has went” → correct in delayed feedback).
Pros and Cons of PPP
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
🔍 Research Insight: PPP is most effective when combined with:
- Personalization (e.g., students choose their own examples).
- Task repetition (e.g., repeat the production task with new partners).
- Delayed error correction (e.g., board errors after production).
Source: Ellis, R. (2003). Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching.
Visual 1 — Flow chart
What it shows: the three PPP stages in order.
How to draw it: Draw three boxes in a line with arrows.
The point it makes obvious: Control goes down step by step; freedom goes up.
[ Presentation ] --> [ Practice ] --> [ Production ] teacher shows controlled free use meaning + form exercises of the language teacher control: high ......................... low
EXAMPLE (class in Réunion): An A2 adult class: the teacher shows a timeline for “I have visited Mauritius”, students do a gap-fill, then they ask each other “Have you ever…?” about places on the island.
Check 1: In PPP, which stage gives students the most freedom?
Show the answer
Segment 2 of 3
📚 ESA (Engage, Study, Activate)
ESA (Engage, Study, Activate) is a student-centered framework designed by Jeremy Harmer (1998) to address PPP’s rigidity. It prioritizes:
- Engagement before language input.
- Guided discovery over explicit teaching.
- Flexibility (stages can be recycled).
Theoretical Basis: ESA is rooted in humanistic education (Rogers, 1969) and communicative language teaching (CLT). It assumes that:
- Learners acquire language best when emotionally engaged.
- Language is co-constructed through interaction.
- Teachers are facilitators, not “knowledge transmitters.”
Three Stages of ESA
1. Engage
Goal: Arouse interest and activate schemata (background knowledge).
Techniques:
- Provocative questions (e.g., “What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?”).
- Striking visuals (e.g., a photo of a base jumper for a lesson on adrenaline).
- Personal anecdotes (e.g., “I once got lost in Tokyo…”).
- Controversial statements (e.g., “Homework should be banned. Agree?”).
Teacher Role: Do not teach yet. Focus on generating curiosity and lowering affective filter (Krashen, 1982).
⚠️ Warning: A weak “engage” stage leads to disengaged students during “study.” Spend 3–5 minutes here.
2. Study
Goal: Focus on language analysis (meaning, form, pronunciation) through guided discovery.
Techniques:
| Focus Area | Discovery Activity | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Timelines, concept questions, synonyms/antonyms |
Target: “I wish I had more time.”
CCQs:
|
| Form | Gap-fills, highlighting, reformulation |
“She wishes she could sing.” → Subject + wish(es) + past simple
|
| Pronunciation | Phonemic drills, stress marking, backchaining |
/wɪʃ/ (weak form: /wɪʃt/) → Drill: “wish → she wishes → she wishes she could…”
|
Teacher Role: Guide, don’t lecture. Use elicitation (e.g., “What’s the rule here?”).
3. Activate
Goal: Students use the language freely and creatively in a communicative task.
Key Principles:
- Personalization: Tasks should relate to students’ lives (e.g., “Describe a wish for your future”).
- Authenticity: Use real-world scenarios (e.g., “Plan a trip with your partner”).
- Interaction: Pair/group work > solo work.
- Open-endedness: Avoid tasks with a single “correct” answer.
Example Tasks:
- Role-plays (e.g., “You’re at a job interview. Use ‘wish’ to talk about your weaknesses”).
- Debates (e.g., “Should schools teach handwriting? Use ‘wish’ to argue”).
- Creative writing (e.g., “Write a diary entry using 5 ‘wish’ sentences”).
Teacher Role: Monitor and note errors for delayed correction. Do not interrupt fluency.
Example ESA Lesson: “I wish…” for Regrets
Level: B1
Topic: Hypothetical wishes (“I wish I could…” / “I wish I had…”)
1. Engage
Activity: Show a photo of a lottery winner and ask:
(Students brainstorm in pairs; teacher boards ideas without correction.)
Why it works:
- Personal: Connects to students’ desires.
- Low-pressure: No language focus yet.
- Generates examples for later stages.
2. Study
Language Input: From the boarded examples (e.g., “I wish I had a car”), elicit:
Meaning: A regret or unreal desire.
Pronunciation: /wɪʃ/ (weak: /wɪʃt/) + stress on wished-for item (e.g., “I wish I had a CAR“).
Guided Discovery:
- I wish I had a dog. (present regret)
- I wish I hadn’t eaten that cake. (past regret)
- I wish I could fly. (unreal ability)
3. Activate
Task: “Three Wishes” interview.
- Write 3 wishes (1 present, 1 past, 1 unreal).
- Interview 3 classmates: “What do you wish for? Why?”
- Report back: “Ana wishes she had more time because…”
Teacher Actions:
- Monitor for errors (e.g., “I wish I can swim” → note for later).
- Provide scaffolding (e.g., phrase banks on board).
- Delayed error correction after the task.
Pros and Cons of ESA
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
🔍 Research Insight: ESA is most effective when:
- The “engage” stage is genuinely engaging (not forced).
- The “study” stage uses guided discovery (not explicit teaching).
- The “activate” stage has a clear communicative goal.
Source: Harmer, J. (2015). The Practice of English Language Teaching (5th ed.).
Visual 2 — Flow chart
What it shows: ESA as a flexible order.
How to draw it: Draw E, S and A in a circle with arrows that can go both ways.
The point it makes obvious: Stages can be recycled and reordered; Engage comes before language study.
[ Engage ]
/ \
v v
[ Study ] <--> [ Activate ]
straight arrow: E -> S -> A
boomerang: E -> A -> S -> A
EXAMPLE (class in Réunion): A B1 class: the teacher starts with a photo of a cyclone warning (Engage), students talk about what they wish they had done (Activate), then we study “I wish I had…” (Study) and talk again.
Check 2: Which stage comes first in ESA, and why?
Show the answer
Segment 3 of 3
📚 TBLT (Task-Based Language Teaching)
TBLT (Task-Based Language Teaching) is a learner-centered framework where the primary focus is on meaningful tasks rather than linguistic forms. It is based on:
- Long’s Interaction Hypothesis (1983): Language is acquired through negotiation of meaning.
- Skehan’s Trade-off Hypothesis (1998): Tasks must balance accuracy, fluency, and complexity.
- Willis’s Framework (1996): Tasks should have a clear outcome—a decision, a solution, or a product.
Key Principle: Language is a tool for communication, not an end in itself. Students learn language incidentally while completing tasks.
Three Stages of TBLT
1. Pre-Task
Goal: Prepare students for the task by:
- Activating schemata (e.g., brainstorming vocabulary for a travel task).
- Clarifying instructions (use ICQs; see Day 7).
- Providing input (e.g., a model dialogue for a role-play).
Example: For a “plan a trip” task, pre-teach:
Functional language: “How about…?”, “That’s too expensive,” “Let’s decide on…”
2. Task Cycle
Goal: Students complete the task in pairs/groups with minimal teacher intervention.
Teacher Role:
- Monitor for language gaps (note errors/needs for later).
- Provide scaffolding (e.g., phrase banks on the board).
- Do NOT correct errors during the task (wait for post-task).
Example Task: “Plan a 3-day trip to Réunion Island with a $500 budget.”
Language Focus: Emerges naturally (e.g., “We could stay in a guesthouse if we save on food”).
3. Post-Task
Goal: Focus on language form based on gaps observed during the task.
Activities:
- Language analysis (e.g., board emergent errors: “We will go” → “We could go”).
- Delayed error correction (write 3 common errors on the board; students correct in pairs).
- Task repetition (e.g., “Now plan a trip with a $300 budget—use conditionals!”).
Why it works: Students are primed to notice language because they needed it during the task.
Example TBLT Lesson: Planning a Trip
Level: B1
Task: Plan a 3-day trip to Réunion Island with a $500 budget.
1. Pre-Task
Activities:
- Brainstorm: “What do you need to plan a trip?” (transport, accommodation, activities).
- Input: Show a model itinerary with useful language (e.g., “We could rent a car if we skip the hotel”).
- ICQs:
- “Are you working alone or in pairs?” (Pairs)
- “Do you need to agree on every detail?” (Yes)
- “Will you present your plan to the class?” (Yes)
2. Task Cycle
Student Actions:
- Research options (teacher provides brochures/websites).
- Negotiate with partner: “Should we stay in a hotel or guesthouse?”
- Calculate costs: “If we rent a car, we’ll save on taxis.”
- Create an itinerary (written + oral presentation).
Teacher Actions:
- Note language gaps (e.g., struggles with conditionals).
- Provide scaffolding (e.g., write “If we…, we can…” on the board).
3. Post-Task
Language Focus: Emergent errors from the task:
- “We will go to the volcano” → “We could go…” (1st conditional).
- “The hotel costs $200 for night” → “…per night.”
- “If we will rent a car…” → “If we rent a car…”
Task Repetition: “Now plan a trip with a $300 budget—use at least 3 conditionals!”
Pros and Cons of TBLT
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
🔍 Research Insight: TBLT is most effective when:
- Tasks are carefully designed with clear outcomes.
- Teachers pre-teach essential language (e.g., functional phrases for negotiations).
- There is a post-task language focus (e.g., error correction).
Source: Willis, J. (1996). A Framework for Task-Based Learning. Longman. Related reading on Cambridge Core: Task-Based Language Teaching.
Visual 3 — Flow chart
What it shows: the TBLT cycle in Willis’s framework.
How to draw it: Draw three boxes: pre-task, task cycle, language focus after the task.
The point it makes obvious: Meaning and the task outcome come first; language focus comes after.
[ Pre-task ] --> [ Task cycle ] --------> [ Post-task ] topic + key task -> plan -> report language focus, words (outcome: a plan, a list) practice
EXAMPLE (class in Réunion): Groups plan a weekend trip to the Piton de la Fournaise with a small budget, present their plan, then look at the language they used for suggestions.
Check 3: In TBLT, when does the class focus on language forms?
Show the answer
🤖 AI-Powered Lesson Planning Demo
Enter your lesson topic and level to generate an AI-powered lesson plan outline (PPP/ESA/TBLT):
🎯 Exercises: Test Your Understanding
Exercise 1: Match the Framework to the Scenario
Drag the framework (PPP/ESA/TBLT) to the scenario where it fits best:
Scenario 1: “Your students need to practice the past simple in a controlled way before using it freely.”
Scenario 2: “Your students will plan a class party. The language focus emerges from their discussions.”
Scenario 3: “You start with a provocative question, then analyze language from students’ responses.”
Exercise 2: Critique a Lesson Plan
Read this lesson plan outline. Identify:
- Which framework is it using?
- What’s one strength?
- What’s one weakness? How would you improve it?
Lesson Plan: Past Simple (A2)
- A teacher shows a timeline (yesterday → today) and explains the past simple form.
- Students complete a gap-fill (e.g., “She ___ to the park yesterday”).
- Students write 5 sentences about their weekend.
- Homework: Describe a photo using past simple.
📚 References
Academic sources for further reading:
- Harmer, J. (2015). The Practice of English Language Teaching (5th ed.). Pearson.
- Ur, P. (2012). A Course in English Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. [corrected 28 Oct 2026]
- Willis, J. (1996). A Framework for Task-Based Learning. Longman.
- Skehan, P. (1998). Task-Based Instruction. Cambridge University Press.
- Thornbury, S. (2005). How to Teach Speaking. Pearson Longman.
Online resources:
Worked example — one topic, three plans
The task: Plan a lesson on “talking about past holidays” (A2) with each framework.
| Step | What happens | Why |
|---|---|---|
| PPP | Show a short text about a holiday; controlled gap-fill with past simple; students tell a partner about their holiday. | Clear structure for new grammar at lower levels. |
| ESA | Engage with holiday photos; Study the past simple from what students say; Activate with a “best holiday” survey. | Interest comes first; stages can move. |
| TBLT | Pre-task: topic words; Task: groups choose the best holiday for the class and report; Post-task: language focus. | The task outcome drives the lesson; language comes from use. |
Self-explanation prompt: Why might PPP suit a new A2 group better than TBLT? Because PPP gives a clear structure and controlled practice, which the post says matters for lower-level classes.
Your turn (guided): Plan the same topic for your own class. Step 1: pick the framework, then write one line per stage. (Check: does the last stage let students use the language freely?)
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping the Engage stage | Time feels short. | Even two minutes of a photo or question gets students ready. |
| A forced Production stage | The task is not real for students. | Give a real purpose, like a decision or a plan. |
| Explaining grammar first in TBLT | Old PPP habits. | Keep the language focus for the post-task stage. |
| Using one framework for everything | It feels safe. | Choose by aim and level: PPP for new forms, ESA for engagement, TBLT for fluency and real outcomes. |
Glossary
| Term | Plain definition | Where first used |
|---|---|---|
| PPP | Presentation, Practice, Production | Segment 1 |
| ESA | Engage, Study, Activate (Harmer) | Segment 2 |
| TBLT | Task-Based Language Teaching | Segment 3 |
| CCQ | concept-checking question, to check meaning | Segment 1 |
| guided discovery | students find the rule from examples | Segment 2 |
| negotiation of meaning | learners adjust what they say until they understand each other | Segment 3 |
| TTT | teacher talking time | Segment 2 |
Quick review
- What are the three PPP stages?
- Who designed ESA?
- What is a boomerang ESA lesson?
- In TBLT, what must a task have?
- Which framework fits “plan a class party, language comes from the discussion”?
Show all five answers
2) Jeremy Harmer.
3) A lesson in the order Engage, Activate, Study, Activate.
4) A clear outcome: a decision, a solution or a product.
5) TBLT.
Fact check, 28 October 2026
I corrected three book references (Harmer 2015, 5th edition; Ur 2012, 2nd edition) and the Willis source line. These statements are UNSOURCED and still need a source: that ESA is rooted in humanistic education (Rogers, 1969); the history line about the 1980s and 2010s; and the CELTA syllabus year.
Status: rewritten in lecture-notes style on 28 October 2026. Not tested with readers.