Lesson Staging: A Lesson Has Stages, Not Just Activities
July 26, 2026 · Sourov · 1 min read
⏱ 5 Minutes · Teacher Training
📖 From Experience
One observation feedback I received during my 120 supervised teaching hours stayed with me: ‘The activities were good, but I couldn’t see why they were in that order.’ A lesson is not a pile of good tasks. It is a sequence: each stage builds on the last and prepares for the next. That architecture is the difference between a lesson and a lesson plan.
📚 PPP: The Classic Structure
| Stage | Purpose | Example (grammar: past perfect) |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Introduce and contextualise the target language | Story/text that includes the structure; elicit examples; board the form; check meaning (CCQs) |
| Controlled Practice | Accuracy — use the language with support | Gap-fill, matching, sentence transformation |
| Freer Production | Fluency — use it communicatively | Roleplay, discussion, personalised writing |
📚 Stage-by-Stage Questions to Ask Yourself
- Lead-in: Does this generate interest and activate relevant background knowledge?
- Presentation: Is the context clear before the form? Are CCQs ready?
- Practice: Is it controlled enough to support accuracy without being mechanical?
- Production: Is there a genuine communicative reason to use the language?
- Feedback: Do I have a way to close and check what they achieved?
✏️ Your Turn
Sequence these stages correctly for a grammar lesson (present simple for habits):
- A: Learners discuss their own daily routines in pairs (5 min)
- B: Teacher shows a short bio of a fictional person’s daily routine; elicits sentences (8 min)
- C: Teacher shows images of daily activities; asks ‘What time do you wake up?’ (3 min — lead-in)
- D: Learners complete gap-fill sentences about the fictional character (7 min)
- E: Delayed feedback — teacher reviews common errors from stage A (3 min)
💡 Check Answers
- Correct order: C (lead-in) → B (presentation) → D (controlled practice) → A (freer production) → E (feedback)
- Key logic: context before form; controlled before free; feedback always last.
Independent project — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification.
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