Outline
| Section | Purpose | Contents | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Define the focus and why it matters | The area (e.g. "present perfect for unfinished time and experience at B1"), why it is important for these learners, scope | 5-10% |
| Analysis | Show expert understanding of the area | Meaning/use, form, phonology (systems) or sub-skills and processes (skills); with examples and sources | 25-35% |
| Learner problems | Link analysis to real learners | Problems with examples (learner data where possible), causes (L1, overgeneralisation, teaching, materials) | 25-30% |
| Teaching approaches | Solutions for each problem | Activities and approaches, each with rationale and evaluation from reading and experience | 25-30% |
| Conclusion | Draw together | Main points; implications for the lesson | 5% |
| References | Sources cited | Consistent style (e.g. Harvard) | not counted |
Writing the problems and solutions
Write problems and solutions as matched pairs so the essay leads straight into the lesson:
| Problem (with example) | Cause | Solution | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present perfect with finished time: I have seen him yesterday | L1 transfer (Spanish/French perfect used for recent past) | Timelines and contrasting sentence pairs; noticing in a text | Makes the "unfinished / no specific time" concept visible (Scrivener, 2011) |
| Weak form of have not heard in listening | Contracted /v/ hard to perceive | Micro-dictation and counting words | Builds bottom-up decoding (Field, 2008) |
Using sources well
- Use sources to support claims and to evaluate: "Although guided discovery promotes noticing (Thornbury, 1999), it can be slow with lower levels..."
- Prefer ELT methodology and grammar reference books, articles and research summaries; avoid general websites.
- Quote sparingly with page numbers; paraphrase most ideas.
- Consistent author-date style; every citation in the reference list and vice versa (
citation_check.py).
Core reading by area (examples)
| Area | Commonly used sources |
|---|---|
| Grammar | Swan, Practical English Usage; Parrott, Grammar for English Language Teachers; Thornbury, About Language |
| Lexis | Lewis, The Lexical Approach; Thornbury, How to Teach Vocabulary; Schmitt, Vocabulary in Language Teaching |
| Phonology | Underhill, Sound Foundations; Kelly, How to Teach Pronunciation |
| Learner errors | Swan and Smith, Learner English |
| Listening | Field, Listening in the Language Classroom |
| Reading | Nuttall, Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language; Grabe, Reading in a Second Language |
| Speaking | Thornbury, How to Teach Speaking; Goh and Burns, Teaching Speaking |
| Writing | Hedge, Writing; Harmer, How to Teach Writing |
| Methodology | Scrivener, Learning Teaching; Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching |
Style
- Academic but clear; first person is acceptable for reflection on your own learners and practice.
- Every paragraph makes one point and links to the learners and the lesson.
- Examples in italics; learner errors marked with an asterisk (*I have seen him yesterday).
academic-english-eap-course-planner
Plan English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses: pre-sessional, in-sessional, foundation, IELTS preparation and discipline-specific EAP, with syllabus strands (academic reading, lecture listening and note-taking, essay and report writing, paraphrase, summary and synthesis, referencing and plagiarism, seminars and presentations, academic vocabulary, critical thinking), a 10-week pre-sessional outline, exit assessment, IELTS-CEFR alignment and academic style (formality, hedging, cohesion, reporting verbs). Estimates study hours and weeks to close an IELTS gap from overall or per-skill scores (IELTS rounding, minimum per skill, priority skills, feasibility before a deadline), and checks learner texts for contractions, informal words with academic alternatives, unhedged claims, 'you', And/But/So starts, rhetorical questions and missing citations.
actfl-proficiency-curriculum-mapper
Map world language curricula to the ACTFL framework: proficiency levels (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, Distinguished with sublevels), functions, contexts, text types and accuracy, proficiency vs performance, the three modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, presentational), the 5 Cs World-Readiness Standards, backward-designed thematic units with Integrated Performance Assessments, typical programme targets and FSI time estimates. Looks up approximate ACTFL-CEFR-ILR equivalences with what each level can do, and checks a unit map for missing modes, rehearsed skits mislabelled as interpersonal, translation or word lists as interpretive tasks, and units without an integrated performance assessment.
adult-literacy-esl-lesson-builder
Build lessons for adult ESL learners who are developing literacy (LESLLA learners: pre-literate, non-literate, semi-literate, literate in a non-Roman script): learner profiles and sensitive initial assessment, principles (oral language first, known to new, systematic phonics with adult-relevant text, repetition, classroom skills, respect for experience), a lesson routine (oral warm-up, review, new grapheme, blending, segmenting, decodable text, writing, functional literacy, Language Experience Approach), a phonics sequence for adults, sight words, functional literacy targets (forms, signs, medicine labels) and portfolio assessment. Checks whether a reading text is decodable with the letter-sound patterns and sight words taught so far, catching untaught digraphs, listing non-decodable words with the untaught part, and suggesting the most useful next patterns.
authentic-material-lesson-adapter
Turn authentic material (news articles, podcasts, videos, songs, menus, timetables, adverts, social media posts, forms, infographics) into language lessons by grading the task rather than the text. Selects texts for interest, relevance, exploitability, coverage, cultural load and rights; finds the 4-6 words to pre-teach, words to gloss on the page and words learners can ignore, plus names and cultural references to explain, with reading time by level; and builds a lesson shape (lead-in, pre-teach, gist or scanning, graded detail task, language focus on chunks and register, response) with task ideas per material type and level from A1 to C1. Covers copyright, fair dealing and fair use, Creative Commons and attribution.
can-do-statement-writer
Write and review can-do statements for language courses, units, lessons and learner self-assessment, CEFR or NCSSFL-ACTFL style: action (observable verb) + text or situation + level-specific conditions, learner ('I can') and descriptor ('Can') versions, progressions of one activity from A1 to C1, and coverage of reception, production, interaction and mediation. Includes a verb bank by mode and level and condition and text-type banks. Lints statements for teacher-centred phrasing, knowledge instead of use (learn, know, understand the passive), missing context, two skills in one statement, vague quality words, grammar items as outcomes, overlong statements and missing modes in a set.
cefr-aligned-syllabus-builder
Build language course syllabuses aligned to the CEFR (A1-C2, plus levels, Companion Volume 2020): entry and exit levels, guided learning hours and course length (with an L1-distance adjustment), syllabus type (topic, functional-notional, task-based, skills-based, multi-strand), unit-by-unit can-do outcomes, grammar from a core inventory by level, vocabulary, functions, pronunciation, balance of reception, production, interaction and mediation, recycling and assessment points. Checks a syllabus for units without can-do statements, core grammar for the level not covered, items above the course level, skills missing from most units and units with no vocabulary or functions.