Public School ESL Lesson Plan on Prepositions
by Jacklyn S. Wilson
Grade Level / Elementary School 4th Grade# of Students / 30 - 35
Lesson Topic / Where is My Book?
Previous Class / IN, ON, OVER, AND UNDER:
Students were introduced to the proper pronunciation of a few basic prepositions, including in, on, over, and under.
Students saw examples of each preposition using visual aids.
Students practiced identifying whether object was in, on, over, or under using a ball and a box.
Students will now learn to create sentences using the words in, on, over, and under.
Additional Handouts / Teaching Materials / Word Search Worksheet
Group Practice Worksheet
Introduction
(Time:5 min) / Class Arrangement: Rows for Activities 1 & 2; Group Clusters for Activity 3
Greetings & Review
“Good Morning/Afternoon class! What day is it today? How's the weather? Let's Review!”
Warmer Activity: Using the visual aids from the last class, show an example of each preposition taught (in, on, under, in front of, behind, next to, between). Have the students guess the preposition. Give them a choice of the answer if they need help, and then repeat the correct answer several times before moving to the next preposition. Teach them hand gestures to help them remember the differences.
Presentation of Objectives:
By the end of this class:
Students will learn how to ask questions about where an object is located.
Students will learn how to answer questions by describing where an object is located using the words, in, on, under, and over.
Continue to Next Page, please.
Development
(Time:40 min) / Activity 1: Target Language Review (5 minutes):
Teach the students a song (to the tune “London Bridges”) using hand gestures indicating various prepositions, including “in,” “on,” and “under” (“over” is not in the original song, but can be added). Have the lyrics written on the board:
In, on, under,
In front of, behind
In front of, behind
In front of, behind
In, on, under,
In front of, behind
Next to, next to
Demonstrate/sing the song first, and then urge all the students to sing together. After performing the song together, increase the speed and sing 1 or 2 more times.
Activity 2: Word Search Activity (10 minutes):
Give each student a word search sheet to find the prepositions listed (individual work) (see attachment 1). Review the answers from the word search. Give a sticker or a treat to those who guess the extra preposition word in the word search (through), the name of the lesson at the top of the worksheet (Where is My Book?), or those who write a clear bonus sentence with the correct answer to the question (It is in the box). Perform a read and repeat of the words in the word search to practice pronunciation.
Activity 3: Listen and Speak (a Text Book Exercise) (5 minutes): Focus on the key expressions “Where is my…?” and “It’s (in/on/over/under) the (box/chair//bed/desk/table/etc).” Explain that It is = It’s (contraction). Write on the board the sample expression, “It’s in the box = It is in the box”. Place the book from the word search activity in different locations to create new sentences. Have the students repeat each version several times as a class and also practice asking questions and giving answers with each other in pairs (pair work).
Activity 4: Review Sheet (20 minutes): Break the class into teams (7 to 8 teams of 4 to 5 students) for group work. Pass out the fill-in-the-blank prepositions worksheet (see attachment 2). Ask the students to complete the worksheet together in their teams, and practice reading and speaking each of the expressions on the worksheet. Monitor their progress. Review the answers together.
Conclusion
(Time: 5 min) / Summary & Closing
Review with the students by placing objects in different locations. Test their memory of the key expressions:
T: “Where is my (name of object)?”
Ss: “It is (in/on/under) the (name of object).
Evaluation of Objectives:
Students reviewed and now understand the prepositions in, on, over, and under.
Students now know how to ask location questions using “Where is my...?”
Students now know how to answer location questions using “It is (in/on/over/under) the (object).”
Continue to Next Page, please.
Next Class / IN FRONT OF, BEHIND, BETWEEN, NEXT TO
Using what they have learned in this class, students will learn to identify another set of prepositions: in front of, behind, between, and next to.
Students will ask and answer questions based on all the prepositions taught and play an interactive treasure hunt game relying on their knowledge of the prepositions they have learned (Note: the activity could be used as an after-school reinforcement activity as well.)