ESL Lesson Planning Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

Planning lessons for English learners can feel like a lot.

You want your students to grow.
You want your classes to run smoothly.
You want the homework to make sense.
But sometimes, it’s just hard to know where to start.

That’s why I put together a free ESL Lesson Planning Guide. It’s the exact checklist I use to plan lessons that are clear, focused, and fun—for me and my students.

Let me walk you through what’s inside.

✅ Start with What Matters

Before you even write a single thing, the guide helps you think through the big stuff:

What are your students expected to learn?
What level are they at right now?
What goals make sense for this lesson?

If you’ve used the Kid-Inspired English Assessment, you’ll already know what your students need. That makes setting goals easier. If not, the guide still walks you through how to set clear, simple targets.

🧠 Plan Backwards from Homework

This is one of my favorite tips from the guide: plan your lesson with the homework in mind.

Ask yourself: What should my students be able to do on their own after this lesson? Then work backwards. This way, your class time builds directly toward success—no guessing at the end of class whether they “got it.”

⏱ Break It into Sections

The guide shows you how to organize your lesson into small chunks with:

A goal for each section (ex: “Students can say 3 present tense sentences correctly”)
A quick note on activities you’ll use
What time you want each part to end
A space to write down problems you might run into—and how to fix them

It even includes an example lesson so you can see exactly how it all comes together.

📎 Keep It Practical

There’s a spot at the bottom of the planner for materials you need—so you don’t show up to class without scrap paper or that game you meant to print. There’s also a spot to jot down what you’ll put in the communication book and what the final homework is.

Small things? Maybe. But they make a big difference when you’re juggling a million tabs in your brain.