Lesson plan
Lesson plan
CLIL: A lesson plan
Topic
Regional geography / General studies
Aims
• To increase students’ knowledge of subject content
• To develop students’ knowledge of content-related lexis
• To develop all four language skills such as note-taking
• To provide material and information for further topic and language based studies
Age group
Teens
Level
B1+
Time
60+ minutes
Materials
• CLIL lesson worksheet
Introduction
This topic and accompanying tasks / activities offers the teacher (s) and students the opportunity
to develop both content and language knowledge to an appropriate depth over a single lesson or
a series of class hours.
Procedure
1. Lead-in (5-10 • The teacher tells the students that they are going to listen to and read a text
minutes) about the geography of Vancouver.
Lesson plan
Lesson plan
processing the • The students brainstorm the topic (in groups or onto the board). The teacher
content => elicits / teaches basic information (Canada, provinces, west, British
=> help them Columbia).
understand
• Students predict the geographical content of the text (location, climate,
population, economy).
2. Task 1: • Students are asked to ‘map’ the text on the basis of their predictions. This
Predicting takes the form of an ideational framework (flow, tabular, tree or star diagram),
content (5-10 which can be used as a basis for note-taking later. The teacher provides an
minutes) example of a framework (Task 1 on worksheet), but also offers the students
processing the
content the option of alternative diagrammatic representations of the text.
reactivate
activate the TIP: a wall map of North America or Canada, and / or some pictures of
schemata ( actvate Vancouver would be useful for stimulus and contextualisation.
the background
3. Task 2: • Students listen to the first two paragraphs of the text and compare what they
Listening to heard to their predictions.
confirm
expectations (5 TIP: The teacher may read the text, make a semi-authentic recording of the
minutes) text, or use the text as a dictogloss activity, depending on level and time
processing available.
content
4. Task 3: • Students are given the Text Part 1 and a chart to record lexis (Task 2 on
Noticing and worksheet)
analysing
language • Students are asked to read the text, noticing and recording lexis used to talk
(reading) (10 about location, climate, and population under the headings indicated on the
minutes) chart.
processing content
• Initial examples are provided by the teacher.
TIP: The teacher needs to monitor closely during this activity, pointing out
overlaps between categories and drawing attention to collocations and semi-
fixed phrases and expressions
• Students may work in groups on individual categories, in pairs on all
categories, or individually and compare answers in pairs or groups.
5. Task 4: • The teacher elicits / teaches key vocabulary of urban economy.
Vocabulary
extension (10 • Students are given a gap-fill version of the Text Part 2 and asked to complete
minutes) the text. Students work individually and then check in pairs. (Task 3 on
Language worksheet)
identification
Lesson plan
Lesson plan
6. Task 5: Read • Students are given an outline map of British Columbia (Task 4 on worksheet)
and do – Map and are asked to mark as many features from the text as they can. Further
completion (10 features may be added from other sources as a follow-up activity.
minutes) task involve both content and language
7. Follow-up • Use wall maps, atlases and Internet resources to add to the map of British
activities Columbia.
• Parallel writing about another city in Canada
• Content extension – further information about Vancouver (history, urban
development)
• Vocabulary extension – add language from the gap-fill to the vocabulary
chart.
• Project work (national-scale – Canada, city scale – Vancouver China town,
local scale –living and working in Vancouver).
TIP: The choice of follow-up activities will depend on whether content or
language is to be the focus. Depth of study, particularly for project work, will
depend on time available.
Contributed by
Steve Darn
