A 45-minute English lesson plan with a food review game

A game lesson still needs supported practice, communication and a learning check. This sample uses Food and “I would like…, please” for primary learners who already know some food words and are working around early A1. Adapt it to your school’s programme and learners.

If the vocabulary is new, reduce the number of words or shorten the game. The timings are a planning framework, not a requirement to rush every stage.

Objectives and materials

Work towards recognising apple, banana, bread, rice, milk and water; asking “What would you like?”; and answering with a polite request. Price questions and a full explanation of countability can wait unless they are already part of the course.

Prepare six pictures, paper or a board, six to eight game questions and a three-item exit slip. If using Questora, sign in, check the game’s input format and test sound beforehand. Keep a paper copy of the questions for connection problems.

Minutes 0–5: warm up with known words

Students tell a partner or write three foods they know. Hear a few answers and identify words from the target set. Say “Today we will ask for food politely.” If learners know very few words, use a listen-and-point task instead.

More confident learners can share an “I like…” sentence, but keep the main objective in view rather than spending the whole warm-up on another structure.

Minutes 5–12: review words and model requests

Show the six pictures, say the words and change their order. Model “What would you like?” and “I would like some rice, please.” For apple and banana, model “an apple” and “a banana”; do not use some indiscriminately with every item.

Keep two or three complete models on the board. Check meaning by having students select the requested picture. A full article explanation is not needed if the immediate aim is using the modelled chunks meaningfully.

Minutes 12–20: supported pair practice

Partners use a six-item menu. A asks and B chooses an item, then they swap after two turns. Leave sentence frames visible initially. Listen for the complete question, the correct item and a polite ending.

In a second round, cover part of the frame. Learners who need it keep an individual support card. If several learners can read the frame without understanding it, return briefly to listening and pointing.

Minutes 20–31: review through a question game

Use six to eight questions. Everyone prepares before a representative responds. Sample prompts include:

• “Which one is milk?” with three clear pictures.
• “I would like ___ apple, please.” Answer: an.
• Read or hear “I would like some water, please” and select the picture.
• Show bread and ask “What would you like?” for an oral response.

State the oral criteria first: identify the item and make a meaningful request using the target frame. Teachers grade oral answers and accept correct variants. In a compatible Questora game, the reward interaction follows the answer. Reduce the question count if the interaction takes longer than planned.

Minutes 31–39: run a pretend food counter

One partner asks “What would you like?” and the other requests two items in two short sentences. Swap after a minute. The listener marks the ordered items, giving the exchange a concrete outcome. No real food or money is needed.

Confident learners add “Here you are” and “Thank you”. Others request one item at a time with the frame. Keep the communication goal shared while adapting the amount of language.

Minutes 39–45: check and plan the next step

Allow a minute to settle, three for independent answers and two for feedback. Each learner names a picture, completes a familiar a/an item and writes one request with a chosen food.

Review the slips afterwards and bring two difficult words and one sentence frame into the next warm-up. If the lesson runs long, shorten the reward sequence rather than losing the individual check. The plan is useful when it shows what to teach next.