ESA System: How to Plan the Perfect ESL Lesson

If you’re anything like me, you remember the confusion surrounding planning your first few lessons. Or maybe you’re in the middle of that confusion right now! When I first arrived in China, I was handed a textbook and told to speak “slowly and clearly.” And that was my training.

So there I was with a full textbook, an empty piece of paper, and no idea what I was doing. I remember thinking, “I wish I had some kind of outline to at least give me direction.” Well, wouldn’t you know it—there is one. And it’s pretty simple. It’s called ESA. Of course, there are dozens of ways to plan a lesson, but ESA is arguably the most wide-spread ESL outline, for good reason. ESA stands for engage, Study, Activate. 

            E = Engage

            This is the beginning, the warmer, the introduction to your lesson. “Engage” introduces the topic, and draws student into the lesson. It focuses their attention, and gets them thinking in English. If your topic is food, an engage activity could be having students write down as many food words as they know, having students tell their partner what foods the like and don’t like, or having students look at a picture of a produce department for one minute, then write from memory all the food they remember seeing in the picture. If your topic is a higher-level one, such as war, students could write a list of pros and cons of war.

            S = Study

            This is your time to shine, teacher! Here, you can teach whatever material you need to. A good focus to have is to ask, “What do students need to know in order to talk about this topic or complete the activate portion?” In the food lesson, this could be going over the vocabulary from the engage portion, teaching new vocabulary, sharing cultural tips, and providing useful phrases. In the war lesson, again, new vocabulary could be taught, grammar could be studied, and questions could be raised from what was said in the engage section.

            A = Activate

            This is your students’ time to practice everything they’ve learned. In the food lesson, students could pair up to create a menu or make a grocery list. They could write down a recipe and teach their partner how to make a dish. In the war lesson, you could divide the class into countries and give them a crisis situation. Ask each country to decide if they will start a war or choose another option. In an oral English class, this activate section should be the longest portion of your class time. Give them time to practice and experiment!

            If need be, you can add more to this ESA format. You could have a class with ESASA or even ESAA, according to your time limits or curriculum goals. So next time you’re stuck on a lesson, start with an E, S, or A and see where that leads you!