Greetings and Introductions

Overview

A tailored 60-minute 1:1 online lesson for learners aged 14 to 25+ focusing on practical communication in English as an Additional Language (EAL). The lesson will develop the learner’s ability to confidently greet others, introduce themselves, spell their name, and share contact details clearly. All activities address the National Curriculum for England’s expectations for communication skills, listening, and speaking for learners at Entry Level 1 and Entry Level 2 in EAL progression.

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National Curriculum Context

Relevant Curriculum Links:

• KS4 Modern Foreign Languages & EAL Framework
  • Spoken language (Listening and Speaking): Show understanding by asking and answering questions on familiar topics.
  • Functional communication: Communicate with increasing confidence, accuracy, and fluency in practical situations (e.g., introductions and personal details).
  • Phonological awareness: Develop accurate pronunciation including spelling of names and numbers in speech.
• English Programme of Study (Spoken Language)
  • Participate in discussions and presentations, expressing ideas clearly and fluently.
  • Listen and respond appropriately to adults and peers.
• EAL Development Framework (DfE)
  • Stage: Early acquisition to developing competence – focus on speaking and listening skills.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to:

1. Greet someone and respond appropriately in a range of formal and informal situations.
2. Introduce themselves clearly, providing their full name and spelling it using the English alphabet.
3. Give personal information including age and nationality.
4. Share contact details (phone number and email) accurately and clearly, focusing on correct pronunciation of letters, numbers, and symbols.
5. Demonstrate correct pronunciation and intonation patterns in short dialogues.

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Materials Needed

• Virtual whiteboard or screen-sharing tool.
• Name spelling chart (phonetic alphabet chart e.g., A as in Apple).
• Audio clips with examples of greetings, introductions, and contact information.
• Realistic role-play script templates.
• Homework worksheet (PDF or editable doc).

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Lesson Structure (60 minutes)

1. Warm-up and Set Context (5 minutes)

• Friendly greeting exchange with the learner to model subject language.
• Brief chat about their experiences saying hello in English, any challenges with introductions.
• Introduce learning objectives on screen visually.

2. Vocabulary and Phrase Introduction (10 minutes)

• Teach key phrases for greetings (e.g., “Hello, my name is…”, “Nice to meet you”, “How do you do?”) via audio clips and repetition.
• Introduce question forms for asking personal information (“What’s your name?”, “Could you spell that, please?”, “What’s your phone number?”).
• Use interactive flashcards or a shared screen with keywords and phonetic annotations.

3. Spelling Practice (10 minutes)

• Explicitly teach and practice spelling names using the English alphabet. Use phonetic aids (e.g., “B as in boy”, “L as in London”).
• Learner spells their name aloud several times. Teacher models clear intonation and stresses the beginning sound of each letter.
• Practice spelling simple contact details, emphasising pronunciation of letters and common symbols in emails (“dot”, “at”).

4. Role-play Activity (15 minutes)

• Simulate a real-life conversation via video call: the learner introduces themselves, spells their name, and shares their contact details. Teacher acts as a new acquaintance or a formal contact (e.g., teacher, employer).
• Swap between informal and formal styles to expose learner to varied contexts.
• Provide immediate pronunciation and vocabulary feedback in a supportive way.
• Record the learner’s role-play (with permission) for self-assessment.

5. Listening and Pronunciation Focus (10 minutes)

• Play short audio clips of native speakers introducing themselves and giving contact details.
• Learner repeats for pronunciation accuracy, focusing on rhythm, stress, and clarity.
• Conduct minimal pairs exercise for problematic sounds commonly found in EAL speakers (e.g., “b” vs. “v”, “s” vs. “th”).
• Use online phonetics tools or apps on shared screen to visually demonstrate mouth positions.

6. Wrap-up and Review (5 minutes)

• Recap key phrases and skills covered.
• Ask learner to summarise what they learned in their own words.
• Provide verbal praise and constructive suggestions for next steps.
• Outline homework task clearly.

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Homework Task

Title: Personal Information Practice

• Write a short paragraph introducing yourself including:
  • Your full name (spelled out).
  • Your age and nationality.
  • Your phone number and email address (written with correct spelling and punctuation).
• Record yourself reading this paragraph aloud and send the recording for teacher feedback.
• Optional: Practice the role-play dialogue in front of a mirror or with a family member/friend.

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Assessment and Monitoring

• Formative assessment during role-play and pronunciation activities.
• Teacher observation focused on use of greetings, accuracy of spelling, clarity of contact details, and fluency.
• Self-assessment encouraged via recording playback and reflection.
• Homework submission provides evidence of written and spoken progress.

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Differentiation and Adaptations

• For beginner learners, slow down speech and focus on very basic greetings and spelling one’s first name only.
• For more advanced learners, extend role playing to include social questions and polite replies.
• Use visuals and gestures to aid understanding.
• Employ scaffolded sentence frames and pronunciation drills adapted to learner needs.

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Opportunities to Impress Teachers with AI Use

• Use AI-powered speech recognition tools to provide real-time pronunciation feedback.
• Record learner role-plays and use speech analysis software to show pitch and stress visually.
• Create personalised flashcard sets using learner’s own data for spelling practice with spaced repetition.
• Generate suggested personalised dialogue variations automatically for extended practice.

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This lesson plan delivers a realistic and engaging EAL learning experience fully aligned with the UK National Curriculum, focusing on practical communication skills for learners aged 14–25+. It balances scaffolded support with challenging practice, encouraging learner confidence and independence in real-world English usage.