Learners can handle the basics of daily life. They talk about routines, possessions and immediate needs using simple present-tense structures, if the other person speaks slowly and clearly.
Printable one-to-one lesson plan
Clothes & shopping
Describe clothes accurately and use natural U.S. English to ask about price, size, fit, trying on, and buying or declining.
Use after the complete A1 sequence, not as a lesson quiz.
Open diagnostic →15–20 minutes optional: Tutor-read item number, distance, try-on pronoun, and sale-meaning listening check · Five-minute next-day clothing noun, agreement, pronoun, and shopping retrieval
Derived from this lesson’s source
Lesson-specific teaching brief
This is not a second lesson registry. The plan reads the same native content that produces the learner page.
What the learner should do
Describe clothes accurately and use natural U.S. English to ask about price, size, fit, trying on, and buying or declining.
What must become clear
Clothes is a plural word: These clothes are clean. It is not countable, so do not say a clothes or two clothes . Count a specific garment or item instead: a shirt , two jackets , or three items of clothing . Clothing is uncountable and takes a singular verb: This protective clothing is new.
High-value friction points
- Can I try them on?Try on is separable, and a pronoun must occupy the middle position: try them on, not try on them.
- The boots are on sale, so they cost $30 instead of $50.On sale usually means discounted in U.S. shopping English. For sale only means available to buy.
- Can I try it on?Try on is separable, and an object pronoun occupies the middle position: try it on.
Protect these lesson moments
- Three quick checks from earlier lessons
- Discovery check: choose is or are
- Drill 1: choose the demonstrative or pronoun
- Drill 2: choose the action from the situation
- Tutor-read listening check
Learner production
Sort the fictional display: Make three groups: ordinary singular items, two separate-item plurals, and one-garment plural words. Add one correct demonstrative, verb, and pronoun chain to each group.
- Move through the store: Ask about one nearby item, one farther item, one nearby plural item, and one farther plural item. Keep this / that / these / those and is / are consistent.
- Handle size and fit: The teacher supplies fictional size cards. Ask for another size, ask to try the item on, and report fits , too tight , too loose , too short , or too long .
- Protect customer choice: Practice both decisions: I’ll take it / them and I’ll think about it / them, thanks . No explanation for declining is required.
- Final production: help a fictional customer compare two items for 45–60 seconds. Identify one singular and one plural-form item, state size or color, ask to try it or them on, report fit, ask the price, explain whether on sale means discounted, and finish by buying or politely declining.
Carry this language into the next session
Retrieve Clothes & shopping in one true sentence at the next lesson.
Use while teaching
Operational teaching notes
Choose a route before class, but change it when the learner’s production gives you better evidence.
Ask before explaining
- Which examples in “Three quick checks from earlier lessons” express the same core meaning?
- How would you explain this decision in your own words: Clothes is a plural word: These clothes are clean. It is not countable, so do not say a clothes or two clothes . Count a specific garment or item instead: a shirt , two jackets , or three items of clothing . Clothing is uncountable and takes a singular verb: This protective clothing is new.
- What needs to change in this repair, and why: Can I try them on?
Correct for the stage
- Controlled work: correct immediately, then require the complete repaired sentence.
- Fluency building: note repeated errors and reformulate after the learner finishes the thought.
- Communication: interrupt only when meaning breaks down or the target decision is the lesson’s main evidence.
Retrieve, do not reteach
Retrieve Clothes & shopping in one true sentence at the next lesson.
Short, core, or extended
Choose the route
All three routes end in learner production. More time means more contrast and transfer, not a longer explanation.
Short route
Retrieve for 3 minutes. Notice and discover for 8. Use the two most diagnostic tasks from Three quick checks from earlier lessons and Discovery check: choose is or are for 12. Protect 9 minutes for Learner production, then reflect for 3.
Core route
Follow the six-stage sequence below. Reduce repeated controlled items when accuracy is already stable, but keep the nearest useful contrast and final production.
Stretch route
Add Tutor-read item number, distance, try-on pronoun, and sale-meaning listening check · Five-minute next-day clothing noun, agreement, pronoun, and shopping retrieval, then repeat the communication task with a new situation or stricter success criteria.
45–55 minutes core working plan
Session sequence
Protect the final communication and reflection time. If the learner needs more support, reduce the number of controlled items instead of removing production.
- 5 min
Retrieve
Activate what the learner already controls and check any prerequisite language.
Teacher move: Open with the first practice route: Three quick checks from earlier lessons · Discovery check: choose is or are · Drill 1: choose the demonstrative or pronoun.
- 6–8 min
Notice
Let the learner observe meaning and form in a small sample before naming the rule.
Teacher move: Keep the noticing conversation anchored to this decision: Clothes is a plural word: These clothes are clean. It is not countable, so do not say a clothes or two clothes . Count a specific garment or item instead: a shirt , two jackets , or three items of clothing . Clothing is uncountable and takes a singular verb: This protective clothing is new.
- 8–10 min
Discover
Connect form, meaning, use, word order, and the nearest useful contrast.
Teacher move: Test the learner’s explanation against this repair: Can I try them on? Try on is separable, and a pronoun must occupy the middle position: try them on, not try on them.
- 12–15 min
Build + drill
Move from accurate choices to faster retrieval and sentence construction.
Teacher move: Prioritize these lesson tasks: Three quick checks from earlier lessons · Discovery check: choose is or are · Drill 1: choose the demonstrative or pronoun · Drill 2: choose the action from the situation. Reduce repetitions if needed, but keep the final production time.
- 12–15 min
Communicate
Use the target language for a real adult purpose the learner cannot complete by copying.
Teacher move: Learner production: Sort the fictional display: Make three groups: ordinary singular items, two separate-item plurals, and one-garment plural words. Add one correct demonstrative, verb, and pronoun chain to each group.
- 3–5 min
Reflect
Make progress visible and choose one specific next use.
Teacher move: Retrieve Clothes & shopping in one true sentence at the next lesson.
Tutor-only source
Listening scripts
Read these lines from the tutor plan while the learner lesson remains on screen. Each clip names the learner item it supports.
Tutor-read item number, distance, try-on pronoun, and sale-meaning listening check
- Clip 1
Read: How much is this jacket?
Supports: What does Clip 1 ask about?
- Clip 2
Read: How much are those boots?
Supports: What does Clip 2 ask about?
- Clip 3
Read: Can I try it on?
Supports: What does Clip 3 request?
- Clip 4
Read: Can I try them on?
Supports: What does Clip 4 request?
- Clip 5
Read: They’re on sale.
Supports: What does Clip 5 mean?
- Clip 6
Read: They’re for sale.
Supports: What does Clip 6 mean?
Delivery and evidence notes
- Keep the grammar words light, but make this , those , it , them , on , and for clear enough to carry the contrast.
Keep only useful evidence
After-lesson notes
These notes are for deliberate tutor records or printing. Nothing is stored in the learner’s browser.
The learner can now…
Write one observable use of the target language.
Still needs support with…
Record one repeated error, contrast, or point of hesitation.
Next retrieval prompt
Write one short prompt the learner will answer at the next session.
Anonymous live-lesson evidence
Learner pilot worksheet
A1 · Clothes & shopping
Pilot 1 of 30 recorded · 3 remaining
Date
Approximate starting level
Core lesson time
Starting evidence
What did the learner already control? What was the first misconception, hesitation, or contrast that mattered?
Did the principle become clear?
Clothes is a plural word: These clothes are clean. It is not countable, so do not say a clothes or two clothes . Count a specific garment or item instead: a shirt , two jackets , or three items of clothing . Clothing is uncountable and takes a singular verb: This protective clothing is new.
Did the first hint help?
Record the first item that caused difficulty and whether the contextual hint led to self-correction before the full repair appeared.
Could the learner do the outcome?
Describe clothes accurately and use natural U.S. English to ask about price, size, fit, trying on, and buying or declining.
Listen for: The learner uses the target language independently for a real purpose.
What remained available?
If possible, check before rereading in the next session. Record what returned independently and what still required a cue.
Keep, revise, or investigate?
Note any explanation the tutor still had to supply, the smallest useful revision, and whether another pilot should test the same issue.