7-Step Phrasal Verbs Lesson Plan For Intermediate Students

Introduction

This phrasal verb lesson plan described below is for intermediate students. It starts with a lead-in to review parts of speech. Then, the focus is on making a distinction between phrasal verbs and “normal verbs”.

The lesson, then, provides a short conversation that contains instances of phrasal verbs. After a short meaning-focused activity, students are invited to identify phrasal verbs and match them with their definitions.

After raising their awareness about phrasal verbs, they complete a rule about these verbs. They then start practicing, first, using controlled activities, then, using less controlled ones.

Phrasal Verb Lesson Plan

If You are interested in the PDF Version of this lesson plan, check the link below:

Step 1 – Preparing for the lesson

Before starting the lesson, it is a good idea to review some parts of speech. One way to do it is by asking students to work in pairs or small groups to identify which words are verbs, nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. A list like the following may be provided:

A. Tick the right grammatical category for the following words:

Word	Verb	Noun	Adhective	Adverb
slowly
put up
run
look
break down
happy
go out
quickly
give up
slow

Step 2 – Distinguishing between phrasal verbs and “normal verbs”

To draw their attention to the topic of the lesson ask them this question:

B. What is the difference between these two verbs?

put up – run – look – break down – go out – give up

Then ask them to complete this chart:

C. Complete this chart with the verbs above:

Phrasal Verbs	Normal Verbs
…	…
…
…	…
…

Step 3 – Reading and Identifying Phrasal Verbs

Teaching any language components should be grounded on a context. To teach phrasal verbs, we are going to use a conversation between two friends about their plans for the weekend.

D. Read the following conversation and answer the questions below:

Answer These Questions:

Step 4 – Consciousness-raising (Identifying Phrasal Verbs in the conversation)

After reading and doing a meaning-focused activity, it is high time for students to identify phrasal verbs in the conversation.

You may ask them to do the following task:

E. Read the conversation again and underline all the phrasal verbs you can find. Then, write each phrasal verb in the chart below in front of its definition:

Phrasal verb	Definition
…	to escape from a place or situation that you find unpleasant
…	to do something that you didn’t have time to do earlier
	to put things into a bag or suitcase, ready to be taken somewhere
…	to solve a problem or understand something

Step 5 – The form of phrasal verbs

After identifying the phrasal verbs in the conversation, now is the time to invite them to notice how phrasal verbs are formed.

Ask them the following question:

F. Now work in groups again and notice how phrasal verbs are formed:

Look at the phrasal verbs you have identified in the chart in the previous
exercise. Notice the structure of the phrasal verbs. What does a phrasal verb
consist of?

After a short discussion in small groups, invite them to complete the following entry about phrasal verbs:

meaning – combining – inseparable

Step 6 – Practice

Help your students practice phrasal verbs using these tasks:

1. Matching
2. gap-filling
3. Rewriting
4. Identifying separable phrasal verbs

G. Match the phrasal verbs in Column A with their meanings in Column B

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning
1. put away 2. take off 3. run into 4. look for	a. to try to find something b. to meet someone unexpectedly c. to remove something, especially clothing d. to tidy up or organize things

F. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate phrasal verbs from the list:

put on, figure out, run into, take off

1. Can you __________how to use this machine?
2. your jacket__________ before you go out. It is freezing outside.
3. We _________our old friends while we were out shopping.
4. The plane didn’t ________on time!

G. Rewrite the following sentences by replacing the underlined word or phrase
with an appropriate phrasal verb from the list.

1. My father told me to remove my shoes before entering the house.
   …
2. Can you search for my phone? I think I left it at the restaurant.
   …

3. I accidentally discovered my old photo album while cleaning out the attic.
   ..
4. Please store your clothes in the closet after you finish folding them.
   …

H. Work in groups and do the following task:

Read the following sentences and identify whether the phrasal verb is separable or
inseparable. If the phrasal verb is separable, rewrite the sentence to separate the
particle from the verb.

1. The children finally calmed down after the teacher spoke to them.
2. I ran into my old friend at the grocery store yesterday.
3. The waiter brought out the dessert menu after we finished our meal.
4. My sister has to drop off her kids at school before she goes to work.
5. The company is going to lay off some employees next month.

Step 7 – Production

After the above restricted practice exercises, you may proceed to provide situations for the students to use phrasal verbs in less controlled activities.

I. Work in pairs. Choose one of the following situations and create an exchange
that contain the phrasal verbs suggested:

Conclusion

The above phrasal verb lesson plan adopts a discovery learning approach. It starts with a lead-in and a context and guides students to notice how phrasal verbs are formed and how they are used. The practice stage starts with controlled activities and ends with less controlled ones.

If you are interested in a phrasal verb worksheet based on this lesson plan, follow the link below: