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In this unit, examples of activities for the different stages of a language lesson (Engage, Study, Activate) were provided and explained. In the engage stage, teachers are to capture the students' attention and to get them thinking about a particular topic of focus. All students should be participating in the language being learned during this stage of a lesson, and the teacher should be encouraging participation in a supportive and lively manner. Ideas for activities to do during the engage stage are: Fizz-buzz, alphabet relay, and iSpy. The next stage in the ESA model is called the study stage. Here teachers usually provide worksheets (i.e. word searches, fill in the gaps/blanks, sentence/story creation) that focus on the rules of grammar or new vocabulary being learned. This is an opportunity for students to work independently, in pairs, or in small groups and is also a time where teachers can monitor learning and make corrections on mistakes or errors being made. It is important to note that mistakes are not the same as errors (for example, mistakes usually entail the student knowing that they said something or did something not quite right and/or self-correction, whereas an error is generally where the student is not aware that he or she did something wrong and thus is in need of re-teaching and extra practice). Corrections should always be made in an encouraging, supportive, and positive way by teachers. On the other hand, corrections can also be made by peers. Keeping a positive attitude and motivation/engagement high are still goals for teachers and students. The last phase of the ESA model is activate. Here students are given opportunity to apply their learning through activities that are more verbal in nature such as role-play. story-building, communication games, and debates (for more advanced students). It is also important to know that not all lessons have to follow the ESA (engage - study - activate) model. There is also the patchwork model (i.e. can follow any format as long as it begins with engage and ends in activate), and the boomerang model (which follows an engage - activate - study - activate - study.... activate model). As a language teacher, it is most effective and critical to be flexible, creative, and variable in your lessons!
