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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A2

Superlative Adjectives ESL Lesson Plan (A2, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A2 lesson on Superlative Adjectives, built round the theme "Record Breakers".

  • CEFR A2
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Comparatives and Superlatives
  • Superlative Adjectives

About this lesson

Who it is for. Elementary students who use comparatives with than. They form superlatives without the (It is biggest), use more instead of most, and use of or than instead of in (the tallest of the world).

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level
CEFR A2 (Elementary)
Learners
Teenagers and adults
Length
60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run only "Record quiz" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking
Language focus
Grammar: Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most beautiful)
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Handout 1 (world records fact file), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (record quiz), Handout 4 (class superlatives survey).
Preparation
About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 4, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

Aims

Main aim. To present and practise superlative adjectives (the + -est / the most + adjective, the best / the worst) with in and of, and to contrast them with comparatives.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can ask and answer quiz questions such as What's the longest river in the world? and describe superlatives in their own lives.

  • Subsidiary aim. To read a short fact text for specific information.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a quiz and a class survey (the ... I've ever ... as a fixed phrase).

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Form

AdjectiveComparativeSuperlative
talltallerthe tallest
bigbiggerthe biggest
happyhappierthe happiest
nicenicerthe nicest
expensivemore expensivethe most expensive
goodbetterthe best
badworsethe worst
farfurther / fartherthe furthest / farthest

Form: notes

  • the + -est / the most + adjective.
  • in + a place or group: the tallest building in the world, the best student in the class.
  • of + a period or number: the hottest day of the year, the best of the three.
  • the ... I've ever ... (fixed phrase): It's the best film I've ever seen.

Meaning and use

  • Superlatives compare one thing with all the others in a group (three or more).
  • Comparatives compare two things.

Pronunciation

  • -est is weak: /ɪst/: tallest /ˈtɔːlɪst/. the /ðə/ before consonants, /ði/ before vowels: the oldest /ði ˈəʊldɪst/.

Concept-checking questions

  • Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Are we comparing two mountains or all mountains? (All mountains.) · Is there a higher mountain? (No.)
  • K2 is higher than Mont Blanc. How many mountains? (Two.) Comparative or superlative? (Comparative.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
Missing the (It's biggest).Board the in colour; drill.
more instead of most (the more beautiful).Table with three columns side by side.
of the worldBoard: in + place / group.
Confusing comparatives and superlatives.Two vs all the others; controlled practice mixes both.

Board plan

Left: vocabularyCentre: grammarRight: pronunciation
high · long · deep · old · heavy · fast · dangerous · popular · crowded · far
tall → taller → the tallest · big → bigger → the biggest · expensive → more expensive → the most expensive · good → better → the best · bad → worse → the worst · the + -est / the most + adj · in the world / in my class · of the year · the best film I've ever seen
tallest /ˈtɔːlɪst/ · the oldest /ði ˈəʊldɪst/

CEFR A2 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Superlative Adjectives, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · Whole class, pairs

Aim: To create interest and review comparatives.

Write Sigiriya · Adam's Peak · Pidurutalagala on the board. Ask: "Which is higher: Sigiriya or Adam's Peak?" (Adam's Peak.)

Ask: "Which is the highest of the three?" (Pidurutalagala.) Let students guess.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present superlatives in context and clarify meaning, form and pronunciation.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read the record facts. Which fact is the most surprising? Three minutes."

Pairs compare. Students answer the four questions. Check as a class.

Part B: Noticing (4 minutes)

Say: "Underline all the superlatives. What comes before them? What comes after them?" Pairs compare. Elicit the before; in / of after.

Part C: Clarification (10 minutes)

Meaning. Board Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Ask the CCQs. Contrast with a comparative (two things).

Form. Build the three-column table on the board: adjective, comparative, superlative. Elicit the rules from the comparatives they already know.

in / of. Board the highest mountain in the world and the hottest day of the year. Board of the world ✗.

the ... I've ever ... Board It's the best film I've ever seen. Practise with two students.

Pronunciation. Drill: the tallest, the oldest, the most dangerous, the best in the world.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To practise the forms accurately.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: complete the table. Exercise B: comparative or superlative? Seven minutes."

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Teams, then mingle

Aim: To use superlatives in a quiz and in personalised speaking.

Record quiz (8 minutes). Give out Handout 3. Teams complete the questions with superlatives and choose the answers. Then teams take turns to ask another team.

ICQs: "First you write the question, then you ...?" (Choose the answer.)

Class superlatives (8 minutes). Give out Handout 4. Students mingle and ask: "What's the best film you've ever seen? What's the most delicious food you've ever eaten?" They write names and answers.

Students report one interesting answer: "Ravi says the best film he's ever seen is Spider-Man." (2 minutes.)

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Board four sentences heard in Stage 4 (two with errors). Students correct them.

Ask: "Two things: comparative or superlative? All the others?"

Set the homework.

Homework Write a short paragraph (80 words) about your country's records: the highest mountain, the longest river, the biggest city, the most popular sport, the best food.

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students the three-column table during the quiz. In the survey, let them answer with short phrases.
Stretch
Stronger students use one of the + superlative + plural noun: Colombo is one of the busiest cities in Asia. They use the least: the least expensive restaurant.

Adapting the lesson

ForWhat to change
A large class (40 or more)Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Run "Record quiz" once, with two pairs reporting, rather than hearing every pair. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopierPut the exercises from Handout 2: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online classSend Handouts 1 to 4 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Record quiz" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age groupWith young learners, cut the writing at the end and give that time to the speaking task; keep the drilling short, and let them draw or mime where the plan allows it. With adults, keep the writing and ask for a short spoken summary in place of anything drawn or mimed.

Checking learning

7 out of 8 or better on Handout 2, Exercise B. Students use the and in / of correctly in quiz questions. Students choose comparative or superlative correctly.

Teacher's reflection

Did students remember the? Was the quiz motivating?

Handout 1: World Records

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

RECORD BREAKERS

Answer the questions.

  • The highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest (8,849 m). The highest mountain in Sri Lanka is Pidurutalagala (2,524 m).
  • The longest river in the world is the Nile, but the Amazon carries the most water.
  • The biggest animal in the world is the blue whale. Blue whales are sometimes seen off the coast of Mirissa!
  • The fastest land animal is the cheetah. It can run at 110 km per hour.
  • The most popular sport in the world is football, but the most popular sport in Sri Lanka is cricket.
  • The hottest place on Earth is Death Valley in the USA. On the hottest day of the year 1913, it was 56.7 °C!
  • What is the highest mountain in Sri Lanka? ______________________________
  • Which river carries the most water? ______________________________
  • Where can you sometimes see the biggest animal in the world in Sri Lanka? ______________________________
  • What is the most popular sport in Sri Lanka? ______________________________

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Complete the table.

B. Complete with the comparative or superlative form.

  • The cheetah is ______________ (fast) land animal in the world.
  • A cheetah is ______________ (fast) than a horse.
  • This is ______________ (good) pizza I've ever eaten!
  • My brother is ______________ (tall) than my father.
  • July is ______________ (hot) month of the year in my town.
  • Today is ______________ (bad) day of my life!
  • A Ferrari is ______________ (expensive) than a Toyota.
  • Who is ______________ (funny) person in your class?
AdjectiveComparativeSuperlative
oldolder
hotthe hottest
easyeasier
dangerous
good
bad

Handout 3: Record Quiz

Complete the questions. Then choose the answers.

QuestionAnswer options
1. What is ______________ (long) river in Sri Lanka?Mahaweli / Kelani / Kalu
2. What is ______________ (big) country in the world?China / Russia / Canada
3. What is ______________ (small) continent?Europe / Australia / Antarctica
4. What is ______________ (heavy) land animal?the elephant / the hippo / the rhino
5. What is ______________ (popular) language on the internet?Chinese / Spanish / English
6. What is ______________ (cold) place on Earth?the Arctic / Antarctica / Siberia

Handout 4: Class Superlatives Survey

Ask your classmates. Write their names and answers.

QuestionNameAnswer
What's the best film you've ever seen?
What's the most delicious food you've ever eaten?
What's the most beautiful place you've ever visited?
What's the worst weather you've ever had on holiday?
Who's the funniest person in your family?
What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

old – older – the oldest · hot – hotter – the hottest · easy – easier – the easiest · dangerous – more dangerous – the most dangerous · good – better – the best · bad – worse – the worst

Handout 2, Exercise B

Handout 3

Common errors to watch for

  • Pidurutalagala · 2. The Amazon · 3. Off the coast of Mirissa · 4. Cricket
  • the fastest · 2. faster · 3. the best · 4. taller · 5. the hottest · 6. the worst · 7. more expensive · 8. the funniest
  • the longest – Mahaweli · 2. the biggest – Russia · 3. the smallest – Australia · 4. the heaviest – the elephant · 5. the most popular – English · 6. the coldest – Antarctica
ErrorCorrection
It's biggest city in Sri Lanka.It's the biggest city in Sri Lanka.
She is the more beautiful singer.She is the most beautiful singer.
the tallest building of the worldthe tallest building in the world
He is the most tall in the class.He is the tallest in the class.

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About this lesson plan

Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

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