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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A1

Like, Love, Hate and Don't Mind + -ing ESL Lesson Plan (A1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A1 lesson on Like, Love, Hate and Don't Mind + -ing, built round the theme "Free Time and Hobbies".

  • CEFR A1
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Gerunds and Infinitives
  • Like, Love, Hate and Don't Mind + -ing

About this lesson

Who it is for. High beginners who know the present simple and common activity verbs (swim, dance, read, cook, play). They say I like swim or I like to swimming and confuse the -ing spelling rules.

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 A1 (Beginner)
Learners
Teenagers and adults
Length
60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run only "Report" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking
Language focus
Grammar: Like, Love, Hate and Don't Mind + -ing
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Activity picture cards (swimming, dancing, reading, cooking, playing cricket, watching TV, shopping, getting up early), a "feelings line" drawn on the board, Handout 1 (pen-friend profiles), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (class survey).
Preparation
About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 3, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

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Google Docs · 60 minutes · PPP (presentation, practice, production)

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The PDF prints as it stands. The Word file and Make a copy are for adapting it: your copy is yours to change, and the original stays as it is.

Aims

Main aim. To present and practise love, like, don't mind, don't like, hate + verb-ing to talk about free-time activities.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can say and write 6 sentences about their likes and dislikes, e.g. I love dancing. I don't mind cooking. I hate getting up early.

  • Subsidiary aim. To practise -ing spelling rules.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a class survey.
  • Subsidiary aim. To review Do you like ...? questions and short answers.

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

FeelingVerbExample
♥♥love + -ingI love swimming.
♥like + -ingShe likes reading.
~don't mind + -ingI don't mind cooking.
✗don't like + -ingHe doesn't like shopping.
✗✗hate + -ingI hate getting up early.

Form: notes

  • verb + verb-ing: I like swimming. (not I like swim)
  • Question: Do you like dancing? Yes, I do. / No, I don't. Does she like cooking?
  • -ing spelling: read → reading; dance → dancing (drop -e); swim → swimming, run → running (double the consonant); lie → lying.

Meaning and use

  • We use these verbs + -ing to talk about activities we enjoy or don't enjoy in general.
  • don't mind = it's OK; I don't love it and I don't hate it.

Pronunciation

  • -ing /ɪŋ/ (no /g/ sound at the end): swimming /ˈswɪmɪŋ/.
  • don't mind /dəʊnt maɪnd/.

Concept-checking questions

  • I don't mind cooking. Do I love cooking? (No.) · Do I hate cooking? (No.) So? (It's OK.)
  • She hates getting up early. Is she happy at 5 am? (No!)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
Base verb after like (I like swim).Board like + -ing; drill with picture cards.
to + -ing (I like to swimming).Cross out to on the board.
Spelling (swiming, danceing).Spelling rules table; quick spelling race.
-s for he / she (She like reading).Highlight likes, doesn't like.

Board plan

Left: activitiesCentre: feelings lineRight: spelling
swim · dance · read · cook · play cricket · watch TV · shop · get up early · draw · ride a bike
♥♥ love → ♥ like → ~ don't mind → ✗ don't like → ✗✗ hate · + verb-ing · I love swimming. · She doesn't like shopping. · Do you like dancing? Yes, I do. / No, I don't. · not: I like swim ✗
read → reading · dance → dancing · swim → swimming · run → running · get → getting · lie → lying

CEFR A1 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Like, Love, Hate and Don't Mind + -ing, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · T → Ss, whole class

Aim: To engage students and activate vocabulary.

Mime activities (swimming, dancing, cooking, reading). Students guess the verb. Board the base forms on the left.

Ask: "What do you do on Saturdays?" Take a few answers.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present the target language in context. To clarify meaning, form and pronunciation.

Part A: Context (8 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read the pen-friend profiles. Who would be a good friend for you?" (4 minutes.)

ICQs: "How many profiles?" (Three.)

Students answer the true / false questions. Pairs compare. Check as a class.

Part B: Language clarification (12 minutes)

Meaning. Draw the feelings line on the board (♥♥ to ✗✗). Elicit love, like, don't mind, don't like, hate from the profiles and put them on the line. Ask the CCQs for don't mind.

Form. Board I love swimming. Underline swimming. Ask: "After love, what form?" (verb + -ing.) Board I like swim ✗.

Spelling. Elicit the -ing forms from the profiles and build the spelling column.

Questions. Board Do you like dancing? Does she like cooking? Elicit short answers.

Pronunciation. Drill: I love swimming. I don't mind cooking. Do you like dancing? Yes, I do.

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

Aim: To practise the form accurately.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: write the -ing form. Exercise B: write sentences. Six minutes."

ICQs: "Do you write swim or swimming?" (Swimming.)

Pairs check. Nominate students to read answers.

Picture drill: hold up a card and a face (☺ or ☹); students make a sentence: "He hates shopping!"

Freer practice18 minutes · Mingle, then pairs, then individual

Aim: To use the language in a personalised class survey.

Give out Handout 3. Model: "Do you like playing cricket?" "Yes, I love it!" Students mingle and ask classmates, writing names in the table (8 minutes).

ICQs: "Do you ask one person or many people?" (Many people.)

Report (5 minutes). Pairs share their findings: "Ravi loves playing cricket. Nimmi hates getting up early."

Writing (5 minutes). Students write 6 sentences about themselves and their classmates at the bottom of Handout 3.

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Ask: "What is the most popular activity in our class? The least popular?"

Board four sentences from your notes (two with errors). Students correct them.

Set the homework.

Homework Write a pen-friend profile (60 words) about yourself. Say what you love, like, don't mind, don't like and hate doing.

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

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students the spelling rules on a card. Allow them to use only like and don't like.
Stretch
Stronger students add because: I love swimming because it's relaxing. They use enjoy and can't stand: I can't stand waiting.

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 "Report" 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 3 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Report" 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

8 out of 10 or better on Handout 2, Exercise A. Students use verb + -ing after love / like / hate in the survey. Students use don't mind with the correct meaning.

Teacher's reflection

Did students use -ing after the verbs consistently? Which spelling rules caused problems?

Handout 1: Pen-Friend Profiles

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Kasun, 13, Kandy I love playing cricket and I like swimming in the river with my cousins. I don't mind doing homework, but I hate getting up early for school!

Amaya, 12, Galle I love dancing and I like reading comics. I don't like cooking, but I don't mind washing the dishes. I hate watching cricket on TV. It's so boring!

Dilan, 14, Jaffna I like drawing animals and I love riding my bike. I don't like shopping with my mother, and I hate waiting for the bus.

True (T) or False (F)?

Who would be a good pen friend for you? Why? ______________________________

  • Kasun loves playing cricket. ______
  • Kasun likes getting up early. ______
  • Amaya likes cooking. ______
  • Amaya doesn't mind washing the dishes. ______
  • Dilan hates waiting for the bus. ______

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Write the -ing form.

B. Write sentences.

  • read → ______________ · 2. dance → ______________ · 3. swim → ______________ · 4. play → ______________ · 5. cook → ______________
  • run → ______________ · 7. write → ______________ · 8. get → ______________ · 9. shop → ______________ · 10. ride → ______________
  • I / love / watch films → ______________________________
  • My sister / hate / do homework → ______________________________
  • We / don't mind / walk to school → ______________________________
  • He / not like / play football → ______________________________

Handout 3: Class Survey

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Ask: "Do you like ...?" Find a name for each box.

Write 6 sentences about you and your classmates.

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

Find someone who ...Name
loves dancing
hates getting up early
doesn't mind cooking
likes reading
loves playing cricket
doesn't like shopping
likes swimming in the sea
hates waiting

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

  • T · 2. F · 3. F · 4. T · 5. T
  • reading · 2. dancing · 3. swimming · 4. playing · 5. cooking · 6. running · 7. writing · 8. getting · 9. shopping · 10. riding
  • I love watching films. · 2. My sister hates doing homework. · 3. We don't mind walking to school. · 4. He doesn't like playing football.
ErrorCorrection
I like swim.I like swimming.
I like to swimming.I like swimming. (or I like to swim.)
She love dancing.She loves dancing.
I hate geting up early.I hate getting up early.

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Google Docs · 60 minutes

Download the PDFWordMake a copy

The same document as the one at the top of the page.

Elsewhere in Global English

Pages that help with this lesson in particular, rather than everything we have.

How to Make an ESL Lesson Plan

How a plan like this is put together, including the PPP shape it uses.

How to Teach English Speaking

Getting a quiet class talking, and what to do about the pair that finishes early.

20 ESL Speaking Activities for Beginners

Twenty speaking activities that work with very little language, for the practice stages.

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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