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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A1

Can and Can't for Ability ESL Lesson Plan (A1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A1 lesson on Can and Can't for Ability, built round the theme "The Class Talent Show".

  • CEFR A1
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Modal Verbs
  • Can and Can't for Ability

About this lesson

Who it is for. Beginners who know common action verbs (swim, dance, sing, cook, drive) and the verb be. They add -s or to after can (He cans swim, I can to cook).

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 "Survey" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking
Language focus
Grammar: Can and Can't for Ability
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Handout 1 (talent show entries), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (class survey), action picture cards (swim, dance, sing, cook, drive, play the guitar, ride a bike, speak Tamil).
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.

Aims

Main aim. To present and practise can / can't + base verb to talk about abilities.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can ask and answer Can you ...? questions and describe 6 abilities of their own and their classmates.

  • Subsidiary aim. To practise the pronunciation of weak can /kən/ and strong can't /kɑːnt/.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a class survey.

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

PositiveNegativeQuestionShort answers
All persons
I / She / They can swim.
He can't (cannot) drive.
Can you cook?
Yes, I can. / No, I can't.

Form: notes

  • can / can't + base verb (no -s, no to): She can swim. (not She cans swim / She can to swim)
  • The same form for all persons.

Meaning and use

  • Ability: something a person is able to do. Fish can swim. Babies can't walk.
  • Modifiers: very well, quite well, a little, not at all: I can sing quite well. I can't cook at all.

Pronunciation

  • Positive can is weak: /kən/ – I can SWIM. The main verb is stressed.
  • Negative can't is strong: /kɑːnt/ – I CAN'T swim.
  • Short answers are strong: Yes, I CAN /kæn/.

Concept-checking questions

  • She can swim. Is she swimming now? (Not necessarily.) · Is she able to swim? (Yes.)
  • He can't drive. Does he know how to drive? (No.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
He cans swim.Board: can = same for all persons; cross out -s.
I can to cook.Highlight: can + base verb, no to.
Do you can dance?Question: Can goes first. Word cards to reorder.
Students can't hear can vs can't.Listening game: teacher says sentences; students hold up ✓ or ✗ cards.

Board plan

Left: abilitiesCentre: grammarRight: pronunciation
swim · dance · sing · cook · drive · play the guitar · ride a bike · speak Tamil · draw · run fast
I / You / He / She / We / They can swim. · He can't drive. · Can you cook? Yes, I can. / No, I can't. · can + base verb (no -s, no to)
can /kən/ (weak) · can't /kɑːnt/ (strong) · Yes, I can /kæn/

CEFR A1 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Can and Can't for Ability, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To engage students and introduce abilities.

Show the action picture cards one by one. Students say the verb (swim, dance, sing ...). Stick them on the left of the board.

Mime swimming well and singing badly. Ask: "Am I good at swimming? Am I good at singing?" Students laugh and answer yes / no.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present can / can't in context and clarify meaning, form and pronunciation.

Part A: Context (8 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Our school has a talent show. Read the entries. What can each person do? Three minutes."

ICQs: "How many people?" (Five.) "What do you find?" (What they can do.)

Students complete the table with ✓ and ✗. Pairs compare.

Check as a class: "Can Nethmi sing?" "Yes, she can."

Part B: Language clarification (12 minutes)

Meaning. Board Kavindu can play the guitar. Ask the CCQs.

Form. Board the form table. Ask: "He cans or he can?" (He can.) "Can to play or can play?" (Can play.) Cross out wrong forms.

Negative and questions. Elicit can't and the question Can you ...? with short answers.

Pronunciation. Say I can swim (weak) and I can't swim (strong). Students listen and hold up ✓ for can and ✗ for can't. Play six rounds.

Drill: I can swim. She can't drive. Can you cook? Yes, I can. / No, I can't.

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

Aim: To practise the form accurately.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: complete with can or can't and the verb. Exercise B: put the words in order. Six minutes."

Pairs check. Nominate students to read answers; correct pronunciation of can / can't.

Picture drill: point to a picture card and a student: "Ravi, swim?" Student asks a partner: "Can you swim?"

Freer practice18 minutes · Mingle, then groups

Aim: To use can / can't in a personalised survey and a class talent show plan.

Give out Handout 3. Model with a strong student: "Can you dance?" "Yes, I can." "How well?" "Quite well!"

Survey (8 minutes): students mingle and ask about the abilities on the sheet. They write names and how well.

ICQs: "What do you write?" (Names and how well.)

Talent show plan (6 minutes): in groups of four, students use their survey results to plan a class talent show: "Ruwan can sing very well. Maya can dance. Nobody can play the piano."

Writing (4 minutes): students write 6 sentences about their own abilities at the bottom of Handout 3.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Groups announce their talent show line-up.

Board four sentences heard (two with errors such as He cans swim). Students correct them.

Set the homework.

Homework Write 8 sentences about what your family members can and can't do. Use very well, quite well or not at all in three sentences.

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

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students picture prompts on the survey sheet. Allow short answers only (Yes, I can / No, I can't).
Stretch
Stronger students add how well in every answer. They ask Could you ... when you were five? (past ability).

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 "Survey" 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 "Survey" 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

Students use can / can't + base verb correctly in 8 of 10 items on Handout 2. Students ask and answer Can you ...? correctly during the survey. Students hear the difference between can and can't in the listening game.

Teacher's reflection

Could students hear and say the difference between can and can't? Did the survey give everyone enough speaking practice?

Handout 1: The Class Talent Show

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Read the talent show entries. Write ✓ (can) or ✗ (can't) in the table.

Nethmi (14): I can sing and I can play the piano. I can't dance, so I'm going to sing!

Kavindu (15): I can play the guitar very well. I can sing a little, but I can't play the piano.

Ayesha (13): I can dance! I can do traditional Kandyan dancing. I can't sing at all.

Ravi (16): I can do magic tricks. I can also juggle with three balls! I can't play an instrument.

Shalini (14): I can draw very fast. I can draw your face in two minutes! I can sing a little, too.

Answer the questions.

  • Can Ayesha sing? ______________________________
  • Can Ravi play the guitar? ______________________________
  • What can Shalini do? ______________________________
Namesingdanceplay an instrumentother talent
Nethmi
Kavindu
Ayesha
Ravi
Shalini

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Complete with can or can't and the verb.

B. Put the words in order.

  • Fish ______________ (swim), but they ______________ (fly).
  • ______________ you ______________ (play) the piano?
  • My baby brother ______________ (walk) yet. He's only six months old.
  • She ______________ (speak) three languages: Sinhala, Tamil and English.
  • I ______________ (ride) a bike. I learned last year.
  • Elephants ______________ (jump).
  • ______________ your father ______________ (cook)? Yes, he ______________.
  • We ______________ (see) the board. Can you make the writing bigger?
  • you / can / swim / ? → ______________________________
  • can / my / sister / dance / well / very → ______________________________
  • can't / drive / he → ______________________________
  • they / speak / can / French / ? → ______________________________

Handout 3: Class Survey

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Ask your classmates: "Can you ...?" Write a name and how well.

very well · quite well · a little · not at all

Write 6 sentences about your abilities.

Example: I can swim quite well. I can't play the guitar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can you ...?NameHow well?
swim
dance
sing
cook rice and curry
play a musical instrument
ride a bike
speak three languages
draw

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

  • No, she can't. · 2. No, he can't. · 3. She can draw very fast (and sing a little).
  • can swim ... can't fly · 2. Can ... play · 3. can't walk · 4. can speak · 5. can ride · 6. can't jump · 7. Can ... cook ... can · 8. can't see
  • Can you swim? · 2. My sister can dance very well. · 3. He can't drive. · 4. Can they speak French?
Namesingdanceplay an instrumentother talent
Nethmi✓✗✓ (piano)–
Kavindu✓ (a little)–✓ (guitar) ✗ (piano)–
Ayesha✗✓–Kandyan dancing
Ravi––✗magic, juggling
Shalini✓ (a little)––drawing
ErrorCorrection
He cans swim.He can swim.
I can to cook.I can cook.
Do you can dance?Can you dance?
She can sings.She can sing.

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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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