RCF EnglishEnglish learning and teaching
RCF Publications
ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A1

Everyday Phrasal Verbs for Daily Routines ESL Lesson Plan (A1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A1 lesson on Everyday Phrasal Verbs for Daily Routines, built round the theme "My Morning and Evening".

  • CEFR A1
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Phrasal Verbs
  • Everyday Phrasal Verbs for Daily Routines

About this lesson

Who it is for. Beginners who use the present simple for routines (I go to school at 7). They know single verbs but not phrasal verbs: they say I wake at 6 or I open the light, and leave out the particle (I get at 6 o'clock).

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 "My day" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking
Language focus
Grammar: Everyday Phrasal Verbs for Daily Routines (get up, put on, turn off)
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Picture cards of the ten actions, Handout 1 (Sahan's day), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (interview).
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.

Download this lesson plan

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

Download the PDFWordMake a copy

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 ten everyday phrasal verbs for routines (wake up, get up, put on, take off, turn on, turn off, sit down, stand up, go out, come back) in the present simple.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can describe their daily routine with phrasal verbs, e.g. I wake up at 6. I get up at 6.15. I put on my uniform. I turn off the TV at 9.

  • Subsidiary aim. To practise third person -s on the verb, not the particle (She gets up).
  • Subsidiary aim. To practise stress on the particle.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a "my day" mime and interview.

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 and meaning

Phrasal verbMeaningExample
wake upstop sleepingI wake up at 6.
get upget out of bedI get up at 6.15.
put onstart wearing (clothes)I put on my uniform.
take offstop wearing (clothes)I take off my shoes.
turn onstart a machine or lightI turn on the TV.
turn offstop a machine or lightI turn off the light.
sit downgo from standing to sittingPlease sit down.
stand upgo from sitting to standingStand up, please.
go outleave the house (for fun)I go out with my friends.
come backreturnI come back home at 4.

Form and meaning: notes

  • A phrasal verb = verb + small word (particle): get + up. Together they have one meaning.
  • In the present simple, add -s to the verb, not the particle: She gets up (not She get ups).
  • Negatives and questions: I don't get up early. What time do you get up?

Pronunciation

  • The particle is stressed: get UP, turn OFF, sit DOWN.
  • Linking: get up /ge tʌp/, put on /pʊ tɒn/, turn off /tɜː nɒf/.

Concept-checking questions

  • I turn off the light. Is the light on or off after this? (Off.)
  • She gets up at 7. Is she in bed after this? (No.) Where is the -s? (On get.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
Missing particle (I get at 6).Mime and stress the particle; board the verbs in two colours.
Wrong verb (open / close the light).Teach turn on / turn off with a real light switch.
-s on the particle (get ups).Board: She gets up ✓ / get ups ✗.
Confusing wake up and get up.Mime: eyes open (wake up), then out of bed (get up).

Board plan

Left: picturesCentre: grammarRight: pronunciation
☀ wake up · get up · put on · take off · turn on · turn off · sit down · stand up · go out · come back
verb + particle = one meaning · I get up at 6. · She gets up at 7. (-s on the verb) · I don't get up early. · What time do you get up? · not: She get ups ✗ · not: I open the light ✗
get UP · turn OFF · sit DOWN · get up /ge tʌp/ · put on /pʊ tɒn/

CEFR A1 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Everyday Phrasal Verbs for Daily Routines, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To engage students and introduce the topic.

Mime your morning: yawn and stretch (wake up), get out of a chair (get up), put on a jacket. Ask: "What am I doing?" Accept any words.

Ask: "What time do you go to school?" Take a few answers.

Presentation20 minutes · Whole class, individual, pairs

Aim: To present the ten phrasal verbs and clarify meaning, form and pronunciation.

Part A: Meaning (8 minutes)

Show each picture card and mime the action. Say the phrasal verb; students repeat. Stick the cards on the board.

Simon says. Give quick commands: "Stand up! Sit down! Put on your bag! Take off your bag!" Students do the actions.

Part B: Context (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read about Sahan's day. What time does he get up? Three minutes."

ICQs: "Do you read or write first?" (Read.)

Students number the pictures in order. Pairs compare. Check as a class.

Part C: Clarification (6 minutes)

Board I get up at 6.15. and Sahan gets up at 6.15. Ask the CCQs. Circle the -s on gets.

Board the negative and question: I don't get up early. What time do you get up?

Board I open the light ✗ → I turn on the light.

Pronunciation. Drill with stress on the particle and linking: get UP, turn OFF, put ON.

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

Aim: To practise the phrasal verbs accurately.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: write the missing word (up, on, off, down, out, back). Exercise B: write the opposite. Six minutes."

ICQs: "Turn ___ the TV. Which word?" (On / off.)

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To use the phrasal verbs to talk about real routines.

My day (5 minutes). Give out Handout 3. Students complete the "Me" column with their times and actions.

Interview (7 minutes). Students interview a partner: "What time do you wake up?" "At 5.30." "Do you turn on the TV in the morning?" They write the answers.

ICQs: "Do you write your answers or your partner's?" (Both, in different columns.)

Mime game (6 minutes). In groups, one student mimes part of their routine; the others guess: "You put on your shoes!" Then two students tell the class about their partner: "Nimal gets up at 5.30. He goes out on Saturday."

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

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

Quick "Simon says" round with all ten verbs.

Set the homework.

Homework Write about the day of someone in your family (8 sentences). Use 6 phrasal verbs from today: My mother wakes up at 5. She ...

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

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students the picture cards with the words to keep on the desk. In the interview, give them the question frame What time do you ...?
Stretch
Stronger students learn four more: lie down, look for, put away, hang up (clothes). They write questions about another person: What time does your father get up?

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 "My day" 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 "My day" 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

12 out of 14 or better on Handout 2. In the interview, students use the particle every time and -s on the verb for he / she. Students use turn on / turn off for lights and machines.

Teacher's reflection

Did the mime and "Simon says" help students remember the particles? Did students use -s in the right place when reporting?

Handout 1: Sahan's Day

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Sahan is 12. He lives in Kurunegala.

Sahan wakes up at 6 o'clock, but he gets up at 6.15. He puts on his school uniform and has breakfast. He goes out at 7 and walks to school.

At school, the students stand up when the teacher comes in. Then they sit down.

Sahan comes back home at 2.30. He takes off his shoes and turns on the TV. He does his homework at 4. At 9.30, he turns off the light and goes to sleep.

Number the actions in order (1–8).

ActionNumber
He turns on the TV.
He wakes up.1
He comes back home.
He puts on his uniform.
He turns off the light.
He gets up.
He goes out.
He takes off his shoes.

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Write up, on, off, down, out or back.

B. Write the opposite.

C. Correct the mistakes.

  • I wake ______ at 6 o'clock.
  • It's cold. Put ______ your jacket.
  • Please sit ______.
  • Turn ______ the light. It's dark!
  • My brother comes ______ from work at 6.
  • Take ______ your shoes in the house.
  • We go ______ with our friends on Saturdays.
  • My sister gets ______ at 5.30.
  • put on → take ______
  • turn on → turn ______
  • sit down → stand ______
  • go out → come ______
  • She get ups at 7. ______________________________
  • I open the TV after school. ______________________________

Handout 3: My Day

Name: ______________________________ Partner: ______________________________

Complete the "Me" column. Then ask your partner.

Tell the class: My partner wakes up at ... She / He ...

QuestionMeMy partner
What time do you wake up?
What time do you get up?
What do you put on in the morning?
What time do you go out?
What time do you come back home?
Do you turn on the TV after school?
What time do you turn off the light?

Answer Key

Handout 1

He wakes up (1) · He gets up (2) · He puts on his uniform (3) · He goes out (4) · He comes back home (5) · He takes off his shoes (6) · He turns on the TV (7) · He turns off the light (8)

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Handout 2, Exercise C

Common errors to watch for

  • up · 2. on · 3. down · 4. on · 5. back · 6. off · 7. out · 8. up
  • off · 2. off · 3. up · 4. back
  • She gets up at 7. · 2. I turn on the TV after school.
ErrorCorrection
I get at 6 o'clock.I get up at 6 o'clock.
I open / close the light.I turn on / turn off the light.
She get ups at 7.She gets up at 7.
I wake up at 6 and I wake up from bed.I wake up at 6 and I get up at 6.15.

Prints without the site's menus or advertisements.

Download this plan

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.

18 ESL Classroom Games That Teach Something

Eighteen games that each teach something, for the practice stage or the last five minutes.

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.

Share this lesson plan

More phrasal verbs plans

All phrasal verbs plans

Every level on this topic, A1 to C1.

All ESL lesson plans

Every plan, by level.

ESL worksheets

Printable worksheets with answer keys.

Back to Phrasal Verbs