ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A2

Separable Phrasal Verbs with Object Pronouns ESL Lesson Plan (A2, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A2 lesson on Separable Phrasal Verbs with Object Pronouns, built round the theme "House Rules and Tidying Up".

CEFR A2
60 minutes
Teenagers and adults
Grammar
Phrasal Verbs
Separable Phrasal Verbs with Object Pronouns

About this lesson

Who it is for. Elementary students who know common phrasal verbs (get up, turn on, put on). When they replace the noun with a pronoun, they put it at the end (Turn off it! Pick up them!), and they don't know that a noun can go in two positions.

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 "House rules" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills: Speaking
Language focus: Grammar: Separable Phrasal Verbs with Object Pronouns (put it on, turn it off, pick them up)
Framework: PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials: Handout 1 (a note from Mum and a dialogue), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (role cards), a few real objects (a bag, a pen, a jacket).
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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Aims

Main aim. To clarify and practise word order with separable phrasal verbs: noun before or after the particle (turn off the TV / turn the TV off), pronoun only between verb and particle (turn it off).

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can give and respond to household instructions, e.g. "Please put your clothes away." "OK, I'll put them away now." "Turn the music down!" "Sorry, I'll turn it down.".

Subsidiary aim. To learn household phrasal verbs (pick up, put away, throw away, turn down, turn up, clean up, hang up, wash up).
Subsidiary aim. To practise imperatives for rules.
Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking in a role-play.

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

	Noun object	Pronoun object (it / them / him / her)
✓	Turn off the TV.	Turn it off.
✓	Turn the TV off.	—
✗	—	Turn off it.

Form: notes

With a noun, the particle can go before or after the noun.
With a pronoun, the pronoun must go between the verb and the particle: pick them up, put it away, throw them away.

Household phrasal verbs

Phrasal verb	Meaning
pick up	take something from the floor or a table
put away	put something in its usual place
throw away	put in the rubbish bin
turn up / turn down	make louder / quieter (TV, music)
clean up	make a place clean and tidy
hang up	put clothes on a hook or hanger
wash up	wash the plates and cups
take out	carry outside (the rubbish)

Household phrasal verbs: notes

Wash up has no object in this lesson: I'll wash up.

Pronunciation

Stress the particle, not the pronoun: Turn it OFF. Pick them UP.
Weak pronouns: them /ðəm/: pick them up /pɪk ðəm ˈʌp/.

Concept-checking questions

Turn it off. What is it? (The TV / the music: something we know.) · Can I say Turn off it? (No.)
Put your clothes away. Where do the clothes go? (In the cupboard, their usual place.) · Can I say Put away your clothes? (Yes.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

Problem	Solution
Pronoun at the end (Turn off it).	Board a "sandwich": verb + pronoun + particle.
Thinking the noun can't separate the verb.	Show both positions are fine with a noun.
them for one thing / it for plurals.	Use real objects: one pen → it; two pens → them.
Confusing put away and throw away.	Mime: cupboard vs bin.

Board plan

Left: vocabulary	Centre: grammar	Right: pronunciation
pick up · put away · throw away · turn up · turn down · clean up · hang up · wash up · take out (the rubbish)
NOUN: Turn off the TV. ✓ / Turn the TV off. ✓ · PRONOUN: Turn it off. ✓ · Turn off it. ✗ · verb + it / them + particle (sandwich) · Pick them up. · Put it away.
Turn it OFF · Pick them UP · them /ðəm/

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, whole class

Aim: To engage students with the topic.

Ask: "Who does the housework in your home? What jobs do you do?"

Pairs tell each other (2 minutes). Take ideas.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present separable phrasal verbs in context and clarify word order with pronouns.

Part A: Vocabulary (5 minutes)

Drop a pen on the floor. Say: "Oh! I need to pick up the pen." Mime the other verbs with objects. Students repeat.

Part B: Context (7 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read Mum's note and the dialogue. What jobs does Dilan do? Three minutes."

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

Say: "Look at the dialogue. Find the words it and them. Where are they?"

Part C: Clarification (8 minutes)

Board Turn off the TV. and Turn the TV off. Ask: "Same meaning?" (Yes.)

Replace the TV with it. Board Turn it off ✓ and Turn off it ✗. Draw the "sandwich". Ask the CCQs.

Use real objects: pick up a pen → Pick it up; pick up two pens → Pick them up.

Pronunciation. Drill Turn it OFF. Pick them UP. Put it aWAY.

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

Aim: To practise word order accurately.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: replace the words with it or them. Exercise B: tick or correct. Seven minutes."

ICQs: "Pick up the books: it or them?" (Them.)

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Aim: To use the phrasal verbs fluently in a role-play.

House rules (5 minutes). Pairs write five house rules for a family or a student hostel: Put your dishes away. Turn the music down after 10 pm.

Role-play (9 minutes). Give out Handout 3. Student A is a parent (or hostel warden); Student B is a teenager. A gives instructions; B answers with a pronoun: "Hang your towel up!" "OK, I'll hang it up." B can give excuses: "I can't take it out now, I'm doing my homework!" Swap roles with the second card.

ICQs: "When you answer, do you say the noun again?" (No, use it or them.)

Two pairs perform for the class (4 minutes).

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 fire: say "Pick up the books!"; students answer "OK, I'll pick them up."

Set the homework.

Homework Write a short dialogue (8–10 lines) between a parent and a child about tidying the house. Use at least five phrasal verbs with it or them.

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

Differentiation

Support: Give weaker students the "sandwich" diagram on a card. In the role-play, let them use only it first, then them.
Stretch: Stronger students use him / her / me: Can you pick me up from school? I'll wake her up. They add for me: Could you take the rubbish out for me?

Adapting the lesson

For	What 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 "House rules" 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 photocopier	Put 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. Handout 3: Role Cards works read out from the front: learners note what they need rather than holding a card. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online class	Send Handouts 1 to 3 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "House rules" 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 group	With 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

10 out of 12 or better on Handout 2. In the role-play, students put the pronoun between the verb and the particle. Students choose it or them correctly.

Teacher's reflection

Did the "sandwich" image help students remember the word order? Was the role-play fun and realistic?

Handout 1: A Note from Mum

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Dilan,

I'm at Aunty's house until 6. Please do these jobs:

Thank you! Mum

Later ...

Mum: Dilan, I'm home! Did you do the jobs? Dilan: Yes! I put my books away, and I picked my clothes up and hung them up. Mum: Good. And the rubbish? Dilan: Oh no! I'll take it out now. Mum: And why is the TV so loud? Turn it down, please! Dilan: Sorry, Mum. I'll turn it down. Mum: And who left these cups here? Please wash them, then put them away.

Answer the questions.

Put your school books away.
Pick up your clothes from the floor and hang them up.
Take the rubbish out.
Don't turn the TV up too loud!
Where is Mum until 6? ______________________________
Which job didn't Dilan do? ______________________________
What's the problem with the TV? ______________________________

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Rewrite the sentences. Use it or them.

B. Tick (✓) the correct sentences. Correct the wrong ones.

Turn off the light. → Turn ______________________________
Pick up your toys. → Pick ______________________________
Throw away the old newspapers. → Throw ______________________________
Put on your jacket. → Put ______________________________
Turn down the music. → Turn ______________________________
Hang up your shirts. → Hang ______________________________
Please turn it off. ______
Can you pick up them? ______________________________
Put away your books. ______
Take out it, please. ______________________________
Turn the radio up! ______
I'll throw away them. ______________________________

Handout 3: Role Cards

Card 1

Student A (parent): Give these instructions. Be strict!

Student B (teenager): Answer with it or them. You can say yes, or give an excuse.

Card 2

Student B (hostel warden): Give these instructions.

Student A (student): Answer with it or them.

Useful language: Please ... · Can you ...? · OK, I'll ... it / them ... now. · Sorry, I can't ... it / them ... now because ...

the music is too loud
the towel is on the bed
the plates are on the table
the rubbish is in the kitchen
the TV is on and nobody is watching
shoes are in the corridor
the old bottles are under the bed
the jackets are on the floor

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Handout 3 (model answers)

Card 1: Turn the music down! / Turn it down. · Hang your towel up! / I'll hang it up. · Put the plates away! / I'll put them away. · Take the rubbish out! / I'll take it out. Card 2: Turn the TV off. / I'll turn it off. · Put your shoes away. / I'll put them away. · Throw the old bottles away. / I'll throw them away. · Pick your jackets up and hang them up. / I'll pick them up.

Common errors to watch for

At Aunty's house. · 2. He didn't take the rubbish out. · 3. It's too loud.
Turn it off. · 2. Pick them up. · 3. Throw them away. · 4. Put it on. · 5. Turn it down. · 6. Hang them up.
✓ · 2. Can you pick them up? · 3. ✓ · 4. Take it out, please. · 5. ✓ · 6. I'll throw them away.

Error	Correction
Turn off it.	Turn it off.
Pick up them.	Pick them up.
Pick it up. (for two books)	Pick them up.
Throw away it.	Throw it away.

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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.

Separable Phrasal Verbs with Object Pronouns ESL Lesson Plan (A2, 60 Minutes)

About this lesson

At a glance

Download this lesson plan

Aims

Language analysis

Form

Form: notes

Household phrasal verbs

Household phrasal verbs: notes

Pronunciation

Concept-checking questions

Anticipated problems and solutions

Board plan

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, whole class

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

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

Freer practice18 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Differentiation

Adapting the lesson

Checking learning

Teacher's reflection

Handout 1: A Note from Mum

Handout 2: Practice

Handout 3: Role Cards

Answer Key

Download this plan

Elsewhere in Global English

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