ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR B1

Separable ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute B1 lesson on Separable, built round the theme "A Road Trip That Went Wrong".

CEFR B1
60 minutes
Teenagers and adults
Grammar
Phrasal Verbs
Separable

About this lesson

Who it is for. Intermediate students who use separable phrasal verbs with pronouns correctly (turn it off). They now overgeneralise and separate every phrasal verb (look my sister after, get the bus on), add objects to intransitive ones (The car broke down the engine), and drop the preposition in three-part verbs (We ran out petrol).

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 B1 (Intermediate)
Learners: Teenagers and adults
Length: 60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run only "Story chain" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills: Speaking
Language focus: Grammar: Separable, Inseparable and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs for Travel (set off, look after, run out of)
Framework: PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials: Handout 1 (a blog post), Handout 2 (language focus), Handout 3 (practice), Handout 4 (story chain cards).
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.

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

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Aims

Main aim. To clarify and practise three types of phrasal verbs: intransitive (no object: set off, break down, get back), separable (pick someone up, fill it up, drop someone off) and inseparable, including three-part verbs (look after, get on / off, run out of, look forward to).

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can tell a travel story using phrasal verbs with correct word order, e.g. We set off at 5. On the way, the van broke down. A farmer picked us up and dropped us off in Ella. We ran out of money, but we're looking forward to going back.

Subsidiary aim. To learn travel phrasal verbs.
Subsidiary aim. To develop narrative speaking through a "story chain".
Subsidiary aim. To practise using a dictionary to check verb type.

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.

Three types

Type	Word order	Examples
Intransitive (no object)	verb + particle	set off (start a journey), break down (stop working: a car), get back (return), check in (at a hotel), stop off (stop briefly)
Separable (object can go in the middle; pronoun must)	verb + object + particle / verb + particle + noun	pick someone up (collect), drop someone off (take and leave), fill it up (petrol tank), put up a tent / put it up, call someone back
Inseparable (object always after)	verb + particle + object	look after (take care of), get on / get off (a bus or train), come across (find by chance)
Three-part (always inseparable)	verb + particle + preposition + object	run out of (have none left), look forward to (+ noun / -ing), get on with (have a good relationship), catch up with (reach)

Three types: notes

A good dictionary shows the type: pick sb/sth up (separable), look after sb (inseparable).
look forward to + -ing: I'm looking forward to seeing you (not to see).
Some verbs have more than one meaning and type: pick up (collect someone, separable) / The weather picked up (intransitive: improved).

Pronunciation

Stress usually falls on the particle: set OFF, break DOWN. In three-part verbs, stress the particle: run OUT of, look FORward to.

Concept-checking questions

The van broke down. Can the van move now? (No.) Is there an object? (No.) Can we say broke down the engine? (No.) · Could you look after my dog? · Can I say look my dog after? (No, it's inseparable.)
We ran out of petrol. Do we have any petrol now? (No.) Can we say ran out petrol? (No, we need of.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

Problem	Solution
Separating inseparable verbs (look my sister after).	Three colour-coded board columns; check type in a dictionary.
Adding objects to intransitive verbs.	"Does it need what?" test.
Missing preposition (run out petrol).	Teach three-part verbs as chunks.
look forward to see	Board: to is a preposition here → -ing.
get on vs get in.	get on / off a bus, train, plane, bike; get in / out of a car, taxi.

Board plan

Left: intransitive	Centre: separable	Right: inseparable / three-part
set off · break down · get back · check in · stop off · (no object!) · not: broke down the engine ✗
pick sb up · drop sb off · fill it up · put up a tent · noun: pick up Nuwan / pick Nuwan up · pronoun: pick him up (not pick up him ✗)
look after sb · get on / off the bus · come across sth · run out of · look forward to + -ing · get on with · catch up with · not: look him after ✗ · not: run out petrol ✗

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, whole class

Aim: To engage students and activate travel vocabulary.

Ask: "Have you ever had a problem on a trip? What happened?"

Pairs share (2 minutes). Take two stories briefly.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present the three types of phrasal verbs in context and clarify word order.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read Ishara's blog about a road trip to Ella. What went wrong? Three minutes."

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

Part B: Finding the rules (7 minutes)

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Find the phrasal verbs in bold. Do they have an object? Can the object go in the middle? Put them in the table."

ICQs: "How many columns?" (Three / four.) "Where do you find the verbs?" (In bold in the blog.)

Monitor and help.

Part C: Clarification (7 minutes)

Elicit answers and build the three columns on the board.

Ask the CCQs.

Highlight look forward to + -ing and get on / off vs get in / out of.

Show how a learner's dictionary marks the type (pick sb/sth up, look after sb).

Pronunciation. Drill We set OFF at 5. The van broke DOWN. We ran OUT of petrol.

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

Aim: To practise the word order accurately.

Give out Handout 3. Say: "Exercise A: put the words in order. Exercise B: correct the mistakes. Seven minutes."

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of four, then whole class

Aim: To use the phrasal verbs fluently in narratives.

Story chain (10 minutes). Give out Handout 4. Groups of four share a set of phrasal verb cards face down. Student 1 starts a travel story: "Last year my family set off for Jaffna ...". Each student turns over a card and continues the story using that verb. Groups do two rounds.

ICQs: "Can you choose your card?" (No, turn over the next one.) "What must you use?" (The verb on the card.)

Retell (8 minutes). Each group writes the best version of its story in 8–10 sentences and one student tells it to the class. The class listens for word order mistakes.

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Board sentences from Stage 4 (correct and incorrect). Students correct them.

Quick test: say a verb; students say separable, inseparable or no object.

Set the homework.

Homework Write a blog post (150 words) about a trip that went wrong (real or imaginary). Use at least eight phrasal verbs from today, including two with pronouns and two three-part verbs.

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

Differentiation

Support: Give weaker students Handout 2 (completed) as a reference in Stage 4. Let them focus on six verbs: set off, break down, pick up, look after, get on, run out of.
Stretch: Stronger students add come up with, put up with, turn up (arrive), hold up (delay). They use a dictionary to classify five new phrasal verbs.

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 "Story chain" 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 3: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. Handout 4: Story Chain Cards (cut up) 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 4 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Story chain" 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 teenagers, shorten the analysis and get to the task sooner. With adults in a work context, keep the forms exactly as they are and swap the lesson's theme for one from their own field.

Checking learning

8 out of 10 or better on Handout 3. In the story, students do not separate inseparable verbs and do not add objects to intransitive verbs. Students use of in run out of and -ing after look forward to.

Teacher's reflection

Was the three-column board clear? Did the story chain produce natural use of the verbs?

Handout 1: Ishara's Travel Blog

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

The road trip from (almost) hell

Last April, four of us decided to drive from Colombo to Ella in my uncle's old van. My little sister wanted to come, but someone had to look after our grandmother, so she stayed at home.

We set off at 5 am. First, we picked my friend Nuwan up in Ratnapura. Then we stopped off for breakfast. Just after Balangoda, we ran out of petrol! We walked for 20 minutes to a petrol station, bought a can of petrol and walked back.

An hour later, the van broke down on a mountain road. Luckily, a tea farmer came across us and took us to his village. His son fixed the van and filled it up with petrol, and they didn't want any money!

We finally arrived in Ella at 7 pm and checked in at our guest house. The next day, we got on the famous blue train to Nanu Oya, and got off to take photos.

We got back to Colombo two days late, but I'm already looking forward to going again (by train next time!).

Answer the questions.

Why didn't Ishara's sister go? ______________________________
What two problems did they have with the van? ______________________________
How did the farmer's son help? ______________________________

Handout 2: Language Focus

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Put the phrasal verbs from the blog in the table.

Answer the questions.

We picked my friend Nuwan up. Can we say We picked up my friend Nuwan? ______________________________
Rewrite filled it up with the tank. Give two ways. ______________________________
Can we say look our grandmother after? Why / why not? ______________________________
What form of the verb comes after looking forward to? ______________________________

No object	Separable (object can go in the middle)	Inseparable (object after)	Three-part

Handout 3: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Put the words in order.

B. Correct the mistakes. One sentence is correct.

at the airport / my brother / up / picked / I → ______________________________
off / we / at 6 am / set → ______________________________
my cat / after / can you / look / ? → ______________________________
of / ran / we / milk / out → ______________________________
you / off / I'll / drop / at the station → ______________________________
Our car broke down the engine on the highway. ______________________________
Could you look my son after this weekend? ______________________________
I'm looking forward to see you. ______________________________
The bus was late, so I picked up him at the bus stop. ______________________________
We got off the train at Kandy. ______________________________

Handout 4: Story Chain Cards (cut up)

Start: Last year, my family set off for ...

Remember: separable verbs + pronoun → pick him up · inseparable → look after her · no object → the car broke down.


set off	break down	pick someone up
drop someone off	look after	run out of
get on	get off	come across
check in	stop off	get back
fill it up	look forward to	catch up with

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

Someone had to look after their grandmother. · 2. They ran out of petrol and the van broke down. · 3. He fixed the van and filled it up with petrol (for free).
Yes. · 2. filled the tank up / filled up the tank · 3. No; look after is inseparable. · 4. -ing (going).
I picked my brother up at the airport. / I picked up my brother at the airport. · 2. We set off at 6 am. · 3. Can you look after my cat? · 4. We ran out of milk. · 5. I'll drop you off at the station.
Our car broke down on the highway. · 2. Could you look after my son this weekend? · 3. I'm looking forward to seeing you. · 4. ... so I picked him up at the bus stop. · 5. Correct.

No object	Separable	Inseparable	Three-part
set off · stopped off · broke down · checked in · got back
picked (Nuwan) up · filled it up
look after · came across · got on · got off
ran out of · looking forward to

Error	Correction
look my sister after	look after my sister
We ran out petrol.	We ran out of petrol.
I'm looking forward to see you.	I'm looking forward to seeing you.
The car broke down the engine.	The car broke down. / The engine failed.

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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 ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

About this lesson

At a glance

Download this lesson plan

Aims

Language analysis

Three types

Three types: 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 · Groups of four, then whole class

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Differentiation

Adapting the lesson

Checking learning

Teacher's reflection

Handout 1: Ishara's Travel Blog

Handout 2: Language Focus

Handout 3: Practice

Handout 4: Story Chain Cards (cut up)

Answer Key

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Elsewhere in Global English

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