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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A1

Prepositions of Place ESL Lesson Plan (A1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A1 lesson on Prepositions of Place, built round the theme "Where Is It? My Bedroom".

  • CEFR A1
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Prepositions
  • Prepositions of Place

About this lesson

Who it is for. Beginners who know There is / There are and common furniture and classroom words, but confuse in and on and leave out to in next to.

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 "Hide and find" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking and listening
Language focus
Grammar: Prepositions of Place (in, on, under, next to, behind, in front of, between)
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
A box and a ball (or a cup and a pen), Handout 1 (Kamal's bedroom description), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (picture dictation grid), classroom objects.
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 seven prepositions of place to describe where things are.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can describe where 8 things are in a room and draw a room from a partner's description.

  • Subsidiary aim. To review furniture vocabulary.
  • Subsidiary aim. To practise Where is / Where are ...? questions.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop listening and speaking in a picture dictation.

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

PrepositionMeaningExample
ininsideThe ball is in the box.
onon top of, touching a surfaceThe book is on the table.
underbelowThe cat is under the bed.
next toat the side ofThe lamp is next to the bed.
behindat the back ofThe bag is behind the door.
in front offacing, beforeThe chair is in front of the desk.
betweenin the middle of two thingsThe desk is between the bed and the window.

Form and meaning: notes

Structures: Where is the ...? It's on the ... · Where are the ...? They're under the ... · There's a ... next to the ...

Pronunciation

  • Weak of: in front of /ɪn ˈfrʌnt əv/. Weak the: /ðə/.
  • next to – the /t/ sounds often join: /ˈneks tə/.

Concept-checking questions

  • The ball is in the box. — Can I see all of the ball? (No, it's inside.) The ball is on the box. — Is it inside? (No.) Is it touching the top? (Yes.) The desk is between the bed and the window. — How many things are on the sides? (Two.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
in / on confusion (in the table).Real objects; repeat with the box many times.
Missing to (next the window).Board next to; gesture.
between with one object.Always show two objects.
Where is my shoes?Contrast is / are with singular / plural.

Board plan

Left: furnitureCentre: prepositions (with box drawings)Right: questions
bed · desk · chair · wardrobe · shelf · lamp · window · door · rug
in · on · under · next to · behind · in front of · between ... and ...
Where is the lamp? It's next to the bed. · Where are the shoes? They're under the bed.

CEFR A1 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Prepositions of Place, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · T → Ss

Aim: To introduce the topic with real objects.

Hold up a box and a ball. Put the ball in the box. Ask: "Where's the ball?" Students point. Say: "It's in the box."

Move the ball: on, under, next to, behind, in front of the box. Let students guess the words.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs

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

Part A: Context (8 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read about Kamal's bedroom. Where are his things? Answer the questions." (4 minutes.)

ICQs: "Do you draw or write?" (Write.)

Pairs compare. Check as a class.

Part B: Language clarification (12 minutes)

Draw seven box-and-ball pictures on the board. Elicit each preposition from the text and write it under the picture.

Ask the CCQs.

Highlight next to, in front of, between ... and ...

Questions: board Where is the lamp? Where are the shoes? Contrast is / are.

Drill: Where's the cat? It's under the bed. Where are the books? They're on the shelf.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To practise accurately.

Students complete Handout 2, Exercises A and B (6 minutes).

Pairs check. Feedback.

Classroom drill: ask about real objects in the classroom: "Where's my bag?" "It's on the desk."

Freer practice18 minutes · Pairs

Aim: To use the prepositions in communicative tasks.

Hide and find (6 minutes): Student A hides a small object (an eraser) while B closes their eyes. B asks: "Is it under the chair?" "No, it isn't." "Is it in your bag?" "Yes, it is!" Swap.

Picture dictation (10 minutes): give out Handout 3. Student A draws their dream bedroom in their grid (8 things) without showing B. A describes it; B draws it. Then compare drawings and swap.

Students write 4 sentences about their partner's drawing.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To consolidate.

Compare a few drawings. Which pairs have the most similar pictures?

Correct errors heard (in the table, next the window).

Set homework.

Homework Draw your bedroom and write 6 sentences about where things are.

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

Differentiation

Support
Label the box-and-ball pictures and leave them on the board. Weaker students describe 5 things instead of 8.
Stretch
Add opposite, above, near, on the left / right of. Students describe the classroom from memory with eyes closed.

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 "Hide and find" 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. Handout 3: Picture Dictation 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 classSend Handouts 1 to 3 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Hide and find" 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 the correct preposition in 8 of 10 items on Handout 2. In the picture dictation, the partner's drawing matches in at least 6 of 8 positions.

Teacher's reflection

Which prepositions caused most confusion? Did the picture dictation work well?

Handout 1: Kamal's Bedroom

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Read about Kamal's bedroom. Answer the questions.

My bedroom is small but I love it. My bed is next to the window. There's a lamp on a small table next to my bed. My desk is between the bed and the wardrobe, and my chair is in front of the desk. My books are on a shelf above the desk. My school bag is behind the door. My cat, Tiger, is always under the bed. And my shoes? They're in the wardrobe, of course!

Where is / are ...?

  • the bed? It's ______________________________
  • the lamp? It's ______________________________
  • the desk? It's ______________________________
  • the chair? It's ______________________________
  • the school bag? It's ______________________________
  • the cat? It's ______________________________
  • the shoes? They're ______________________________

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Complete with in, on, under, next to, behind, in front of or between.

B. Look at your classroom. Write 4 sentences.

  • The cat is ______________ the bed. (below it)
  • The books are ______________ the shelf.
  • The ball is ______________ the box. (inside it)
  • The lamp is ______________ the bed and the desk.
  • The bag is ______________ the door. (at the back of it)
  • The car is ______________ the house. (facing it)
  • The phone is ______________ my bag. (inside it)
  • The chair is ______________ the window. (at the side of it)

Handout 3: Picture Dictation

Student A: Draw your dream bedroom (8 things). Don't show your partner. Describe it. Student B: Listen and draw.

Useful words: bed · desk · chair · lamp · wardrobe · shelf · rug · TV · plant · window · door · guitar · computer

Write 4 sentences about your partner's room.

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

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

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

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

My drawingMy partner's drawing

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Common errors to watch for

  • next to the window · 2. on a small table next to the bed · 3. between the bed and the wardrobe · 4. in front of the desk · 5. behind the door · 6. under the bed · 7. in the wardrobe
  • under · 2. on · 3. in · 4. between · 5. behind · 6. in front of · 7. in · 8. next to
ErrorCorrection
The phone is in the table.The phone is on the table.
It's next the window.It's next to the window.
Where is my shoes?Where are my shoes?
The desk is between the bed.The desk is between the bed and the window.

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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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