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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A1

Who, That and Which ESL Lesson Plan (A1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A1 lesson on Who, That and Which, built round the theme "What's the Word? Jobs and Objects".

  • CEFR A1
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Relative Clauses
  • Who, That and Which

About this lesson

Who it is for. High beginners who know jobs and everyday objects and use the present simple. When they don't know a word, they can't describe it, or they use two sentences (He is a person. He helps sick people.). They use which for people.

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 "Guessing game" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking
Language focus
Grammar: Who and That / Which for Describing People and Things
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Picture cards of jobs and objects, Handout 1 (picture dictionary definitions), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (guessing game cards).
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 simple defining relative clauses with who (people) and that / which (things) to describe and define jobs and objects.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can define 6 jobs or objects, e.g. A pilot is a person who flies planes. A fridge is a thing that keeps food cold.

  • Subsidiary aim. To review jobs and objects vocabulary.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop a useful communication strategy (describing a word you don't know).
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a guessing game.

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

NounRelative pronounVerb + restExample
a personwho+ verbA doctor is a person who helps sick people.
a thing / an animalthat / which+ verbA fridge is a thing that keeps food cold.
a placewhere+ subject + verb (preview only)A library is a place where you can read books.

Form: notes

  • who for people; that or which for things and animals.
  • The verb after who / that agrees with the noun: a person who helps, people who help.
  • Don't repeat the pronoun: a person who he helps ✗.

Meaning and use

  • Relative clauses tell us which person or thing, or define a word: A chef is a person who cooks in a restaurant.
  • Useful when you don't know a word: I need the thing that opens bottles!

Pronunciation

  • who /huː/ is weak and quick; that is weak /ðət/: a thing that keeps /ə θɪŋ ðət kiːps/.

Concept-checking questions

  • A pilot is a person who flies planes. Is a pilot a person or a thing? (A person.) So who or which? (Who.) · What does a pilot do? (Flies planes.)
  • A fridge is a thing that keeps food cold. Is a fridge a person? (No, a thing.) So who or that? (That.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
which for people (a person which).Two columns on the board: people → who; things → that / which.
Repeating the pronoun (a person who he cooks).Board the error and cross out he.
Missing -s (a person who cook).Highlight -s in colour.
Long, confusing definitions.Model short definitions: noun + who / that + one verb phrase.

Board plan

Left: vocabularyCentre: grammarRight: pronunciation
doctor · pilot · farmer · chef · teacher · police officer · fridge · umbrella · key · bottle opener · clock · knife
PEOPLE: a person who + verb-s: A pilot is a person who flies planes. · THINGS: a thing that / which + verb-s: A fridge is a thing that keeps food cold. · not: a person which ✗ · not: a person who he ... ✗
who /huː/ · that /ðət/ · a thing that keeps /ə θɪŋ ðət kiːps/

CEFR A1 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Who, That and Which, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · T → Ss, whole class

Aim: To activate vocabulary and introduce the idea of describing words.

Say: "I'm thinking of a person. This person works in a hospital and helps sick people. Who is it?" (A doctor / a nurse.)

Say: "I'm thinking of a thing. It tells the time." (A clock / a watch.)

Show the picture cards; students name them quickly.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

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

Part A: Context (8 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read the definitions from a picture dictionary. Match each definition to a word." (4 minutes.)

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

Pairs compare. Check as a class.

Part B: Language clarification (12 minutes)

Meaning. Board A pilot is a person who flies planes. Ask the CCQs. Underline who flies planes: "This part tells us what a pilot does."

who / that / which. Sort the definitions from the handout into two columns: people (who) and things (that / which). Board a person which ✗.

Form. Highlight the verb + -s after who / that. Board a person who he cooks ✗ and cross out he.

A useful strategy. Say: "You don't know the word? Say: It's a thing that ... / It's a person who ..." Model: "I need the thing that opens bottles!" (A bottle opener.)

Pronunciation. Drill: a person who flies planes, a thing that keeps food cold.

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

Aim: To practise the form accurately.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: who or that? Exercise B: join the sentences. Six minutes."

ICQs: "People: who or that?" (Who.)

Pairs check. Nominate students to read answers.

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups, then pairs

Aim: To use relative clauses to describe words in a game.

Guessing game (10 minutes). Groups of four. Each student takes a card from Handout 3 and describes the word without saying it: "It's a person who works in a school." The group guesses. One point for the guesser and one for the describer.

ICQs: "Can you say the word on the card?" (No.)

My own definitions (5 minutes). Pairs write definitions for three new words (people or things in the classroom or at home) and read them to another pair to guess.

Writing (3 minutes). Students write their best three definitions at the bottom of Handout 3.

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Two pairs read their definitions; the class guesses.

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

Set the homework.

Homework Write definitions for 6 words: 3 people (jobs or family members) and 3 things in your house.

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

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students sentence frames: It's a person who ... · It's a thing that ... Give them cards with easier words (teacher, chair, phone).
Stretch
Stronger students use where for places: It's a place where you buy medicine. They add a second clause: It's a person who works in a hospital and who helps doctors.

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 "Guessing game" 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: Guessing Game 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 classSend Handouts 1 to 3 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Guessing game" 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

8 out of 10 or better on Handout 2. Students use who for people and that / which for things in the game. Students' definitions are clear enough for others to guess.

Teacher's reflection

Did students use who and that correctly? Did they use the "It's a thing that ..." strategy naturally?

Handout 1: Picture Dictionary

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Match the definitions (1–6) to the words (a–f).

Answers: 1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 ___ 6 ___

Which definitions are about people? Which are about things?

People: ______________________________ Things: ______________________________

DefinitionWord
1. a person who flies planesa. a fridge
2. a thing that keeps food coldb. a farmer
3. a person who grows rice and vegetablesc. a pilot
4. a thing that tells the timed. an umbrella
5. a person who cooks in a restaurante. a clock
6. a thing which keeps you dry in the rainf. a chef

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Write who or that.

B. Join the sentences with who or that.

  • A teacher is a person ______ helps students learn.
  • A key is a thing ______ opens a door.
  • A dentist is a person ______ looks after your teeth.
  • A phone is a thing ______ you use to call people.
  • A police officer is a person ______ helps people and stops criminals.
  • A knife is a thing ______ cuts food.
  • A singer is a person. He or she sings songs. → A singer is a person ______________________________
  • A bus is a thing. It takes people to work. → A bus is a thing ______________________________
  • A farmer is a person. He or she grows food. → A farmer is a person ______________________________
  • A pen is a thing. It writes in ink. → A pen is a thing ______________________________

Handout 3: Guessing Game Cards (cut up)

Useful language: It's a person who ... · It's a thing that ... · You use it to ... · It's a job.

Write your best three definitions.

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

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

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

a nursea bus drivera hairdresser
a mechanica lifeguarda tailor
a fana washing machinea calculator
a kettlea torcha dictionary

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Handout 3 (examples)

A nurse is a person who looks after sick people. · A lifeguard is a person who saves swimmers. · A fan is a thing that keeps you cool. · A kettle is a thing that boils water. · A torch is a thing that gives light in the dark.

Common errors to watch for

  • 1 c · 2 a · 3 b · 4 e · 5 f · 6 d
  • People: 1, 3, 5 · Things: 2, 4, 6
  • who · 2. that · 3. who · 4. that · 5. who · 6. that
  • who sings songs. · 2. that takes people to work. · 3. who grows food. · 4. that writes in ink.
ErrorCorrection
A pilot is a person which flies planes.A pilot is a person who flies planes.
A chef is a person who he cooks.A chef is a person who cooks.
A fridge is a thing that keep food cold.A fridge is a thing that keeps food cold.
A doctor is person who helps sick people.A doctor is a person who helps sick people.

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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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