Approved book companion lesson planning

Learning objective

By the end of this lesson you will be able to design a short English lesson inspired by a published teaching methodology book, using only citation and original activities.

What a book companion lesson is

A book companion lesson uses a published methodology text as a reference point, not as a script. You cite the title and author, identify one useful idea and build your own lesson around it. All activities, examples and handouts must be original. This approach respects copyright while allowing you to benefit from established professional thinking.

Source and attribution

This lesson refers to *Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching* by Jim Scrivener (Macmillan Books for Teachers). The reference is bibliographic only. No copyrighted text from the book is reproduced here, and no publisher endorsement is implied. If you use a book companion in your own teaching, keep the citation visible and create original materials.

Start with observable evidence

Before planning, collect one piece of evidence from your learners. This might be a recurring error, a communication difficulty or a request for help. Evidence-first planning prevents you from teaching an attractive activity that does not address a real need. Write the evidence in one sentence: "Two of my students avoid speaking in meetings because they fear mistakes."

A four-move plan skeleton

Use four moves: engage, clarify, practise, review. Engage activates prior knowledge and creates a reason to learn. Clarify presents the target language or skill with clear examples. Practise gives learners controlled and then freer use. Review checks what has been learned and plans next steps. This skeleton is flexible and can be adapted to many levels and contexts.

Adapting within limits

Adaptation means changing the context, examples and difficulty for your learners. It does not mean copying a page and changing a few words. If a book describes a technique, describe it in your own words and design your own example. Keep the citation and note the adaptation. This protects both you and the original author.

A 45-minute planning exercise

Choose one evidence statement and one idea from your reading. Draft a 45-minute plan using the four moves, with timings and one assessment check. Then ask a colleague to teach it or observe it. Revise based on what happened. Record the date, source citation and changes in your planning notes.

Common mistakes

• Treating the book as a lesson script.
• Reproducing copyrighted examples.
• Planning activities without learner evidence.
• Skipping the review move.
• Forgetting to cite the source.

Practical tips

Keep a planning notebook with source, evidence, plan and reflection in separate sections. Use original examples from your learners' lives. Share your adapted plans with colleagues and ask for feedback. When in doubt about rights, cite and create original content.

Summary

A book companion lesson cites a methodology text, starts from learner evidence, uses a four-move skeleton and stays within attribution limits through original adaptation.

Worked example

A teacher reads about a technique in a methodology book and copies the example activity into a lesson plan. A stronger approach is to note the idea, collect evidence from learners, and design an original activity. The plan cites the book and describes the adaptation: "Inspired by Scrivener's discussion of teacher roles, this lesson uses an original information-gap task based on students' own schedules." This keeps the source visible and the materials original.

Practice task

Choose one idea from a teaching methodology book you have read. Write a 45-minute lesson plan with the four moves, original examples and one assessment check. Cite the source and note how you adapted the idea. Ask a colleague to review the plan for clarity and originality.

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