Why is it so hard to teach articles to english learners?

If you’re an English teacher, you probably already know what articles are and how to use them correctly (if not, check out this blog post). You probably also know that teaching your students how to use articles correctly can be a nightmare. English language learners often struggle to understand the use of articles because English is one of a few languages that use articles extensively. In many other languages, articles are not used in the same way (or at all). 

The good news is that we’ve put together a lesson plan for you, which should make teaching articles to your students a lot easier. The lesson plan takes a blended learning approach — making use of our online grammar program, Tense Buster.

At what CEFR level do students learn about articles?

Articles are typically introduced in English language courses at around the CEFR A2 level, once students have already acquired some basic English language skills. We’ve therefore targeted this lesson plan to students at that level by using the ‘Articles’ unit in the Elementary level of Tense Buster.

Alternatively, there is also an ‘Articles’ unit in the Advanced level of Tense Buster that you can use to make the lesson more challenging.

Lesson Plan Structure:

Title: The Definite and Indefinite: Teaching articles to intermediate English learners

Level: Intermediate (CEFR A2 or above)

Aim: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to understand and correctly use definite and indefinite articles in a variety of contexts in spoken and written English, with a focus on improving their accuracy and fluency.

Time: 60 minutes

Materials Needed:
1) Tense Buster
2) Computers or mobile phones for the students
3) Whiteboard and markers [optional]

Step 1: Presentation stage [10 minutes]

In the presentation stage of an inductive teaching approach, students are presented with examples of the target language and students are encouraged to analyse these examples to draw generalisations. For this lesson, two Tense Buster exercises will be used for the presentation stage. Have the students complete these two exercises individually on their computer, tablet, laptop or mobile phone:

Level: Elementary > Unit: A, an, the > Exercises: 1) Introduction, 2) The rule

These two exercises will present the concept or articles to the students and encourage them to consider patterns that govern their use. Then, they’ll be presented with the rule and students will complete a few sentences to test their understanding.

Step 2: Introduction [5 minutes]

By this stage, students should have a basic understanding of what articles are and why they are important. As a group, run through the concept of articles and their importance. Write examples of sentences on the board and ask students to identify the articles used in them.

Step 3: Explanation [15 minutes]

Go over the rules for using 'a' and 'an' before singular countable nouns, and 'the' before definite nouns. Provide examples for each rule and ask students to create their own examples on the board.

Discuss any exceptions to these rules, such as using 'an' before words starting with a vowel sound, even if it's a consonant letter (e.g. hours).

Step 4: Practice [20 minutes]

Have the students open Tense Buster on their devices, and complete the eight remaining exercises in the ‘A, an, the’ unit individually or in pairs, as well as the ‘Your test’ section at the end of the unit. Have students use the automatic marking and feedback feature to assess their understanding. You will be able to track their individual scores in the Admin Panel.

Step 5: Application [10 minutes]

Review any errors or questions that students may have following the practice exercises they completed. Finally, ask students to create their own sentences using articles, and write them on the board for the class to see.

Conclusion:

By the end of this lesson, students should have a better understanding of the use of articles in English. Encourage them to continue practising and applying this knowledge in their everyday conversations.

If you have any questions on Tense Buster, or any of our other online English programs, please get in touch.