A private student needs a road, not a pile of worksheets. Four lessons make a small, clear month. Each lesson has one job, and the four together tell a story.
Week one: find the need
Listen and check. What can the student do, and what blocks them?
Tell me about your work. What is hard in English?
Week two: one useful pattern
Teach one pattern that solves the problem.
Can I have...? Could you...? I would like...
Week three: use it in a real situation
Practise the pattern in a situation from their life: a shop, a call, a meeting.
You are at the café. I am the waiter.
Week four: review and record
Use the pattern again, and record the student. Compare with week one.
Listen to last month. You can hear the change.
Leave one lesson open
Keep one lesson free for what really happens. Life changes plans.
Write it in one line
If you cannot say the month in one line, it is too complicated.
This month: ordering, asking politely, and one phone call.
Words to remember
- plan — the steps to reach a goal
- pattern — a shape you can use again
- review — to look at something again
- polite — kind and respectful
Questions & answers
Q: Should I plan every minute?
No. Plan the aim and the first activity. Leave room for the student.
Q: What if the student wants something else?
Change the plan, not the student. The plan serves the learner.
Q: How do I know it is working?
Record the student once a month. Your ears will tell you.
Q: How much homework is right?
One small task a week. More than that, and it stops happening.
Q: Can I reuse the same plan for another student?
The shape, yes. The examples, no. Use their life.