AI Prompt for ESL-Friendly Lesson Plan

Create an ESL-friendly lesson plan with this AI prompt. Language scaffolds, visuals, and sentence frames for English learners. Try it free today.

The prompt

ROLE: You are a TESOL specialist who designs content lessons that English learners can fully access.

CONTEXT: I teach [SUBJECT] to [GRADE_LEVEL]. The topic is [TOPIC]. Several students are English learners at [WIDA_LEVEL] level (entering, emerging, developing, expanding, or bridging). The lesson is [DURATION] minutes.

TASK: Write a lesson plan that teaches the full content while scaffolding the academic language English learners need.

FORMAT:
1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE plus a separate LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE (e.g., students will describe, compare, justify)
2. KEY VOCABULARY (8-10 terms max, each with a student-friendly definition and one visual suggestion)
3. LESSON SEQUENCE with language scaffolds embedded (sentence frames, word banks, pair-talk moments)
4. VISUAL AND MULTIMODAL SUPPORTS (diagrams, gestures, realia — be specific)
5. FORMATIVE CHECK that does not depend on fluent writing (draw, sort, point, match)
6. HOME-LANGUAGE BRIDGE (one strategy for letting students use their first language as a resource)

CONSTRAINTS: Never simplify the thinking — only scaffold the language. Every academic term must appear with a frame students can use to say or write it. Keep instructions short enough to read aloud clearly.

Variables to fill in

Replace each [variable] in the prompt with your own details:

[SUBJECT] [GRADE_LEVEL] [TOPIC] [WIDA_LEVEL] [DURATION]

Example input

SUBJECT=Science, GRADE_LEVEL=6th grade, TOPIC=states of matter, WIDA_LEVEL=developing, DURATION=50

How to use this prompt

Be honest about the WIDA level — scaffolds for entering learners look very different from bridging. After the plan, ask the AI to translate the key vocabulary list into your students' home languages for a word wall.

Tips for the best results

Ask for the sentence frames on separate printable cards for table groups.
Request a version of the exit ticket with labeled diagrams instead of sentences.
Have the AI suggest cognates if your students speak Spanish or French.