- Levels: A1
- Lesson Types: Lesson Plans
- Recommended for: Download and GoSimple to Teach
- Themes: Basics
At a Glance
Preparation
Exercise Summary
🕑 30-45 minutes
🎚 A0, A1
🎯 present simple of ‘to be’, nationalities
🕑 0-5 minutes
– Print one worksheet for each student.
– Print the Teacher’s Insights or keep them at hand as they contain helpful notes for the exercises.
Introduction: Identify six nationalities
Vocabulary Focus: Complete sentences with nationalities
Extra: Mention other nationalities
Grammar Focus I: Study contractions of ‘to be’
Grammar Focus II: Study negative contractions of ‘to be’
Grammar Focus III: Study question forms of ‘to be’
Speaking Element: Students imagine they are a famous person and ask each other yes/no questions to guess who they are
For beginner ESL students and level A1, let’s get started with nationalities and the verb ‘to be’.
Detailed Description
This printable worksheet and lesson plan offers engaging and comprehensive activities to help students learn and practice identifying nationalities, using contractions of the verb ‘to be’, and mastering asking and answering questions with ‘to be’.
Learners begin by guessing the nationalities of people in six pictures. They then do a vocabulary focus where they learn nationalities from country names, a grammar focus with contractions of the verb ‘to be’, and a speaking element with a fun game of guessing famous people by asking yes or no questions. Students can finish with a fun activity their teacher would set up where they would listen to music and guess where the singer is from.
A free printable ESL lesson plan for online and in-person English teaching, refreshed September 2026 for 2026 classes.