In this post, I will discuss what demonstrative pronouns are and how to teach them to ESL students. I will introduce a targeted lesson plan to help clarify the concept for your ESL students. If your students need extra practice with demonstrative pronouns, continue reading below to find out how you can teach them effectively. 

Download the lesson plan here:

What are demonstrative pronouns?

Demonstrative pronouns – this, that, these and those– are used to replace nouns in sentences. Demonstrative pronouns are difficult to grasp for English language learners for many reasons. First, they all start with th, which is a hard sound for English learners to produce. Second, they are used in relation to the speaker, which often creates further confusion for students. However, if an English language learner wants to improve their fluency, they must learn to use them confidently and correctly. 

A summary of the lesson plan

Off2Class has created an easy-to-follow, teacher-led lesson plan to help you teach demonstrative pronouns to your ESL students. The lesson starts with a short recap of countable and uncountable nouns and moves into a variety of matching exercises. It also covers the use of this/these with time and provides fill-in-the-gap exercises. Your students will have ample opportunity to practice the various ways we use demonstrative pronouns. You can use this lesson in your online ESL class or in-person in your screen-enabled classroom.

How to teach (and review) demonstrative pronouns

The key is to have students practice using demonstrative pronouns until they become ingrained in their vocabulary. I try to encourage practice and incorporate parts of this lesson plan into my warm-up activities so I always keep this lesson plan easy to access. Give it a shot and watch your students’ fluency improve dramatically! For those of you who subscribe to Off2Class, this lesson plan pairs perfectly with the listening lesson: This, that, these, those – Making Choices.

Take it to the next level

If you’re teaching demonstrative pronouns and want to assign homework or access the helpful teacher notes for this lesson plan, don’t forget to sign up for your free Off2Class teacher account! Be sure to browse the ESL Lesson Plan Library and check out the hundreds of other lessons available. You are just a few clicks away from more ready-to-teach ESL lesson plans! So why not leave the hard work to Off2Class and spend more time teaching the subject you love. 

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