Giving Instructions in English through Recipes & Tutorials

🧩 Part 1: Introduction — Giving Instructions in English through Recipes & Tutorials

Giving instructions is a powerful task for EFL learners because it requires clarity, sequencing, and modality—all essential components of effective communication. When students create a tutorial or “how-to” video, they practice imperatives, transitional language (first, next, finally), and conditional language (if you don’t stir it now, it will stick). These structures are often underused in traditional curricula but are highly functional in everyday life and online content creation.

By designing an instructional video or visual guide, students also engage with genre conventions: direct speech, step-by-step logic, and sometimes humor or personalization. Whether the topic is “How to make a Korean street toast,” “How to set up a Discord server,” or “How to write a polite email,” the task fosters multimodal expression, voice, and purposeful language use. It also supports media literacy, especially when students work with platforms like reels, blogs, or instructional design tools (e.g., Canva, PowerPoint, or tildee alternatives).

This task makes English practical and relevant. It gives learners a reason to rehearse, revise, and rewatch their language performances, making it ideal for blended or flipped classrooms.

📘 Part 2: Project-Based Lesson Plan

Project: Create a Recipe or Instructional Tutorial

Duration: 3 days (with optional prep homework and blog engagement)
Language Focus: Imperatives, sequencing phrases, polite instructions, conditionals
Skills: Speaking, Writing, Listening, Reading, Multimodal Design

Wednesday – Demonstration & Design

  • Warm-up: Show 2–3 short videos or photo-based tutorials (examples: making ramen, folding a shirt fast, changing phone settings).

  • Language Focus:

    • Review useful vocabulary: stir, press, tighten, apply, click, repeat, avoid, be careful…

    • Teach transitions: First, then, next, after that, finally…

    • Add tips/modality: You should…, Don’t forget to…, If you want to…

  • Project Brainstorm:

    • Individually or in groups, students list 3 things they know how to do well.

    • Choose one and sketch a basic flow (e.g., steps 1–5).

  • Script Writing:

    • Students write a draft instructional script (optional: include props or images).

    • Peer review or guided editing with template.

Thursday – Try Out Tools

  • Tool Time:

    • In-class demo of a few free options:

      • Canva tutorial templates

      • Google Slides/Docs as step-by-step how-to

      • Flip, Lumen5, or PowerPoint exports

      • Or go low-tech: drawings + photos with captions

  • Build It:

    • Students begin creating tutorials using their preferred tool.

    • Teacher/TA offers feedback on design and grammar.

Friday – Post & Respond

  • Final Edits:

    • Students finish and upload tutorial to class blog or LMS.

  • Blogging Task:

    • Comment on 2 peers’ tutorials.

    • Give students a model/comment prompt:

      • “I liked how you…”

      • “One thing I found unclear was…”

      • “I’d love to try this—do you think it would work if I...?”

  • Class Discussion:

    • “What makes a good online comment?”

    • Brainstorm digital etiquette (kind, specific, respectful, not just emojis).

🌐 Optional Homework:

  • Watch a popular recipe or tutorial video in English.

  • Write a short review: What steps did the speaker follow? What English did they use to signal each step?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Portfolio for Maria Lisak, EdD

Welcome Maria H. Lisak, EdD's Portfolio -  Rooted in teaching, shaped by design, and guided by culture, my work bridges disciplines and invites deep connection. I design for transformation through authenticity, risk-taking, and reflection. I build frameworks that thrive in uncertainty and evolve with context. I create space for quiet thinkers, bold collaborators, and reluctant risk-takers to grow together. I cultivate learner ownership through guided freedom, shared goals, and mutual accountability. I bring structure and soul to suboptimal environments, using design as advocacy. I nurture learning as a meditative, collaborative, and cathartic adventure. I honor lived knowledge, emergent insight, and systems thinking as cornerstones of meaningful education. In my early years teaching English for Specific Purposes in South Korea, I walked into a classroom with no Wi-Fi, outdated textbooks, and learners who had been told they weren’t “language people.” Rather than accept the constrain...
Read more

Week 1: Thresholds + Intuition

Image
Week 1: Thresholds + Intuition Introduction This first week begins at the doorway — the space between what has been and what is coming. We enter not by force or intention, but by noticing. Thresholds are tender crossings: a pause, a flicker of light, the tremor before movement. You are invited to begin by lighting a candle and softening your gaze. Let your senses lead you — the scent of wax, the warmth of flame, the rhythm of your own breath. This week, we honor the wisdom that lives beneath words. Intuition is not a message to decode but a quiet current to lean toward. Each practice — candle gazing, body scanning, scent journaling — returns you to your inner compass. The affirmation, “I honor where I’ve been. I open to where I’m going,” anchors your awareness in both gratitude and possibility. Let this be a week of listening below the surface, of trusting what stirs gently in the half-light. Week 1 Practices  Candle Meditation Candle Video   Candle Gazing Worksheet Body scan...
Read more

Gaps and Opportunities in the South Korean Digital Content Creation Landscape

Gaps and Opportunities in the South Korean Digital Content Creation Landscape As the digital content creation industry in South Korea continues to expand—with the market projected to reach $2.69 billion by 2030 and growing at 15.9% annually—both the saturation of popular niches and the surging global demand for Korean cultural content create unprecedented opportunities for educators, students, and content creators alike. While many established South Korean content creators focus on language learning, travel, beauty, and lifestyle, significant gaps remain that present valuable opportunities for educational innovation and cultural bridge-building. This analysis explores seven notable gaps in the current South Korean digital content landscape, identifying areas where educators can develop innovative curricula, students can pursue meaningful research projects, and content creators can contribute to cross-cultural understanding. From interactive language learning that integrates cultural co...
Read more