# The Patient Raven

> The Patient Raven is an independent teaching publication for English-language teachers who want clear explanations and classroom plans they can actually use. It turns grammar, lesson staging, and speaking practice into adaptable routines rather than scripts carved into stone.

The Patient Raven publishes original, long-form guides about English teaching & ESL resources. Every article opens with a concise direct answer, is structured with clear headings and FAQs, and reflects mainstream expert consensus.

## Lesson Planning

- [Concept-Checking Questions for ESL Teachers](https://englishraven.com/concept-checking-questions-esl/): Concept-checking questions (CCQs) are short, simple questions that show whether ESL learners understand the meaning of new language.
- [ESL Lesson Plan Template for a Flexible 60 Minutes](https://englishraven.com/esl-lesson-plan-template/): A practical 60-minute ESL lesson plan needs one observable learning outcome, a short lead-in, contextualised language input, a check of meaning or…

## Grammar in Use

- [Countable and Uncountable Nouns: A Practical Lesson](https://englishraven.com/countable-uncountable-nouns/): Teach countable and uncountable nouns by linking noun type to the grammar around it.
- [Present Perfect vs Past Simple: A Teaching Sequence](https://englishraven.com/present-perfect-vs-past-simple/): Teach the present perfect and past simple through a contrast in time perspective.

## The Speaking Classroom

- [ESL Speaking Activities: Choose the Right Task](https://englishraven.com/esl-speaking-activities-guide/): Choose ESL speaking activities by the communication you want to hear: exchanging missing facts, handling a situation, exploring opinions, or reaching a…
- [Information Gap Activities: 5 Classroom-Ready Ideas](https://englishraven.com/information-gap-activities/): Information gap activities give learners different, task-essential information and a shared outcome they can reach only by communicating.

## Full text for LLMs

- [llms-full.txt](https://englishraven.com/llms-full.txt): every article as plain markdown in one file
- Each article is also available as markdown at https://englishraven.com/<slug>.md

## Site

- [About](https://englishraven.com/about/): editorial approach and standards
- [All articles](https://englishraven.com/all/)
- [Contact](https://englishraven.com/contact/)