The CLIL Approach

A Practical Guide for Teachers Who Want to Bring CLIL to Life

 

The CLIL Approach is my new practical handbook designed for teachers who want to understand, implement and improve Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in their classrooms. The content of this book comes directly from real classroom practice and from the training course I delivered to teachers using CLIL in different subjects. So every chapter is based on what actually works with real teachers, not just theory.

As CLIL becomes more widely adopted in schools across Europe and beyond, many teachers are looking for a clear, simple and real guide — not just theory, but ready-to-use tools. That's exactly what The CLIL Approach offers. Further info

What makes this CLIL book different?

✅ Clear explanation of CLIL theory in simple language, perfect for teachers of any subject

✅ The 4Cs framework (Content, Cognition, Communication, Culture) explained with examples

✅ Cognitive Thinking pyramid based on Bloom's revised taxonomy

✅ HOTS & LOTS for cognitive thinking training & development

✅ Practical lesson templates and planning models

✅ Scaffolding strategies for helping students understand and use the target language

✅ Real classroom ideas for primary and secondary levels

✅ Space for your personal notes and reflections

✅ Ready-to-use forms and practice tasks to apply the CLIL approach in real life

It’s not a book full of abstract theory — it’s a book you can actually use while planning your lessons.

Why teachers love The CLIL Approach

Teachers who have already used this book and followed my CLIL course, say that it is:

  • Straight to the point

  • Useful even if you’re not an English teacher

  • Perfect for real classroom use

  • Easy to follow, step by step

  • Motivating and practical

Many teacher training courses mention CLIL but very few actually support you to implement it. This guide is a bridge between academic knowledge and real teaching practice.

Continue your CLIL journey on my website🌐✨

The book also includes forms, reflection templates and practical activities which you can find on my website. These tools will help you apply what you’ve learned, test your progress and build real habits of CLIL planning and thinking. ✅🧠You can test your progress, reflect on your CLIL lessons and even submit your results to me for feedback.  ✍️📧 It’s a full training journey!

In other words, the learning doesn’t stop at the last page of the book — it continues online with extra support, practice material and direct interaction with me. It’s a full training journey that makes your CLIL growth continuous, guided and hands-on. 🚀📚

 

Where to get the book

You can choose between two formats:

📘 Paperback (Amazon): Available worldwide – perfect if you love to write notes and keep a physical copy in your hands.

💻 Digital Version (PDF/eBook): Available directly through my website with over 25% discount compared to the paperback price.

A great solution if you want to go paperless and get instant access.

Ready to bring CLIL into your classroom?

 

The CLIL Approach gives you not just information, but a real method. From understanding the CLIL framework to building your own lessons, it’s a book made by a teacher, for teachers. If you're ready to make your lessons more dynamic and bilingual, start with this book and continue online with my training resources.

👉 Get the paperback on Amazon now (link coming shortly)
👉 Or receive the digital version directly in your inbox at -25% on my website

It's all in the planning!

The 4Cs, HOTS & LOTS, thinking skills, BICS, CALP... Only L2 ... little to no L1 ... 

Sounds gibberish doesn't it?

Even more if YOU are meant to include ALL of these in each activity of your CLIL lesson!

No Fret! it's all in the planning!

Teaching with CLIL

Effective CLIL starts with good planning. ✅

 

One of the most important elements of successful CLIL teaching is preparing your lesson in advance, and the structured lesson template I provide is designed to make that process simple and reliable. It includes all the essential components of a CLIL lesson — from language aims to scaffolding and assessment — and even prompts you to plan tasks that develop LOTS (Lower Order Thinking Skills) and HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) using Bloom’s revised taxonomy.

 

🧠📊 This means teachers can intentionally create activities that go beyond basic understanding and push students toward deeper thinking.

 

With this template, you won’t risk forgetting anything; you can walk into class confident, organised and fully prepared, leading to a smoother, more engaging lesson for your students. 🎯👩‍🏫

 

🔍 What a CLIL lesson plan should include:

All the steps and activities of your lesson should be the result of an intrinsic weaving of all the elements that are required to be included into a CLIL lesson, such as:

✅ Defining the learning and teaching objectives through the content

📘 Defining the content to reach those objectives (CONTENT)

🧠 Defining the HOTS & LOTS for each activity to support the development process (COGNITION – CONTENT)

💬 Deciding on the classroom language, language for learning and subject-specific language needed to communicate learning (CONTENT – COMMUNICATION)

🌍 Finding ways to connect what is learnt to real life and global awareness (CONTENT – CULTURE)

📝 Deciding how learners will carry out the activities: reading, writing, speaking or listening

 

Difficult? Let's make it simple!

This may sound extremely complicated and overwhelming 😅 — but once you go through this handbook, you’ll realise it’s simply all in the planning!

🗂️ The lesson plan template will guide you to think about everything before the lesson, so that you can rely on it to run the class smoothly.

 

Key Elements of a CLIL lesson

  • The 4Cs (content, cognition, communication, culture)
  • Prior knowledge
  • Learning objectives & Scaffolding
  • Activities with HOTS & LOTS and cognitive levels & age in mind
  • Materials & resources
  • Evaluation

The elements just mentioned should be relatively all included in the steps of your lesson.

 

THE MAIN STEPS OF A CLIL LESSON ARE:

  1. Welcome routine
  2. Introduction to the lesson
  3. Presentation of New Content
  4. Working session
  5. Evaluation
  6. Wrap up routine

 

📄The Power of a 4-Page CLIL Lesson Plan Template

The free CLIL Lesson Plan Template – 4 Pages of Pure Support!

Did you know that my CLIL lesson plan template is made up of 4 structured pages?

Each page helps you think about everything you need before teaching — ✅ content, ✅ language, ✅ HOTS & LOTS, ✅ activities, ✅ culture, whether you'll achieve the learning objectives through writing or speaking or model-making…

So you can walk into class feeling confident and organised!

 

📄Customize page 3

🔧 One of the pages is fully customisable — you can copy it as many times as you need to design different CLIL activities or build a whole unit. This means the template grows with you and becomes your personal planning toolkit.

✨ It’s not just a document — it’s a way to plan with clarity and never forget a key element again!

 

📄 Now let’s take a sneak peek at the 1st page of the CLIL lesson plan template provided, to see all the elements that truly complete a CLIL lesson.

 

 

Handbook for Teachers

This comprehensive guide is designed to offer both practical and theoretical support to teachers and educators who wish to deepen their understanding of the CLIL methodology (Content and Language Integrated Learning) and apply it effectively and purposefully. The result of thorough and structured work, this document presents itself as an exhaustive handbook that outlines the pedagogical foundations of CLIL, analyses its benefits and challenges, and proposes practical strategies for its coherent implementation in educational contexts. The guide is intended for both those approaching CLIL for the first time and those wishing to strengthen their existing skills, providing concrete examples, teaching tools, and reflections to support integrated and effective teaching.