I'd like to add to this thread and say that the situation/context needs to resonate with your students as individuals. The vocabulary should be tied to the students' personal lives and interests; "play golf" and "go on a business trip" might be a good choice for vocab for businessmen, while "listen to my ipod" works for twenty-somethings and younger.

Equally important is the end activity. It should allow the students to use the language uniquely. For example, your class of young adults has an open-ended activity/conversation at the end of lesson. It's what you've been working towards through the whole 60-minute class. Not only should students have the chance to use today's language, but they should also be given the chance to use grammar and/or vocab from past lessons AND tie it all to their own, personal lives.

This makes learning much quicker, more fun, and relevant to everyone in the classroom

Chris Cotter
Heads Up English

www.headsupenglish.com