MARS EARS unit planning guide / template

A research-based MARS EARS and EPI lesson planner for language teachers. Step-by-step instructional sequencing to prevent cognitive overload. Originally developed as part of a master’s thesis research project, this organizational tool translates the Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) philosophy into a highly practical, step-by-step guide for second language teachers.

This guide provides a systematic “how-to” for bridging the gap between introducing new language and expecting unscripted communication. Because it is heavily grounded in second language acquisition (SLA) and cognitive psychology research, this document is particularly useful for presenting the EPI framework to administrators, curriculum directors, or colleagues who may be unfamiliar with or skeptical of the approach. It provides the academic rationale needed to justify moving away from premature communicative tasks. It contains a complete sample unit: a fully mapped-out example showing exactly how to design a “Sentence Builder” and progressively fade scaffolding over time. (Note: The sample material is in German, but the step-by-step methodology applies universally to any foreign language). It also has practical advice on how to assign tasks and evaluate students at different stages of their working memory development.

This planner is not a rigid script, but a flexible toolkit designed to help you systematically build your students’ processing speed, confidence, and grammatical accuracy.