AEON Afternoon Tea — Staff Plan

The Concept

What This Event Is

A conversational English lesson structured around a real British afternoon tea experience. Students drink tea, eat scones, and practise natural English through guided activities — not drills. The tea is the lesson. The slides and handouts support the conversation; they don't drive it.

Key principle: No more than 3–4 minutes of teacher talking before something interactive happens. If students are holding a cup, they're already in the lesson.

Run of Show

50-Minute Flow

0–5 min

Setting the Scene

Title slide up as students arrive · Brief welcome

Music playing. You and Joe introduce the theme — what afternoon tea is and why it matters in Britain. Short and warm. No more than 3 minutes of talking.

5–15 min

Tea Service

Pour the two main teapots · First live language activity

You and Joe pour for everyone. Students use the phrase cheat sheet to practise "How do you take it?" / "Just milk, no sugar please." This is the icebreaker — low stakes, everyone has something to say. Handouts distributed here.

15–20 min

Content

Tea History — slides 01

Brief history walkthrough. When you reach the China origin moment — natural handoff to the Chinese guest. See the guest moment plan below.

20–25 min

Tasting Flight

Small pots introduced · Tea Passport handout active

Introduce the tasting teas one by one. Students tick the passport as they try each. Screen goes to a simple holding slide — attention is on the cups, not the slides. Chinese guest's tea featured here too.

25–33 min

Content

Types of Tea + Vocabulary — slides 02 & 04

Walk through tea types using the strength scale illustration. Vocab card helps lower-level students follow along. Keep it conversational — ask students which tea they're drinking and have them find it on the slide.

33–38 min

Interaction

Etiquette + Devon vs Cornwall — slide 05

Students vote on the scone debate using their ballot cards. Collect ballots and announce the result. Naturally playful — gets everyone talking. Scones served here if not already.

38–46 min

Live scenarios — slide 06

Students do the roleplay scenarios in pairs while tea is still on the table. Scenario 1 (friend's house) and Scenario 2 (afternoon tea) fit naturally here. Phrase cards still in hand. Joe circulates; you facilitate from the front.

46–50 min

Wind Down

Puns, idioms & close — slide 07

Light finish. Ask students to make their own tea pun. Close with the "Cheers" slide. Students keep all three handouts to take home.

The Team

Who Does What

🎤 You — Lead Teacher

Drive the slides with arrow keys
Lead the history & content sections
Introduce the Chinese guest moment
Facilitate the Devon vs Cornwall vote
Lead puns & close the session

☕ Joe — Support Teacher

Co-pour the main teapots at the start
Manage and pour the tasting flight
Circulate during roleplay — listen & prompt
Support lower-level students quietly
Collect the ballot cards & count votes

What We're Serving

Tea Lineup

🫖 Main Pot One

English Breakfast

The reliable one. Most students will know something like it. Great for milk/sugar conversation. Served throughout the event.

🫖 Main Pot Two

Earl Grey

Noticeably different — the bergamot smell gets a reaction. Good for the milk-or-no-milk debate. Paired naturally with the "Types of Tea" slide.

🍵 Tasting Flight — Small Pots · Introduced During History Section

🏔️Darjeeling— "Champagne of teas"

🌿Green Tea— students from Japan have home advantage here

🌼Herbal— chamomile or peppermint

🔥Lapsang Souchong— smoky & surprising, very discussable

🇨🇳Guest's Chinese Tea— introduced during the history moment

Special Moment

The Chinese Guest & Her Tea

🇨🇳🫖

When: During the History section — at the "Tea came from China" moment

Don't script this too tightly. When the slide reaches the China origin point, turn naturally to the guest and hand off. Even just the name of the tea and where it's from is enough. This is the most authentic cross-cultural moment of the whole event — no slide can replicate it.

You say: "Actually — we have someone here today who brought real Chinese tea with her. [Name], would you like to tell us a little about what you brought?"

Before the event: Have a quick chat with her — ask what tea she's bringing, whether she's happy to say a few words, and if she'd like her tea included in the tasting flight. Keep it low pressure.

Pacing

Talk vs Interact vs Tea Balance

🎤

~25%

Teacher talking

💬

~40%

Student interaction

🍵

~35%

Tea & activity time

Teacher talking

Student interaction

Tea & activity time

Rule of thumb: If you've been talking for 3–4 minutes, stop and ask a question or prompt a pair exchange before continuing. The phrase cards give lower-level students something to point at rather than produce language from scratch.

Inclusivity

Supporting Lower-Level Students

💬

Phrase Card in Hand

Students can point at phrases rather than produce language cold. Removes the anxiety barrier immediately.

☕

Tea as a Safety Net

When students are quiet, the cup gives them something to do. It's natural and comfortable — not awkward silence.

🗳️

Ballot & Passport = Low-Stakes Output

Both handouts let students participate by writing or ticking — not just speaking. Every level can engage.

👥

Joe Circulates During Roleplay

Joe stays close to lower-level pairs during the roleplay section to quietly prompt and encourage without putting anyone on the spot.

Japanese translations will be added to the phrase card and tea passport as small-print support text — ready before the event.

Take-Aways

Three Handouts · One Print Sheet

🛂

Tea Passport

Tick off each tea tried. Space for tasting notes, strength rating and milk preference. Bilingual (EN/JP).

Distributed: at tea service · Min 5

💬

Phrase Cheat Sheet

10 key phrases across three moments: offering, drinking, after. Simple English + JP translation. Keep forever.

Distributed: at tea service · Min 5

🍓

Scone Debate Ballot

Devon vs Cornwall. Students vote, sign their name. Joe collects and announces the class result live.

Collected: etiquette section · Min 33

All three fit on a single A4 sheet. Print one sheet per two students and cut along the dashed lines.

Pre-Meeting Prep

Things to Solidify with the Team

Questions to work through with your colleagues before the event. Add notes as you discuss each one.

🥪 Food & Refreshments

Can Hijiri buy sandwiches? If so, what kinds — and do we need to account for dietary requirements?

🫖 Tea Service Format

Are two main teapots the right approach — or should we use smaller individual pots so students can sample and compare teas more like a wine tasting, sharing opinions and favourites?

What teas are we definitively serving? Confirm the full lineup — main pots and tasting flight — so we know what to source.

🗂️ Session Structure & Activities

Should we include the Devon vs Cornwall scone debate? Is the group the right level and vibe for it, or does it feel forced?

Should we split into two smaller groups mid-session — each having their own conversation — then come back together for a group discussion? Would this feel more natural and give quieter students more space?

💬 Language & Content

What exactly should you and Joe cover in the history and etiquette sections? Agree on who says what and how deep to go — avoid overlap or gaps on the day.

How should we introduce tea-related phrases and idioms — e.g. "come in for a cuppa," "it's not my cup of tea," "a storm in a teacup"? Does Joe have a preferred approach for weaving these in naturally rather than drilling them?

🖨️ Printouts & Handouts

Which printouts are actually pulling their weight on the day? Are we confident all three are worth the prep time?

Are the useful phrases genuinely helpful for lower-level students — or do they feel like too much to process in the moment?

Is the tea passport (ticket + picture format) too much? Does the visual add something, or does it distract from the actual tasting and conversation?