ESL Lesson Plans

Explore lesson plans for English teachers packed with creative ESL activities and practical English lesson ideas to save time and make your teaching more impactful

Group
Verses and Curses: Spring in Poetry
B1
Verses and Curses: Spring in Poetry

This ESL lesson plan engages adult learners in reading and understanding poems about spring, exploring contrasting emotions through verse. Students will analyze two poems, compare moods, and identify key descriptive words. Creative activities include making short poems using rhyming templates. The structured exercises build comprehension, vocabulary, and creative writing skills, all within a dynamic 60-minute group setting.

What About a Staycation?
B1
What About a Staycation?

This lesson plan engages B1-level ESL students in exploring the concept and benefits of staycations. Through group discussions, reading activities, and brainstorming exercises, learners analyze staycation advantages and disadvantages while practicing opinion-sharing and problem-solving skills. The lesson plan helps students develop their ability to express thoughts about organizing events and practical solutions.

Digital Footprint
B1-B2
Digital Footprint

This lesson plan helps B1/B2 ESL students explore the concept of online privacy and its implications. Through engaging group discussions, vocabulary-building exercises, and reading activities, learners analyze a news article about managing their digital footprint. The lesson plan targets skills such as identifying key points in texts and expressing abstract ideas, while fostering critical thinking about balancing privacy and professional online presence.

Writing Effective Complaint Emails
B2
Writing Effective Complaint Emails

This ESL lesson plan is designed for B2-level ESL learners to master composing structured, polite, and impactful complaint emails. Over the 60-minute lesson, students analyze real-life examples, identify key components of effective emails, and practice drafting their own using targeted vocabulary. The lesson plan focuses on developing formal tone, descriptive language, and actionable requests, helping students improve their professional writing skills in English.

Lifestyle and Community
B2
Lifestyle and Community

This ESL lesson plan for adults (B2 level) focuses on listening, reading and speaking skills. Students explore the concepts of lifestyle, community, and multiculturalism through video comprehension, vocabulary matching, and group discussions. Activities include analyzing city profiles, matching individuals to cities, and reflecting on personal experiences in a multicultural context. The lesson emphasizes cultural understanding and encourages meaningful dialogue about inclusivity and diverse lifestyles.

New Year's Resolutions
B1
New Year's Resolutions

This interactive ESL lesson plan helps adult B1 learners practice listening and speaking skills. Through video-based comprehension, vocabulary matching, gap-filling, and group discussions, students explore the theme of New Year’s resolutions. The lesson encourages learners to reflect on goal-setting, describe ambitions, and exchange ideas in a collaborative setting. A perfect way to start the year with engaging, relatable exercises!

Green Talk
B2
Green Talk

This engaging ESL lesson plan is designed for teens and adults of B2 level to enhance reading and speaking skills. Structured around group discussions, students explore the environmental, economic, and health impacts of veganism. Activities include brainstorming, reading an informative article, filling in the blanks, online research, and sharing personal opinions. The lesson develops the ability to justify viewpoints and exchange factual information on a familiar topic. Perfect for sparking meaningful conversations about sustainable living!

Express Yourself: Feelings in English
A2
Express Yourself: Feelings in English

This ESL lesson plan introduces teens to vocabulary and expressions related to feelings and emotions. Over 60 minutes, students engage in reading and speaking activities in a group setting, including decoding emotional stories, sharing personal experiences, and brainstorming strategies for emotional expression. Perfect for A2 learners, this lesson fosters communication skills and self-awareness while improving vocabulary related to everyday emotions.

Carnivals Around the World
C1
Carnivals Around the World

This engaging ESL lesson plan explores carnivals around the world through reading, speaking, and writing activities designed for C1-level adult learners. Students will analyze headlines, discuss traditions, read a news article, complete quizzes, and participate in creative exercises like descriptive storytelling. The lesson balances group interaction with skill-building tasks, ensuring a dynamic and immersive learning experience.

Work-life balance
C1
Work-life balance

This ESL lesson plan for group learners at the C1 level develops reading and speaking skills through thought-provoking discussions and exercises on work-life balance. Students explore vocabulary, match definitions, analyze dialogues, and practice gap-filling tasks. The lesson concludes with a partner discussion to apply strategies for achieving balance between work and personal life. Perfect for advanced learners aiming to enhance their conversational skills and critical thinking!

Exploring the Tales of Everyday People
C1
Exploring the Tales of Everyday People

This ESL lesson plan delves into people stories through listening, reading, and speaking activities. Students guess a city from quotes, analyze vocabulary, and engage with stories from "Humans of New York." The lesson fosters discussion, emotional connections, and storytelling while enhancing comprehension and conversational fluency. Homework includes creating a personal project inspired by the blog’s interviews.

Martian Chronicles
C1
Martian Chronicles

This ESL lesson plan explores the topic of colonizing Mars while enhancing reading, vocabulary, and discussion skills. Students analyze a detailed article about Mars, discuss ethical and practical challenges of colonization, and complete gap-fill and glossary-based activities. The lesson culminates with a creative conversation imagining life on the Red Planet, using target vocabulary for fluency and critical thinking.

Can AI Replace Therapists?
C1
Can AI Replace Therapists?

This ESL lesson plan develops reading, listening, and discussion skills through the topic of AI therapy. Students will analyze a detailed text, complete comprehension exercises, and explore the ethical and practical implications of AI in mental health services. A group discussion and vocabulary-building activities enhance fluency and critical thinking.

Campaign Clash
B2-C1
Campaign Clash

This ESL lesson plan focuses on enhancing listening and speaking skills through the analysis of a political debate. Students will engage in brainstorming, complete comprehension exercises, and summarize video content. Group discussions encourage critical thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of personal attacks in political campaigns, promoting fluency and argumentation.

Emotional Support or Just a Pet?
C1
Emotional Support or Just a Pet?

This ESL lesson plan delves into the complexities of emotional support animals through reading and discussion activities. Students will analyze a thought-provoking article, complete comprehension exercises, and debate ethical considerations. Pair and group tasks foster critical thinking and enhance fluency while developing advanced reading and argumentation skills.