Lesson Plan: Environmental Vocabulary and Collocations
Level: Intermediate/Advanced ESL students (18-year-olds)
Duration: 60 minutes
Aims: - To introduce and practice environmental vocabulary related to pollution, conservation, and sustainability. - To develop students’ understanding and use of collocations in environmental contexts. - To enhance students’ speaking and listening skills through discussions and role-plays.
Materials: - Whiteboard or flipchart - Markers - Handouts (worksheets) - Video resources (links provided below)
Introduction (5 minutes): 1. Greet the students and briefly discuss the importance of environmental awareness and vocabulary in today’s world. 2. Show a short video clip related to environmental issues (e.g., pollution, climate change) to engage students and generate interest. Here are some video resources: - “The Story of Stuff” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM) - “Climate Change 101 with Bill Nye” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtW2rrLHs08) - “Plastic Pollution: How Humans are Turning the World into Plastic” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS7IzU2VJIQ)
Lesson Outline (10 minutes): 1. Write the following environmental vocabulary words on the board: pollution, conservation, sustainability, renewable energy, deforestation, greenhouse effect, carbon footprint, waste management. 2. Elicit the meanings of these words from the students and provide explanations as necessary. 3. Discuss the importance of collocations in English and how they can help students express themselves more fluently and accurately. 4. Explain that collocations are words that often go together and that we will focus on collocations related to the environment today.
Questioning (15 minutes): 1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. 2. Distribute a worksheet with a list of collocations related to the environment (e.g., reduce pollution, conserve energy, sustainable development). 3. Instruct students to discuss the meanings of the collocations and provide examples of how they can be used in sentences. 4. Monitor the groups and provide assistance as needed. 5. Bring the class back together and have each group share their findings.
Assessment (15 minutes): 1. Hand out a worksheet with gapped sentences that require students to choose the correct collocation from a given list. 2. Instruct students to complete the worksheet individually. 3. Collect the worksheets and provide feedback on their answers.
Differentiation (10 minutes): 1. For students who need additional support, provide a list of collocations with their meanings as a reference. 2. For more advanced students, encourage them to create their own sentences using the collocations.
Plenary (5 minutes): 1. Recap the main points of the lesson, emphasizing the importance of environmental vocabulary and collocations. 2. Discuss how students can incorporate these new words and phrases into their everyday conversations and writing. 3. Show a short video clip related to environmental success stories or initiatives to inspire students. Here are some video resources: - “The Ocean Cleanup” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du5d5PUrH0I) - “The Great Green Wall of Africa” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxwRUYsX3z0)
Note: The provided video links are subject to change or availability. Please ensure they are accessible and appropriate for your students before using them in the lesson.