Air Travel ESL Lesson

OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW

This air travel ESL lesson provides activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for intermediate B1 - B2 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Learn air travel vocabulary terms 
• Discuss varuous aspects of airport and airfare pricing
• Learn a variety of phrases related to prices and saving money
• Use a variety of adjectives/synonyms for “cheap” and “expensive”
• Use basic modal verbs in the context of air travel

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

In this activity, students discuss topics about booking flights and saving money when flying. The activity is divided into three parts. In the first part, students imagine themselves in the shoes of Daniela, who is booking a flight. There is an image of her thinking about what to purchase when booking her flight. Students discuss various flight amenities and add-ons, such as seat selection, check-in luggage, in-flight meals, Wi-Fi, and insurance. Students reflect on whether they personally choose to pay for these amenities and add-ons when flying. They also brainstorm other possible options available for purchase when booking a flight.

Next, students will explore strategies and suggest tips for saving money when flying. There is a list of vocabulary terms related to air travel that students can use in their tips. These include: luggage, seats, food/snacks, airline rewards programs, and online flight browsing.

Finally, in Part 3, students engage in a debate-style discussion, expressing whether they agree, disagree, or partially agree/disagree with statements related to air travel. These include topics on Wi-Fi in flight costs, preferences for seating on the plane, and airport pricing.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

In the viewing activity, students watch a news report about air travel, and how it’s changed in recent times. It mostly focuses on the pricing aspect of flying. For example, the reporter in the video talks about how the prices for add-ons, amenities, and even pricing at the airport have all increased. There are some questions about the video that students answer. Then, the second activity is focused on the reporter’s thoughts about seat selection, paying for Wi-Fi on the plane, and airport food pricing. This section concludes with an activity on the reporter’s two suggestions she gives for saving money when flying.

DISCUSSION & VOCABULARY

After watching the video, students discuss a few questions about the video. These include topics such as using a rewards program for flying, and whether it’s fair to charge for so many add-ons in the flight booking process.

In the following part, students imagine that Nikki, a travel vlogger, makes a video on tips to save money when flying. Students must complete the tips using a set of provided vocabulary terms. Through this activity, students learn a variety of vocabulary terms and phrases related to saving money. Some of these vocabulary terms include:

• to break the bank
• to cost a fortune
• to be a penny-pincher
• to find great deals
• to be a rip-off

In the last two parts for this section, students browse Nikki’s tips for synonyms for the adjectives “cheap” and “expensive”. They use these synonyms, in addition to some of the phrases, to talk about a product or service they purchased recently.

SHOW OFF YOUR SAVINGS SKILLS!

In this communicative activity, students can work individually or in pairs/groups. They imagine they’re a vlogger (or vloggers). Their goal is to create a video on tips to save money on something. They are provided with a list of options on categories they could choose from, such as food and clothing.

In the second step, students come up with an engaging title for their video and a set of tips. In their tips, students are instructed to use some of the vocabulary they learned in the viewing follow-up section.

Then, students present their tips to the class in the context of a vlog. They’re encouraged to listen to and comment on or ask questions after the other students present their video to the class.

BONUS GRAMMAR

There is a bonus grammar section for this lesson plan that focuses on the usage of basic modal verbs (can / should / have to). There is an activity for students to use these modal verbs in the context of sentences about flying, traveling, and saving money.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS AIR TRAVEL ESL LESSON

• Enhanced Vocabulary: Students will learn and practice air travel vocabulary terms related to amenities, add-ons, and pricing.
• Critical Thinking: Through activities such as imagining themselves booking a flight and brainstorming strategies to save money when flying, students develop critical thinking skills. They consider various factors in order to make informed decisions.
• Creative Expression: The activity where students imagine creating a vlog on tips to save money allows for creative expression as students come up with engaging titles, develop tips, and present their ideas in a vlog format.