Describing Trends ESL Lesson Plan

OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW

This ESL lesson plan on describing trends and alcohol contains PDF worksheets, activities, and digital materials for advanced B1 - B2 students. By the end of the lesson, students will understand a variety of modern trends related to drinking alcohol, as well as be able to describe trends in other industries using specific verbs.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

This ESL lesson plan on describing trends and alcohol begins with students identifying a variety of different drinks. They can discuss which ones they drink when socializing. Next, students discuss a few questions about alcohol. Then, students discuss and categorize some phrases describing drinking effects/behaviors. Some of these include terms like "to moderate your drinking", "to indulge in a non-alcohol drink", "to have a hangover", and a handful of others. The last activity in this section features an exercise to make some predictions about some terms related to drinking trends, which includes terms such as "Heineken Zero" and "Dry January".

VIDEO & LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Students watch a video report featuring a girl who decides to explore sobriety and the positive effects this decision has had on her life. There is a part of the video that discusses the growth of a no-alcohol trend in the USA and the rise of alcohol-free bars. In the viewing and listening activities, students answer some short questions and choose whether some statements are true or false based on the video. After watching the video, students can also check and compare their predictions from the preview discussion part.

DISCUSSION & DESCRIBING TRENDS

After watching the video, there are some follow-up discussion questions geared towards students' personal opinions about the no-alcohol trend and the alcohol-free bars. Then, students answer some questions about a quote from the reporter. In the quote, she uses a few verbs that describe trends (surge, grow, fall, etc.). In the final activity of the viewing follow-up, students categorize and put some verbs describing trends into a table — expressing increase, sharp increase, decrease, or sharp decrease.

LET'S TALK INDUSTRY TRENDS

In the final, communicative activities in this lesson, students will complete two different steps. In the first step, students choose or think of an industry, and then do some research about trends in this industry. There is a checklist of points for them to cover in the research phase of the activity. 

In the second step of the activity, students present the trends and the checklist points in this industry to the class, while using the verbs they studied in the earlier phase of the lesson. They then engage in meaningful reflection sections, asking questions and giving feedback about the presentations.

Benefits of using this ESL lesson plan on describing trends and alcohol:

Language Skills Development: Students can improve their vocabulary, grammar, and speaking skills while discussing and presenting trends in different industries and areas.

Real-Life Application: The activities are based on real-world scenarios, allowing students to apply language skills to practical situations they may encounter in their lives or careers.

Critical Thinking: Researching trends and analyzing data to create presentations enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills.