OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

*For this lesson, stop the video at 4:56 during the viewing activity.*

 This ESL lesson plan on driving and cars offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for upper-intermediate B2 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Discuss advantages and disadvantages of owning a car and share personal opinions about transportation in their area.
• Learn and practice vocabulary related to driving, vehicles, and transportation systems.
• Watch a video about Alex going car-free and analyze the real costs of car ownership.
• Use compound adjectives and other target language to describe experiences with cars, drivers, or transport options.
• Participate in structured speaking activities that encourage comparison, reasoning, and discussion with classmates.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

Students begin this cars and driving ESL lesson by thinking about the pros and cons of owning a car. They discuss what someone should consider before buying a car and share personal opinions about the best and worst aspects of car ownership. Students complete exercises ranking different aspects of car ownership, such as freedom, responsibility, or expenses, and explore real costs using visual prompts like gas, parking, insurance, and maintenance. Finally, they discuss whether buying a used car or a new car is more worthwhile, comparing advantages and disadvantages and connecting the discussion to their own experiences.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

*For this lesson, stop the video at 4:56 during the viewing activity.*

Students watch a video where Alex explains why he decided to go car-free after ten years of driving in a car-centric city. The video shows his total costs for maintenance, insurance, gas, and traffic tickets, highlighting the financial and environmental impact of car ownership. During the viewing, students match Alex’s ideas with the correct sentence endings, answer comprehension questions about his car, expenses, and receipts, and calculate total costs. They practice short answers, categorizing expenses, and summarizing key information from the video. 

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP

After watching the video, students compare their own experiences with Alex’s. They discuss whether their car costs are similar, higher, or lower and reflect on the financial implications of owning a car. Students also consider car-centric environments and why people rely on cars in different cities. They complete sentences with compound adjectives, practicing vocabulary such as gas-powered, eco-friendly, fuel-efficient, high-maintenance, and hot-headed. Students then share personal anecdotes using these adjectives to describe drivers, cars, or transportation experiences, reinforcing vocabulary and sentence structures from the lesson.

FUEL FOR THOUGHT: DISCUSSIONS ON DRIVING & TRANSIT

Students engage in guided discussions in pairs or small groups, selecting questions based on whether they own a car. Car owners talk about their vehicles, driving styles, car types (gas-powered, EV, hybrid), eco-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. Non-car owners discuss alternatives like public transit, cycling, or walking, and imagine which type of car they would consider owning. Students use the compound adjectives and other vocabulary from the lesson to express opinions, compare experiences, and reason about the advantages and disadvantages of different transportation options.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS DRIVING AND CARS ESL LESSON

Teachers will find this lesson plan helps students develop speaking fluency through structured, meaningful discussions. It promotes critical thinking by comparing personal experiences with real-world data about car ownership. The lesson strengthens vocabulary and understanding of compound adjectives related to cars and transportation. Students gain practice using descriptive language to communicate opinions, preferences, and experiences. Finally, the lesson encourages engagement through a mix of visual prompts, video content, and collaborative discussions, making learning interactive and memorable.