Diversity & Inclusion ESL Lesson

OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW

This ESL lesson plan about diversity and inclusion provides activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for upper intermediate B2 and advanced C1 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Understand different factors that make a workplace diverse and inclusive
• Come up with and present ideas on how to make a workplace more diverse and inclusive
• Be able to use the future continuous in a DEI program presentation

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

In the first section of this diversity & inclusion ESL lesson plan, students brainstorm words or concepts that they associate with the topic. They’ll write a short list of words, explain the words they chose, and compare their lists with classmates. This is followed by a discussion section about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. In the third part, there are sentences about diversity and inclusion. Students fill in each sentence with nouns that they think fit the context.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

The viewing phase of this lesson is based on a video from the company Indeed. In the video, employees from diverse backgrounds speak about what it’s like to work at the company. They talk about some negative experiences they’ve had in the past concerning their unique ethnic or personal traits, and how Indeed has helped accommodate them. In the activities, students match the employees in the video to their descriptions of their past and present experiences. There are also a few questions that students answer about the video content.

DISCUSSION & GRAMMAR

After watching the video, there are some questions that students can discuss focusing on Indeed’s diverse workplace culture.

In the part after, students imagine a woman, Sarita, is a DEI program representative. She is giving a presentation about how the company plans to improve and reform diversity & inclusion policies. Students answer some questions about her presentation intro, all of which focus on her use of the future continuous. Then, in the third part of this phase, students read the second part of Sarita’s presentation. They use some verbs provided to complete this part of her presentation. Students are instructed to use the future continuous when using these verbs.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION INITIATIVE

The "Diversity & Inclusion Initiative: Crafting a Vision for Tomorrow" is a strategic planning exercise aimed at improving workplace diversity and inclusivity. Students are tasked with imagining themselves as members of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative within their workplace. They develop a comprehensive plan to enhance workplace culture, code of conduct, and hiring practices. This involves formulating policies to foster belonging, implementing training programs on respectful behavior, and refining hiring practices to attract a diverse pool of candidates.

Following the strategic planning phase, students present their initiative's plan to employees, utilizing future continuous tense to convey a forward-looking vision. The audience, imagined as company employees, engages by asking questions about the proposed changes, improvements, practices, and policies, fostering dialogue and buy-in for the initiative.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ESL LESSON PLAN

Collaboration: Activities such as brainstorming, discussions, and presenting the DEI initiative encourage collaboration among students, promoting teamwork and cooperation.

Critical Thinking: All of the activities in this lesson prompt students to think critically about diversity and inclusion at work and how to improve it.

Empathy: Students engage with stories of employees' experiences and discussing diversity-related topics. This can help students develop empathy, and encourages them to consider different perspectives.

Presentation Skills: Through the Diversity & Inclusion Initiative activity, students practice developing and presenting ideas for improving workplace diversity and inclusivity, which helps enhance their presentation skills.