OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW

This mental strength ESL lesson plan contains activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials for C1 advanced students. By the end of the lesson, students will have a better understanding of how to build their mental strength and be able to apply the concepts they have learned to their own lives. They will be able to define mental strength, discuss the importance of failure, recognize anxiety and ways to manage it, and identify strategies for building mental resilience. Additionally, students will be able to use new vocabulary terms related to mental strength and reflect on their own experiences with mental resilience.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

This mental strength ESL lesson plan starts out by having students rate their comfort level in different situations. They then move on to discussing how each situation could test someone's mental strength and sharing personal experiences of using mental strength. Finally, they learn vocabulary related to building mental strength, including phrasal verbs such as "challenge yourself," "people pleaser," "take the leap," and "talk [someone] out of doing something."

VIDEO & LISTENING COMPREHENSION

In this mental strength ESL lesson plan, students watch a video about mental strength and listen to a speaker explaining core concepts of mental strength. She insists that everyone has some level of mental strength, similar to physical strength. They also learn how mental strength relates to concepts like failure, anxiety, dealing with everyday challenges, and physical strength. Lastly, they do matching exercises to connect sentence beginnings with endings to consolidate their understanding of the video.

DISCUSSION & VOCABULARY

After watching the video, students focus on understanding and using phrasal verbs and noun collocations from the clip. They also talk about how useful the video's tips are in their lives and share personal experiences of stepping out of their comfort zones, including what initially stopped them and what encouraged them to take action.

CREATIVE COMMUNICATIVE TASK

In this activation, students engage in role-play exercises and discussions. They take on different roles, such as discussing a raise or asking for a favour, to practice stepping out of their comfort zones in real-life scenarios. Additionally, they share personal challenges they'd like to tackle and seek advice on overcoming them, fostering practical learning and skill development in handling various situations. This activity helps students practise and apply the video's concepts about stepping out of their comfort zones, promoting personal growth through effective communication.

Benefits of using this mental strength ESL lesson plan with you students:

Teach Resilience: Teaching mental strength helps inspire students to develop resilience and the ability to bounce back from challenges and setbacks.

Problem-Solving: It improves students' problem-solving skills, which are valuable in academic and real-life situations.

Emotional Intelligence: Teaching mental strength encourages the development of emotional intelligence, leading to better interpersonal relationships and more effective communication among students.

If you're looking for an enriching ESL lesson plan on mental strength for your advanced C1 students, this lesson is for you! It explores key topics like resilience, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. Your students will gain essential life skills and be ready for meaningful discussions and applying mental strength in real-life situations.

Developing mental strength takes practice, and involves overcoming our natural anxieties so we can handle difficult situations. Amy Morin, author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do”, says it’s not about making sure you never fail, but telling yourself that you are strong enough to deal with failure when it inevitably happens.