Self-Care ESL Lesson Plan

OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW

This self-care ESL lesson plan contains activities, worksheets, and digital materials for pre-intermediate and intermediate A2-B1 students. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to make a self-care plan, while using infinitive verbs and gerunds to describe their plan, how to implement it, and how it will benefit them.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

In this interactive preview activity on self-care, students come up with and share self-care activities and ideas on sticky notes. They then take part in discussions about self-care and personal experiences and preferences. The inclusion of a pie chart visually categorizes activities into "Spirit," "Body," and "Mind," encouraging a holistic understanding of well-being. An extension of this activity prompts students to identify and address any imbalances in the chart, promoting critical thinking about the importance of a comprehensive approach to self-care. This not only enhances language skills but also facilitates meaningful conversations on the topic of self-care.

VIDEO & LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Students watch a video from Black Dog Institute about how to create a self-care plan. The speaker advises creating a list of potential self-care strategies, narrowing it down, and trying out one chosen strategy for a couple of weeks. After evaluating its effectiveness, the strategy can be incorporated into a daily routine. Students listen out for some self-care topics people often talk about, in addition to the strategies recommended by the speaker for creating and implementing a self-care plan.

DISCUSSION & GRAMMAR (INFINITIVES / GERUNDS)

This section of the lesson plan on self-care involves some follow-up discussion about the woman’s tips/strategies in the video. Then, students proceed to do activities related to self-care planning and verb usage. Students identify types of verbs (infinitives/gerunds) in two quotes from the speaker about creating a self-care plan, and discuss the usage of these verbs. Then, there is a follow-up activity in which students must complete sentences related to practicing mindfulness. Each sentence starts with either an infinitive or gerund, and students must differentiate the usage of these verbs and decide on the proper sentence structure.

MIND, BODY, & SPIRIT: MY SELF-CARE GUIDE

In this self-care activity, students follow a simple four-step process to create a personalized self-care plan. First, they generate a list of at least six self-care activities/strategies, considering a balance between mind, body, and spirit, guided by prompts such as past enjoyable activities and those observed in others. Secondly, they refine their list by crossing off impractical options, selecting the most feasible or necessary strategies.The next step involves sharing and discussing their plans with a classmate or teacher, explaining the implementation using infinitive verbs and detailing the benefits using gerunds. An example is provided to illustrate this process. Finally, in the last step, students offer advice to others on implementing their chosen activities and highlight the associated benefits. This activity encourages thoughtful reflection, practical planning, and peer support in the pursuit of well-being.

GRAMMAR BONUS

This activity involves studying verb patterns, particularly verbs which are followed by gerunds or infinitives (or either) in the context of self-care. Students learn through examples and then apply their knowledge by completing sentences with the appropriate verb forms. In the final part, they generate questions about self-care, incorporating different verb patterns. The goal is to reinforce understanding and practical application of verb usage.

Benefits of using this ESL lesson plan on self-care:

Critical Thinking: The extension activity challenges students to identify and address imbalances in the self-care pie chart, promoting critical thinking about the importance of a comprehensive approach to well-being.

Personalized Self-Care Planning: The four-step self-care activity guides students through a reflective process, encouraging thoughtful consideration of personal well-being and practical planning. This promotes self-awareness and personal growth.

Application of Grammar: Students not only learn language skills but apply them practically by creating a self-care plan using infinitive verbs and gerunds, reinforcing grammar concepts in real-life contexts.