OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

*For this lesson, stop the video at 6:11 during the viewing activity.*

This ESL lesson plan on Universal Basic Income offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for C1 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Discuss the concept of universal basic income (UBI) and share personal opinions in the preview discussion.
• Expand their vocabulary with adjectives, nouns, and terms related to UBI and social policy.
• Watch a video about Alaska’s UBI program and complete comprehension and vocabulary activities.
• Practice target language structures in context through follow-up discussion and sentence completion exercises.
• Engage in critical thinking and collaborative discussion about statements related to Universal Basic Income

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

Students start this Universal Basic Income ESL lesson by imagining their mayor announcing a new government program providing an unconditional monthly dividend. They read the announcement and answer discussion questions about UBI, its goals, potential personal and community impacts, and examples of countries that have tested it. Next, students choose adjectives to describe UBI programs, explain their choices, and match nouns to ideas such as misuse, obligation, and comfort to explore consequences and benefits of UBI. Finally, students discuss how their own government handled financial aid during COVID-19, reflecting on the usefulness of support measures and introducing key vocabulary and concepts for the lesson.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

*For this lesson, stop the video at 6:11 during the viewing activity.*

Students watch a video from Free Lunch On Film that explains how the pandemic exposed economic vulnerabilities and highlights Alaska’s decades-long UBI program. The video shows how families like the Stuarts use cash dividends for security, education, and community support, illustrating the broader potential and limitations of UBI. During the video, students write down adjectives used by the reporter to describe UBI and paraphrase them in sentences. They also answer short questions about which countries or regions have considered UBI, how Alaska’s program functions, what the Stuarts do with their dividend checks, the benefits of UBI, and why certain thinkers, like Oren Cass, disapprove of the idea. 

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP

After the video, students discuss their opinions about Homer’s UBI program, debating whether they support or are skeptical of it. They evaluate the realism of UBI on a global scale and its potential applications beyond Alaska. Next, students complete sentences using nouns that match prepositional phrases to summarize the UBI discussion, reflecting on issues like dependency, scale, and financial security. They then identify which speaker — parent, factory worker, wealthy individual, minimum wage earner, or entrepreneurial student — likely made each statement, fostering comprehension and perspective-taking. 

UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME: HOT TAKES & CRITICAL THOUGHTS

Students work in pairs or with the teacher to examine real-life statements expressing concerns or ideas about UBI. They analyze and discuss the perspectives of various people, including parents in Alaska, factory workers, wealthy individuals, minimum wage earners, and students with entrepreneurial ambitions. Students share their insights, critically evaluate the feasibility of each proposal, and discuss the potential societal impacts, including motivation, fairness, funding, and economic outcomes.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME ESL LESSON PLAN

This lesson plan engages students with a timely, real-world economic issue, helping them build speaking confidence while practicing advanced vocabulary. Teachers can use it to expand students’ comprehension skills through video and discussion activities. It introduces target grammar and sentence structures in context, promotes critical thinking about social policies, and encourages students to articulate nuanced opinions. The plan is structured to combine individual, pair, and group work, making it adaptable for both online and classroom settings. Finally, it provides an opportunity for students to connect lesson content with current global events, increasing motivation and relevance.