The power of reading

Title separator

Vocabulary - books

lesson about books

photo of the author Olia |

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson about books, students watch a video about the Harry Potter book series, learn vocabulary related to reading and write a short book review. 

C1 / Advanced
C2 / Proficiency90 minStandard LessonUnlimited Plan
Unlock these lesson worksheets with the Unlimited subscription

VOCABULARY & SPEAKING

In the warm-up activity students talk about books they like reading. Then, they do a vocabulary task in which they need to complete missing words in sentences about reading (e.g. heavy-going, avid reader, captivating). They also discuss whether the sentences are true for them. Next, students read three short descriptions of famous books and try to guess what they are (e.g 1984, Pride and Prejudice, the Harry Potter books). They also have to find words or phrases in the descriptions and match them with provided synonyms (e.g. plagued with, diminish, bigotry). Finally, students talk about the three books and decide whether they are must-reads and why. The vocabulary learned in this part of the lesson about books will be used in the video and the writing task. 

VIDEO & WRITING

Before watching the video, students read a statement about reading fiction and think of an argument to refute it. They watch the first part of the video and check their answer. While watching the second part of the video, students need to listen for arguments to refute three more statements about reading. After the video, students read some famous quotes from the Harry Potter books and try to decide what they can teach people. They also spend some time discussing the video, the Harry Potter books, other stories for children and different characters in books. In the last part of this lesson about reading, students write a short review of a book of their choice. They need to include some information about the listed topics (e.g. plot, their reading experience). They are also encouraged to use the vocabulary from the lesson. 

WORKSHEETS

 

1

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Ana Martínez Martín

    Excellent lesson plan 🙂

    1. Olia

      Thanks 🙂

  2. MagdalenaBarosz

    Great lesson plan although I have a small issue with the “stand up against” phrasal verb.
    Correct phrasal verb would be “stand out against” or “stand up to”.

    1. Olia

      Thank you for your comment! We believe that ‘stand up to’ and ‘stand up against’ have the same meaning, and we decided to go with the second one as it’s the one used in the video. We also think that ‘stand out against’ is not that common to be included in the lesson.

  3. DaveMar

    Excellent! Students (especially the Harry Potter fans) loved it

    1. Olia

      Thanks! We’re so happy to hear that your students loved it 🙂

  4. An Phùng

    Thanks

  5. [email protected]

    Excellent!

    1. Olia

      Great to know you liked it 🙂

  6. Малика Ималатдиновна

    It seems the most interesting worksheets I’ve ever used. Thanks for sharing

    1. Olia

      Thanks, I’m glad you like it 🙂

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
Shakespeare’s phrases
C2 / Proficiency
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Shakespeare: the be-all and end-all?

General

Explore the world of Shakespeare with this lesson! Students discuss Shakespeare’s phrases, his best-known work, as well as themes and famous quotes. They watch a video and discuss Shakespeare’s relevance and influence in modern-day society.

Premium Plan Show
conflict resolution lesson plan
C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Agree to disagree? Negotiating conflict

Business General

Explore the world of conflict with this lesson! Students discuss conflict narratives, resolution tactics, and personal conflict styles. They learn collocations, discuss opinion statements, and listen to a podcast.

Premium Plan Show
advanced lesson on friendship
C1 / Advanced
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

The more the merrier? Friendships and Dunbar’s number

General

Engage students in talking about friendships with this lesson! They watch a video about a social theory, examine friendship situations, discuss their challenges and do some extra vocabulary activity.

Unlimited Plan Show
C1 / Advanced
Critical Reading Club 30 min / 45 min
Loading

It’s a one-way street! Parasocial relationships

General

With this engaging lesson, students read an article, discuss parasocial relationships and talk about fandom. They also share their experiences, learn vocabulary to talk about the topic and give their opinions on fans and fandoms.

Unlimited Plan Show
talk about accents
C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

This is why we have accents (pronunciation activities)

General

Engage in the exploration of accents and pronunciation! Students talk about how they feel speaking a foreign language, explore vocabulary to discuss accents and practise pronunciation skills.

Free+ Show
talking about personality types
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

Lone wolf or social butterfly? Understanding personalities

General

With this lesson, students talk about personality types, revise adjectives to describe themselves and watch a video about how birth order affects a person. They also brainstorm why people change their personalities and discuss whether they agree with different opinions.

Unlimited Plan Show
financial crimes vocabulary
C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 75 min
Loading

Financial crimes

General Global Issues

In this lesson, students practise vocabulary related to financial crimes and watch a video about money laundering. They also discuss real cases of financial fraud, read a film synopsis and talk about their personal opinions.

Premium Plan Show
talking about money and finances
C1 / Advanced | C2 / Proficiency
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

Let’s talk money

General

With this speaking lesson, students talk about financial literacy, listen to excerpts from a podcast on the topic and discuss their experiences and perspectives. They also analyse money-related situations and come up with solutions.

Unlimited Plan Show
ESL lesson on nepotism
C1 / Advanced | C2 / Proficiency
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

When familial meets professional

Business General

In this lesson, students reflect deeply on work-family dynamics, explore nuances of nepotism, and enrich vocabulary through engaging discussions. Students also listen to excerpts from a podcast to spark critical thinking.

Unlimited Plan Show
Show more lessons

Questions

Title separator

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there’s no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won’t be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).

Read more FAQ
Title separator

ESL Brains

Forgot password?
or continue with
Don't have an account? SIGN UP