| 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.
C2 / Proficiency90 minStandard LessonUnlimited Plan
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.
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Excellent lesson plan 🙂
Thanks 🙂
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”.
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.
Excellent! Students (especially the Harry Potter fans) loved it
Thanks! We’re so happy to hear that your students loved it 🙂
Thanks
Excellent!
Great to know you liked it 🙂
It seems the most interesting worksheets I’ve ever used. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, I’m glad you like it 🙂
so impressive
Thank you so much 🤗
I love this lesson plan! Contains plenty of food for thought and teaches students lots of valuable life lessons
Perhaps some possible answers and follow-up questions for exercise 9 could be helpful?
Admittedly, the stuff below was mostly cooked up by ChatGPT (with some edits), but it does look useful:
a) “Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”
– Cultural and language differences are not important if people respect each other and work towards the same goal.
– Encourages open-mindedness, tolerance, and international friendship.
b) “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”
– Teamwork and unity make people stronger.
– When people fight among themselves or refuse to cooperate, they become weaker.
– Can apply to families, schools, workplaces, and even countries.
c) “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
– Real courage is not only about facing enemies.
– Sometimes it is harder to disagree with friends when they are wrong because we fear losing their approval.
– Encourages honesty and moral courage.
d) “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
– A person’s true character is shown by how they treat people with less power or status, such as workers, children, or service staff.
– Kindness and respect towards everyone, regardless of status, are signs of a good person.
e) “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
– Character is more important than talent.
– People may be naturally intelligent or gifted, but what really matters is the decisions they make and how they choose to behave.
Follow-up discussion questions:
– Which quote do you agree with most? Why?
– Which quote is most important in modern society?
– Can you think of a real-life example for one of these quotes?
– Which character in fiction or real life follows one of these ideas?