A body language detective

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Vocabulary - body language

ESL lesson about body language
photo of the author Inna |

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this ESL lesson about body language, students learn some phrases to describe gestures and movements and talk about body language in different situations. 

A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
B1 / Intermediate60 minStandard LessonFree

WARM-UP & VOCABULARY

This ESL lesson about body language starts with a warm-up activity. Students look at the pictures of people and say what they are feeling and explain their ideas. Then, students move on to a vocabulary activity and discuss different sentences (e.g. If you nod your head, it means you agree.) that contain key vocabulary (e.g. nod your head, roll your eyes, etc.). They decide if the statements are true in their culture. Students can also show the gestures and movements from the exercise to understand and remember the phrases better. After that, the teacher asks students whether they know who a body language detective is. Then, they read three conversations with a body language detective and choose the correct phrases. 

MORE VOCABULARY PRACTICE & SPEAKING

This part of the ESL lesson about body language continues with a discussion of students’ experience with reading body language and its importance. Students do some activities that are connected to the three conversations they read before. First, students look at the pictures and match them to the characters from the dialogues. Then, students try to interpret the body language of these people. There are useful phrases available to students that they can use in their discussion. Students also read two anecdotes about misunderstanding body language and guess the endings. After that, they talk about the anecdotes and share if they had similar experiences. The lesson wraps up with a discussion activity where students talk about different situations and how body language helps in each of them.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

The ESL lesson about body language includes a supplementary task to practise the phrases from the lesson. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet and can be printed for students or accessed in the e-lesson plan for online teaching.

WORKSHEETS

 

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  1. mabelana

    Thanks a lot !! Wonderful lesson !! You did help me a lot!!

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy you liked it 🙂

  2. Ana Débora Holanda

    I’ve just found this website and oh my god how come I hadn’t hear about it before? It’s an amazing site for teacher, guys! Congrats!

    1. Stan

      Welcome to ESL Brains, Ana! Wish you many awesome lessons with ESL Brains materials 🙂

  3. Rocio Malizia

    Thanks a lot for this useful material!! It’s a huge help!

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy you liked this lesson 🙂

  4. Oscar Martínez

    Thank you so much, this lesson is a perfect fit for my students.

    1. Justa

      We’re happy to hear that 🙂

  5. Tamara Bezverkha

    thank you!

    1. Inna

      Thank you for your comment! 🙂

  6. Taylor Sheldon

    Hello Inna, beautiful lesson! I am newly getting into teaching English, is it permitted to use this free lesson to post lessons on TikTok and YouTube, with credit of course. Understandable if not. Love the work!

    1. Inna

      Hi Taylor! Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re happy you liked the lesson 🙂
      As for your question, I’ll get back to you once I clarify this information.

  7. AnitaA

    Thanks for sharing your lesson with the rest of us. Love the colours/the dialogues that are part of the lessons.

    1. Inna

      Thank you so much for your feedback, Anita! We’re happy you liked the lesson 🙂

  8. [email protected]

    I wish there were a video to go with this lesson. If fact, I would love to see a video with every lesson!

    1. Inna

      Thank you for your comment! Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to find a video that would complement the lesson, in particular when in comes to lower levels. On the other hand, we think that engaging activities included in this lesson help compensate for the absence of the video 😉

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