Appeal to nature

Olia | Jun 24, 2026Jun 23, 2026

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• read an article about recognising misleading ‘natural’ product claims;
• talk about how the ‘natural’ label affects people;
• practise vocabulary for debating marketing tactics.

In this CRC lesson, students think of common expressions with ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ (e.g. natural leader, unnatural colours). They explore marketing tactics and trends, review useful vocabulary (e.g. ethically questionable, appear inferior to, scientifically proven) and share their thoughts. Students recall arguments from the article that challenge the ‘natural is good’ concept and discuss the advantages of both sides in ‘natural vs. artificial’ debates. They also read and talk about real-world examples of the ‘natural’ label’s impact.

ACTIVITIES

This lesson starts with a warm-up. Students think of common expressions using ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ (e.g. natural beauty, unnatural behaviour). They then discuss the meanings, connotations and commercial uses of the words. After that, students match the halves of sentences containing key phrases related to marketing tactics (e.g. superior to, resort to marketing tactics, consumer trust). Moving on, they read the sentences from the previous task again and say what products or industries they might be about. Afterwards, students list the arguments that the author of the article uses to challenge the idea that ‘natural’ always means ‘good’. Following that, they discuss questions about the perception of ‘natural’ labels and their opinions. Then, students examine examples of ‘natural vs. artificial’ debates (e.g. traditional meat vs. lab-grown meat) and discuss the advantages of each side. Finally, they read and talk about real-world examples of the perception and impact of the word ‘natural’.

ARTICLE

http://eslbrains.com/crc098

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