| LESSON OVERVIEW
The main objectives of this ESL lesson on Christmas consumerism are to:
- talk about Christmas traditions and consumer habits;
- practise phrases related to marketing and consumption;
- watch video segments on giving up Christmas gift traditions.
In this lesson, students talk about Christmas gifts, share their opinions and work with phrases for discussing consumerism (e.g. planned obsolescence, conspicuous consumption, throwaway culture). They debate issues related to Christmas, watch part of a video (from 01:00 to 04:06) about stopping gift-exchanging and explore the idea of de-influencing the holiday. Students also read and talk about ways to celebrate without tons of presents and work in pairs, discussing ideas on limiting festive consumerism.
C2 / Proficiency60 minStandard LessonUnlimited Plan
WARM-UP AND VOCABULARY
This ESL lesson on Christmas consumerism starts with a warm-up. Students look at different items (e.g. gift cards, clothing, electronics) and say whether they would make good Christmas gifts. They explain why or why not. If students think they would, they say who they would give them to. Moving on, they look at questions about Christmas traditions and gift-giving options (e.g. What embodies the Christmas spirit more for you?). Students choose the options they prefer and explain. Afterwards, they complete the gaps in statements to create phrases about consumerism (e.g. planned obsolescence, conspicuous consumption, throwaway culture). Then, students explain what the phrases mean. Following that, they review the statements from the previous task and discuss what problems or complaints related to Christmas they describe. Students then say if those problems are the same where they live.
VIDEO AND DISCUSSION
In this part of the ESL lesson on Christmas consumerism, students examine a statement about stopping gift-exchanging for Christmas and think of arguments in its favour. Afterwards, they watch part of a video about this idea. Students compare their ideas with those mentioned in the video. Moving on, they think of counterarguments to the statement about ditching gifts at Christmas. They then watch the rest of the video (from 03:11) and check if their counterarguments are mentioned. Following that, students discuss gift-giving and de-influencing Christmas. Next, they review alternatives to gift-giving (e.g. White Elephant, Secret Santa, charity) and share their experiences and opinions. Finally, students examine opinions on regulating Christmas consumerism and traditions (e.g. Holiday sales should be banned). They write ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to show if they agree. Then, students work in pairs, comparing their answers and exchanging arguments. They use the target vocabulary from the lesson.
HOMEWORK/REVISION
This ESL lesson on Christmas consumerism also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students choose three phrases about consumerism and use them to write either a company memo or a pitch for sustainable and eco-friendly Christmas celebrations. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.
WORKSHEETS
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