Feeling nostalgic

Inna | May 17, 2026May 15, 2026

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this ESL lesson on nostalgia are to:

• discuss the benefits and downsides of nostalgia;
• practise phrases for talking about memories and the past;
• watch a video excerpt on Gen Z’s fascination with nostalgia. 

Students reflect on their memories, watch part of a video (00:47‒03:51) about nostalgia and explore the definition of ‘oxymoron’. They discuss the pros and cons of feeling nostalgic, work with key phrases (e.g. evoke, linger, alienate from) and talk about historical nostalgia. Students analyse modern trends and nostalgic influences, share their experiences and summarise the lesson using the target vocabulary.

WARM-UP AND VIDEO

This ESL lesson on nostalgia starts with a warm-up. Students choose topics (e.g. your first mobile phone or computer) and provide details. They then say how talking about these topics made them feel and why they remember them. Afterwards, students watch a video about nostalgia. First, they read the definition of ‘oxymoron’ and say why nostalgia might be an example of this. Then, students watch part of the video and check their ideas. Moving on, they complete sentences about the benefits of nostalgia with one word. Next, students watch the second part of the video and check. Following that, they discuss questions about nostalgia and its impact.

VOCABULARY AND DISCUSSION

In this part of this ESL lesson on nostalgia, students look at sentences involving the dual nature of nostalgia and match phrases (e.g. indulge in, cling to, dwell on) with their definitions. They then discuss the positive and negative aspects of each situation. After that, students complete statements with the vocabulary from the previous task. Next, they choose three statements and discuss their pros and cons. Moving on, students read about historical nostalgia and examine some examples (e.g. cottagecore aesthetics). Afterwards, they evaluate and discuss modern trends through the lens of nostalgia and social influence. Then, students read topics (e.g. slow internet connection) and identify potential sources of nostalgia. Following that, they reflect on and compare personal memories from the past. Finally, students summarise the lesson using some ideas and the target vocabulary from the lesson.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This ESL lesson on nostalgia also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students look at two sentences and complete the second one so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the target vocabulary from the lesson. 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.

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