Shared spaces

Kinga | Jun 10, 2026Jun 10, 2026

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this ESL lesson on third places are to:

• discuss social spaces and their impact;
• read about examples of online and offline community groups;
• watch a video excerpt on the disappearance of third places.

In this lesson, students debate good and bad social spaces outside work and home. They talk about first, second and third spaces, share experiences and opinions and watch a video about shared places in the US (to 02:10). Students discuss the impact of community spaces, debate how they are shaped and read about examples of community groups. They review examples of online platforms, debate the communities built around them and evaluate them as modern third spaces. Students also create social spaces for specific profiles.

WARM-UP AND DISCUSSION

This ESL lesson on third places starts with a warm-up. Students look at examples of first, second and third spaces (the main environments of daily life) and say what they think these terms mean. They then use them to complete a description. Afterwards, students can do an extra vocabulary task. They match the halves of sentences about shared community activities and social spaces. Then, students choose three activities they would like to try or places they would most like to go to. Moving on, they look at different places (e.g. park, gym, restaurant) and choose three that they think are good examples of third spaces and two that they wouldn’t describe as such. Students justify their choices. Following that, they discuss questions about personal experiences and opinions on third spaces.

VIDEO AND MORE DISCUSSION

In this part of this ESL lesson on third places, students watch a video about social spaces in the US. They share if they notice similar trends where they live. Afterwards, students choose the option that is true for them in statements on the availability, trends and impact of local third spaces. They also add details. Following that, students say whether they agree or disagree with statements on third spaces. They justify their opinion. Moving on, students read about examples of community groups and discuss how they help create a sense of community. They then decide if they would join any of them and say why. After that, students examine examples of online platforms and the communities built around them. They discuss and evaluate them as modern third spaces. Finally, students choose one person (e.g. a new parent), create a perfect third space for them and give details.

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