Level: C1 / Advanced
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Standard Lesson 60 min
Cultural appropriation
General Global IssuesIn this lesson, students watch a video about cultural appropriation in fashion and learn some vocabulary. The lesson also includes lots of speaking activities for advanced students.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Living a digital nomad lifestyle
Business LifestyleIn this lesson students watch a video about being a digital nomad and learn and practise advanced multiword verbs.
Standard Lesson 90 min
The power of reading
GeneralIn this lesson about books, students watch a video about the Harry Potter book series, learn vocabulary related to reading and write a short book review.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Stay interested, stay motivated – first lesson with new students
GeneralThis ESL worksheet can be used in the first lesson with new students. In the lesson, students discuss their interests, watch a video about motivation, and do vocabulary and grammar tasks.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Will Gen Zers make cash cool again?
LifestyleIn this lesson, students talk about generations and their approach to money, watch a video about Gen Zers and learn vocabulary related to the topic.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Who wants to live forever?
TechnologyWith this lesson plan, students have an in-depth discussion about the idea of recreating dead people as avatars. They also practise useful vocabulary and talk about the metaverse.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Biometrics – applications and implications
TechnologyIn this lesson students discuss biometric technology, its applications and the concerns people have about using it. Students also do a word formation exercise and complete a definition.
Standard Lesson 75 min
Sharpen your critical thinking (CAE Speaking Part 3)
General GrammarWith this lesson plan, students evaluate the validity of arguments using the information from a video about logical fallacies. They also practise conjunctions and do a Cambridge CAE Speaking Part 3 activity.
Standard Lesson 75 min
Elegance versus bling (case study)
BusinessIn this lesson, students watch a video about a company facing problems, learn advanced phrases for giving opinions, and discuss case studies.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Legalese – explicit or ambiguous?
BusinessIn this lesson students discuss different types of jargon, learn some vocabulary to describe that something is easy or difficult to understand, and share their thoughts about the article they read at home.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Location-based pay – a thing of the past?
BusinessIn this lesson students learn some useful vocabulary to talk about salaries, discuss if location-based pay should become a thing of the past, and share their views on pay transparency and salary bands.
Flipped Lesson 60 min
Solar, wind or hydroelectric?
Global Issues TechnologyWith this lesson plan, students discuss different forms of alternative energy sources, learn vocabulary related to generating energy and engage in a group activity.
Standard Lesson 75 min
It’s so hot right now!
Business TechnologyIn this lesson students learn expressions to talk about trends and watch a video about one of new buzzwords, i.e. NFTs.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Menstrual leave sparks debate
Business Global IssuesIn this lesson, students learn advanced words and phrases to express opinions, talk about the idea of menstrual leave and hold a debate.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Advanced vocabulary activities
GeneralThis is a set of ESL vocabulary activities rather than a typical ESL Brains lesson plan. Each of the activities can be used separately as a time filler, a warm-up, etc.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Are we all content creators?
GeneralIn this lesson students discuss who a content creator is and practise some vocabulary useful when defining vague terms.
Standard Lesson 90 min
Families – extended, nuclear, chosen
Global Issues LifestyleIn this advanced speaking lesson students will practise some vocabulary and watch a video about the history of the nuclear family. They will also discuss some statistics and talk about the changing family model.
Standard Lesson 75 min
Has cancel culture gone too far?
Global IssuesIn this lesson students learn vocabulary useful to talk about cancel culture, do a CAE multiple-choice cloze task, watch a video, and get the opportunity to discuss cancel culture and freedom of speech in depth.
Standard Lesson 90 min
Why do we like horror films?
GeneralIn this lesson, students learn vocabulary useful when talking about fear or relief, watch a video about horror films, and describe situations in which they felt uneasy or scared.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
AI supporting mental health therapy
TechnologyIn this lesson students discuss using AI in areas such as mental health therapy and the justice system, complete the summary of the article they read at home, and share their thoughts on the future of AI.
Flipped Lesson 60 min
Where are all the aliens? (writing an essay)
Global Issues TechnologyIn this lesson,students discuss alien life and the possible first contact scenario and write an essay about different aspects of space exploration. The lesson also includes two videos about extraterrestrials.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Unconventional business model
BusinessIn this lesson, students learn about furniture retailer IKEA and discuss its business model. Then, they come up with their own business idea for a shop.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Curious questions about curiosity
GeneralIn this lesson, students discuss the topic of curiosity in humans, practise collocations from the article, and reflect on how curiosity has shaped their lives.
Standard Lesson 75 min
The art of giving feedback
BusinessIn this lesson, students discover a formula to help them give great feedback and learn some useful phrases for giving and receiving feedback in English. They also watch a video about giving feedback and learn vocabulary related to it.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Could a bossless workplace work?
BusinessWith this lesson plan, students discuss how they feel about a bossless workplace. They also learn some useful vocabulary related to worker cooperatives and the hierarchical structure of a traditional workplace.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
To shuffle or not to shuffle?
LifestyleIn this lesson students discuss the article they read at home about Adele’s request to remove the shuffle button on her album. They also study collocations with the words album and track.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Why do people cheat in online games?
LifestyleIn this lesson, students practise some language related to breaking and following rules, and discuss the reasons behind cheating in online games.
Standard Lesson 60 min
What makes you laugh? (synonyms for laugh)
GeneralIn this lesson students study advanced synonyms for laugh, watch a video about laughter and discuss different aspects of laughter.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Layoffs and cutbacks can lead to start-ups (phrasal nouns)
BusinessIn this lesson, students read a short article about a start-up surge and learn some phrasal nouns by working out their meaning from the context. They also use the phrasal nouns in a discussion and a crossword.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Will your future clothes be made like this?
Lifestyle TechnologyIn this lesson students practise their listening skills while watching a video about 3D printed clothes. They also work with advanced synonyms for make and discuss the implications of 3D printing technology.
Flipped Lesson 60 min
Lying in your garbage
Global Issues LifestyleIn this lesson plan on zero waste students learn new vocabulary related to the word garbage while reflecting on small changes they could make to live a more eco-friendly life. They also watch two videos and practise their listening skills.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Who should tackle misinformation on social media?
Global IssuesWith this lesson plan students learn and practise some useful news language and reflect on the problem of misinformation on social media.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Behind every success there are dozens of failures
BusinessIn this lesson about success and failure students watch an interview with Jeff Bezos and learn a few idioms related to failure. They also put them into practice through a role-play activity involving different aspects of business failures.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Dealing with plastic waste
Global IssuesThis lesson gives students the opportunity to discover some language related to plastic pollution, discuss the problem of plastic waste and reflect on some eco-friendly ways to deal with other types of waste.
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Is being creative enough to succeed in innovation?
Business TechnologyIn this worksheet, students look for synonyms of some advanced phrases, practise word formation and reflect on what it takes to succeed in innovation.
Standard Lesson 60 min
Is science denial worse than it’s ever been?
Global Issues TechnologyWith this lesson plan, students reflect on a video about the role of science in the modern world, expand their vocabulary and hold a lively class debate.
