For these women, reading is a daring act

Title separator

Grammar - 1st and 2nd conditional sentences

TED Talk lesson plan

LESSON OVERVIEW

This TED talk lesson plan is based on the problem of women’s illiteracy and education. It is a great starting point for the discussion on gender inequality in general and that’s what the lesson is about.

B1 / Intermediate
B2 / Upper Intermediate
60 minStandard LessonFree / Premium Plan

VOCABULARY AND DISCUSSION

The worksheet starts with a short warm-up activity. Firstly, students have to discuss the problem of discrimination against women in such areas as education, profession, workplace and society. Then, they have to complete questions with some words selected from the speech. After that, they work in pairs and answer the questions on women’s rights and struggles.

VIDEO

Next, there are two tasks on listening comprehension. The first one is a true/false exercise based on the first part of the speech (up to 1:40). Then, students watch the second part of the video and choose correct words in the sentences taken from the talk.

GRAMMAR POINT

Finally, the last two tasks focus on the 1st and 2nd conditionals. In the first one students have to discuss whether they agree with the statements given or not. Then, they move to the second task and have to finish sentences using correct conditional structures. After that, they can work in pairs and discuss their ideas with their partners.

This TED Talk lesson plan has been prepared for around 60 minutes, including the TED Talk which can be easily watched during the class as it only lasts 5 mins. The lesson involves a lot of pair work, but of course it can be modified to suit the needs of an individual class as well.

WORKSHEETS

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Andreia De Jesus

    Its a great Lesson! Any chance you have the script for this video I feel some of my students would struggle understanding all of it, and it would be good to go over vocab before hand.
    Thank you.

    1. Justa

      Thanks! If you need a script, go to: https://bit.ly/2TEnsHK

  2. Barbara

    I think it should be “in the beginning” but “at the beginning of”
    Also it should be “a new bacterium” because bacteria is plural

    1. Stan

      Barbara, I think “at the beginning” is an acceptable form, less common but still not an error. For the sake of clarity I’ll change that to “in the beginning”.

      Now for the other mistake, the case is a bit different. Yes, bacteria is plural and bacterium is the singular form, but… in speech it’s acceptable to use “bacteria”. I know it’s a nonstandard form but that’s what the speaker said. As it’s spoken English and the task is about listening for details, I don’t think I need to change that.

  3. Barbara

    True, she did say bacteria. I didn’t know it’s acceptable 🙂

  4. Mammainmilan

    Great lesson. Just a thought, I think this sentence: “If governments give more money to women’s organizations, they will spend it on education.” would read better as, “If governments gave more money to women’s organizations, it would be spent on education.”

    1. Justa

      Thanks for your comment! I think that in this case it’s a matter of choice. I don’t believe it has to be just a hypothetical situation.

    2. Joy Claridge

      The choice of conditional reflects the opinion of the speaker and the time period the speaker is referring to. So, either is acceptable, depending on the context of the discussion.

  5. Ksenia Mikhailiuk

    I love this talk, it’s very inspiring! Thank you 😊

    I think it would be great to add a listening task for the 2nd part of the talk (Slide 10) so that students have the purpose to listen to it. I’ve adapted the lesson by adding an exercise where students need to match the names of the women with the summaries of their stories.

    1. Justa

      Hi 🙂 thank you so much for the comment and the idea for an extension! Very useful, thanks!

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
sharing experiences using Present Perfect and Past Simple
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Sharing experiences (Present Perfect and Past Simple)

Grammar Lifestyle

With this lesson, students discuss the topics people talk about when they first meet. They also practise Present Perfect and Past Simple, watch a video about people who have just met and do a role play activity.

ESL lesson about software
B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Open-source software: use, study, share, improve

Global Issues Technology

With this lesson, students discuss personal software use, talk about open-source software, and watch a video about the concept. They also explore relevant vocabulary, think of potential challenges to the industry, and discuss its future.

ESL lesson on energy production
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

I get electricity from…

Global Issues Technology

Step into the world of energy production with this lesson! Students practise useful vocabulary and watch a video on electricity trading. They also talk about local and global power generation, examine statistics and discuss sustainable energy.

lesson about journalism
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Journalism and the news

Global Issues

With this engaging lesson, students talk about journalism and news. They practise vocabulary about the topic, watch a video about journalism, discuss the challenges of being a journalist and read authentic stories about journalistic cases.

structures with so and such
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Flipped Lesson 60 min
Loading

It’s such a lovely place! (so and such)

Grammar Lifestyle

With this lesson, students talk about travel experiences, watch a short video about the capital city of Ghana and practise ‘so’ and ‘such’ structures. They also share their personal experiences and discuss the advantages of different travel options.

B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Critical Reading Club 30 min / 45 min
Loading

A ban on cigarettes

Global Issues

With this lesson, students talk about bans and prohibitions. After reading an article, they discuss smoking and vaping. They also talk about trends and practise using adjectives.

Present Perfect activities
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Present Perfect activities

Grammar

With this lesson, students practise Present Perfect in various ways. They apply the tense to tell the news, discuss experiences and talk about life stories. Students also practise applying Present Perfect and Past Simple depending on the context.

structures with ‘It’
B2 / Upper Intermediate
Flipped Lesson 60 min
Loading

It’s never too late to dream big

Grammar Lifestyle

With this lesson, students talk about dreams and ambitions, practise structures with ‘It’ to give opinions and watch a video about a man who pursues two careers. They also discuss balancing multiple careers versus focusing on a single goal.

speaking lesson about gardening
B1 / Intermediate
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

Community gardening

Global Issues

Engage in the exploration of gardening with this lesson! Students review vocabulary, talk about their experiences and watch a video on community gardens. They also elaborate on how they would create a community garden and discuss different ideas for city agriculture.

Show more lessons

Questions

Title separator

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there’s no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won’t be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).

Read more FAQ
Title separator

ESL Brains

Forgot password?
or continue with