How to learn a language like a hyper-polyglot

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Vocabulary

Flipped

language learning lesson plan

LESSON OVERVIEW

The lesson plan is based on a video about a hyper-polyglot, a teenager who knows 20 languages. Tim Doner has been teaching himself languages since he was 13 years old. He explains how he approaches new languages and what techniques he uses to master them.
The worksheet contains three pre-class activities that students are supposed to do at home, and four in-class activities in which they practise newly-learnt words and discover some collocations related to learning a language.

B2 / Upper Intermediate45 minFlipped LessonUnlimited Plan

This is a Flipped Classroom lesson plan. In a nutshell, it means that the first part of the lesson needs to be done by students at home. Learn more about flipped classroom and how we implement it in these lesson plans in our post.

PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES

Before the class, students have to complete their part of the worksheet based on the video. First, they need to watch the video and complete sentences with one word each. After that, they have to study the sentences and match words and phrases they’ve completed with their meanings. Finally, students watch the video again. This time they answer comprehension questions about the video.

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES

The in-class worksheet starts with a discussion. Students have to answer questions about the video as well as issues connected with language learning and English as a lingua franca. Additionally, the questions contain words that students were to study at home in the pre-class worksheet. Next, there is a vocabulary task. Students have to fill in the mind maps with words given in the box. Thanks to that exercise, they will learn such collocations as lifelong learning, dead language, to learn by heart, language barriers, etc. Finally, students move to a speaking part which consists of two tasks. First, they need to finish the sentences with vocabulary from the previous exercise. Then, they share their sentences with each other. Working in pairs, they have to ask follow-up questions to get more ideas.

WORKSHEETS

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  1. anned

    I love this lesson and my students liked it too. 🙂 Thanks! 🙂

    1. Justa

      Awesome! The best feedback is when your students say they like the lesson 🙂

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