| LESSON OVERVIEW
The main objectives of this ESL lesson on modal verbs are to:
- talk about age limits from various perspectives;
- practise modal verbs of permission and obligation;
- watch a video about the minimum age for voting in New Zealand.
With this lesson, students reflect on becoming adults, discuss how age laws are applied in different countries and work with modal verbs (e.g. can, be allowed to, should). They express their opinions, watch a video on the voting age in New Zealand and talk about voting age and youth political influence. Students also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of age limits and share their experiences.
B2 / Upper Intermediate60 minStandard LessonUnlimited Plan
WARM-UP AND MODAL VERBS
This lesson starts with a warm-up. Students complete the sentence ‘You realize you are an adult when…’ with their own ideas. Following that, they read texts about laws worldwide and identify the activity (e.g. getting a gun, drinking alcohol, driving) each text is about. Then, students share the minimum age for those activities in their country. Afterwards, they read the texts again and choose which words and phrases (e.g. must, should, have to) complete the categories of modal verbs of permission and obligation. Next, students choose the correct option in sentences about rules, permissions and obligations. After that, they complete gaps with modal verbs to talk about the rules in their country and their opinions. They then finish the sentences with their own ideas.
VIDEO AND DISCUSSION
In this part of this ESL lesson on modal verbs, students watch a video about the voting age in New Zealand and choose the correct summary. Afterwards, they watch the video again and write down arguments for or against changing the voting age that are mentioned. Following that, students discuss questions on voting age and political influence on young people. They then read about different age limits in various countries and discuss the advantages and disadvantages using modal verbs of permission and obligation (e.g. can, must, ought to). Next, students say if they think the age limits are accurate. Finally, they look at some activities (e.g. retiring from work, gambling, getting married) and say at what age people are usually allowed to do them in their country. After that, students discuss whether age limits for these activities are appropriate or should change.
HOMEWORK/REVISION
This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students correct mistakes in incomplete sentences about different situations. They then complete the sentences with their own ideas. 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.
WORKSHEETS
Subscribe to unlock these and many other Standalone lesson lesson plans with the Unlimited plan
Subscribe
Great lesson, Kinga, keep up the good work!
Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words!
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that there is a mistake on page 5. The legal voting age in Australia is 18, not 16. I believe this should say Austria.
Thank you
You’re right – thanks for pointing that out! It’s now been corrected in both the PDF and e-lesson versions.
Thanks for this lesson, my students like it!
Happy to hear that! 🙂
Amazing lesson, thank you for sharing your great work with us!
You’re more than welcome! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Hi, I’ve tried the lesson and the topic was very interesting. I can’t find ‘don’t have to’ in the matching section, I think it’s useful to add it and say something about the difference in meaning between ‘don’t have to’ and ‘mustn’t’. I love your lessons!
Thank you so much for the kind feedback! As for including “don’t have to” in the matching section, the texts focus on minimum age and legal restrictions, so it’s hard to incorporate that structure naturally. The modals “must” and “mustn’t” are already included to show the contrast clearly. “Don’t have to” does appear in Exercise 4, and we assume students at this level are familiar with it. Any confusion can always be clarified by the teacher during that task.