Questions no one knows the answers to

Title separator

Grammar - indirect questions

asking questions

LESSON OVERVIEW

This TED talk lesson plan is based on a short video by Chris Anderson titled “Questions no one knows the answers to”. This time students get a lot of grammar exercises on asking questions (direct and indirect ones) and discuss some hard ones.

B1 / Intermediate60 minStandard LessonFree / Premium Plan

(IN)DIRECT QUESTIONS

First, students have to create questions to given answers. This exercise checks their knowledge of various tenses and grammatical structures. Then, students should study the examples of indirect questions and introductory phrases. As a teacher, help students understand the issue by, e.g. giving them more examples or eliciting other structures on the board. After that, students have to rewrite questions from exercise 1 using various introductory phrases. The last grammar task is working in pairs. Students get a list of topics and they have to ask each other indirect questions connected with their free time, education, work, etc.

VIDEO AND DISCUSSION

Then, before watching the TED-Ed video, there is a short discussion on questions kids ask. Next, students move to the video and they have to write down three of them that the speaker mentions, and then they try to answer them. In the last exercise, students have to imagine that they are parents and try to answer the selected questions that kids ask.

It usually takes me around 60 minutes (including 2-minute video – students can watch it twice to write down what they hear) to do this lesson plan. I do it with strong B1+ students or with B2 students if I want to remind them of this grammar point.

EXTRA TASK − ROLEPLAYING (PDF-ONLY)

We created something that would allow students to use indirect questions in a real-life situation and is based on authentic material. In our extra worksheet, students will have to play the role of potential candidates and hiring managers to talk about the best job in the world. The scenario encourages students to use indirect questions to sound polite. It’s a fun task as the advertised job is probably the best job in the world ?

Role-play cards for this task are available in the Teacher’s Version pdf

WORKSHEETS

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Hyago

    I’d like to tell you guys that all the lesson you’ve posted here are incredibly amazing. Thanks for taking time to make them and share with us teachers. God bless you.

    1. Justa

      Thanks a lot! We’re happy you enjoy them 🙂

  2. Marcela Ramos

    I’d like to thank you for the time and effort you dedicate in these lessons. They are wonderfully thought of and organized. They make us think and reflect and we learn the language in a very natural way. Knowledge flows.

    1. Justa

      Marcela, thank you! That’s exactly what we want our lesson plans to be!

  3. Jonathan

    Very fun lesson !

  4. Thais

    Thanks for sharing! Excellent material!

    1. Justa

      Thanks for your comment!

  5. Lignum Nyelviskola

    More similar extra tasks, please! They are very creative :))))

    1. Justa

      Thanks!

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
ESL lesson about board games
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Fancy a game?

General

In this ESL lesson about board games, students watch a video, learn games-related vocabulary and practise speaking. 

adjectives ending in -ed and -ing
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Milestones and other life events

General

With this lesson students learn to use adjectives ending in -ed and -ing. They talk about milestones and life events, and have a lot of discussion, while practising using these commonly confused adjectives.

ways to say thank you
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

From the bottom of my heart

General

In this ESL lesson students learn ways to say thank you and react to it. They discuss different situations where people thank each other, watch a video and have a lot of practice.

B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

I doubt that… (functional language)

General

In this lesson, students learn functional language for expressing possibility in English, as well as doubt and certainty. They watch two sets of short video clips and get controlled and free practice of the functional language.

friendship and relationship vocabulary
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

How strong is your bond?

General

In this ESL lesson students learn friendship and relationship vocabulary as well as discuss the difference between a friend and an acquaintance. The lesson also contains a video, speaking and reading activities. 

talking about hypothetical situations
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

What if cars could fly? (hypothetical situations)

Grammar Technology

In this lesson students get a lot of practice with two videos and speaking tasks designed to help them master the use of Second Conditional.

finance vocabulary
B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Smart and poor financial decisions

General

Teach your students finance vocabulary and encourage them to discuss good and bad financial decisions. In this lesson, students will also watch a video and share some financial advice. 

B1 / Intermediate
Critical Reading Club 30 min
Loading

Breaking records

General

In this lesson, students discuss an article about an unusual Guinness World Record, talk about breaking records and learn some collocations.

ESL lesson about body language
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

A body language detective

General

In this ESL lesson about body language, students learn phrases to describe gestures and talk about body language in different situations.

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