Nature at your fingertips

Abi | Apr 28, 2025Apr 28, 2025

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• practise vocabulary to talk about the impact of nature on people;
• watch a video on how nature can bring a sense of calm;
• share opinions and experiences related to nature.

Students discuss the effects of nature on well-being. They explore adjectives for positive and calming qualities (e.g. uplifting, inspiring, meditative), talk about things that promote positive feelings and watch a video about nature’s calming effects. Students brainstorm ways to feel nature’s benefits without visiting it, discuss people’s connection to nature and share their experiences. They also practise useful phrasal verbs (e.g. tap into, soak up, venture into) and talk about the pros and cons of adding nature to daily spaces.

PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES

In the pre-class part of this lesson, students match halves to create sentences about the positive effects of nature on well-being (e.g. Nature can be soothing when the gentle sound of rain tapping against your window helps you relax.). They explore adjectives to talk about the impact of nature in the task (e.g. soothing, restorative, mesmerizing). After that, students choose the correct adjectives to complete the definitions of the adjectives from the previous exercise (e.g. If something is soothing, it makes you feel calm/motivated/excited.). 

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES

In the in-class part of the lesson, students revise adjectives and give examples of things (e.g. an inspiring figure, a meditative activity). Then, they choose activities (e.g. gardening, birdwatching) and discuss how they might affect people. Next, they explore the word biophilia and watch part of a video to check its meaning. Then, students brainstorm ways to enjoy nature’s benefits without going to natural areas. They watch the rest of the video and check their ideas. After that, students talk about the impact of nature. They complete statements about nature’s effects and find phrasal verbs (e.g. wind down, step back) in the sentences. Finally, they revisit nature-based approaches, sharing personal experiences and opinions. Students discuss the pros and cons of bringing nature into daily life (e.g. indoor plants, therapy animals, green roofs).

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students complete gaps using phrasal verbs. They then choose one of the options in the questions (e.g. spend a weekend winding down in a hot spring, or recharge at a lively cultural festival?) and explain their choice, using the target adjectives from the lesson. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.

WORKSHEETS

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