Life lessons and white lies

Title separator

Zero Conditional

Zero Conditional

LESSON OVERVIEW

This grammar lesson helps students learn about and practise Zero Conditional. The worksheet includes a lot of speaking activities. Students also do a vocabulary exercise and learn the phrases related to the topic. 

A2 / Pre‐Intermediate60 minStandard LessonUnlimited Plan

SPEAKING ACTIVITIES & VOCABULARY

The worksheet starts with a speaking exercise that serves as a warm-up to the topic. Students look at the common things parents say to their children and discuss them. They also note the difference between the two phrases (tell a lie and tell the truth). Then, students complete sentences with some words or phrases (e.g. white lies, false, dishonest). After that, they look at more things parents tell their children (e.g ‘You can’t grow if you don’t eat vegetables’) and discuss them by answering the questions. Students decide which of the statements are false and talk about the topic of telling white lies to children, teaching them life lessons. This activity also leads to a grammar part of the lesson where students discuss and practise Zero Conditional.

ZERO CONDITIONAL

First, students look at the statements they discussed and try to find a condition in each of them. Then, they try to make out the rules for using Zero Conditional. Students have to complete the table by choosing the correct answer. After that, they move on to practice. At first, students have to put the verbs in brackets into correct forms to complete the sentences. Then, they do a more creative activity. Students read different situations (e.g. ‘Your child loves fast food and doesn’t want to eat anything else.’) and try to create a white lie and a life lesson for them. Students also do a short writing activity where they develop their own examples of life lessons and white lies for different areas of life (e.g. education, jobs, diet) using Zero Conditional. To wrap up the lesson, students share the ideas they wrote and guess which ones are life lessons and which ones are white lies. There are examples of white lies and life lessons provided in the last two activities to make it easier for students to come up with their own. 

WORKSHEETS

 

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Teacher Sara

    Nice! I was waiting for a class on the Zero conditional! (:

    1. Iulia

      Hi Sara!
      It’s great to hear that. Please, let us know what you and your students think about the lesson plan after you use it:)
      Thank you!

  2. junior

    Really nice topic, but just a heads-up that the term white lies is racist. I think a different one should be used

    1. Stan

      Many phrases and idioms in English contain the word white or black and it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re racists. These colours are often assosciated with day and night and so white connotes rightness, purity and goodness, and black darkness and evil. It’s not okay to use such phrases to describe people as this would be racist – implying that the colour of your skin brings some personality features. However, I don’t see anything wrong in such a use as in the phrase “white lie”. I recommend reading this Cambridge Dictionary post about black/white idioms here as they explain that in more details.

      1. [email protected]

        I totally agree with you Stan!!! And congratulations on your answers and patience. A big hug from Brazil.

      2. Andressa Rebeca Pinheiro

        Well said!

    2. mav1982

      Junior, please…

  3. Caroline Aparecida Vaz de Araujo Medeiros

    Great lesson plan! My students had a lot of fun!

    1. Justa

      Awesome! Thanks for the comment!

  4. Nela Končurat

    It’s too advanced for this level. Nice topic though.

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
film vocabulary
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

The types of films I like

General

Practise key film vocabulary with this lesson! Students share their preferences for films, guess film types by listening to music and sounds and draft a film review.

Past Simple practice
A1 / Elementary | A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

She was born in 1991 (Past Simple)

General Grammar

Provide meaningful Past Simple practice for your students! They talk about life events, review key phrases and learn how to say years. Students also explore the life of Albert Einstein through a video.

talking about dates
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

The date I always remember…

General

Engage students in talking about dates and milestones! They practise prepositions for days and dates, watch a video clip about a secretary who scheduled 93 meetings and share their experience with remembering dates.

ESL lesson on retirement
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Life after work

General

Talk about how to stay happy as a retired person! In this ESL lesson on retirement, students practise vocabulary for discussing this chapter of life, watch a video clip about the topic and share experiences and opinions.

talking about drinks
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

What’s your favourite drink?

General

Get students talking about drinks and recipes with this lesson! They practise useful vocabulary and watch a video showing how to make a drink. Students also create their own drink and present it to others.

ESL lesson on body parts
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

Guess the body part

General

Discuss how we use parts of the body with this ESL lesson! Students listen to conversations about accidents and pain, work in pairs and play a guessing game.

describing people in photos
A1 / Elementary | A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

They’re wearing… (talking about people in photos)

General

Practise ‘wear’, ‘carry’ and ‘hold’ while describing people in photos with this lesson! Students revise clothing vocabulary and watch an ad. They also work in pairs and play a fun game.

ESL lesson on Past Simple
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

A message in a bottle (Past Simple)

General Grammar

Talk about messages in bottles with this ESL lesson on Past Simple! Students analyse and practise Past Simple forms, watch a video about a message-in-a-bottle discovery and write their own message in a bottle.

vocabulary for places in town
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

All around town

General

Practise vocabulary for places in town with this lesson! Students talk about where they live, give opinions and share experiences. They explore the names of places and work on pronunciation. 

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
Title separator
Title separator