This video from Vsause tries to answer the question of why, in photos from the past, people seem to look older for their age. What are the reasons for this? Great lesson for talking about generational differences.
This lessons content is upper-intermediate but the questions and tasks could be done by an intermediate student. There are warm-up, listening and followup discussion questions. Download the PDF or Word file below.
Thanks everyone!
In this short documentary for NPR Debbie Naha talks about, collects and cooks dandelions. A “weed” she considers delicious and nutritious. What do you think? This is an upper beginner level lesson. The video will help students find the answers with its fun visuals and text. The narrator has a clear and slow way of talking that will also be easy to understand. There are warm-up questions, listening questions, a transcript and answers. Enjoy!
By the way, I have been getting good feedback on my lessons recently. If you have anything to say please leave a message or send me an email!
This video from the BBC talks about where weather apps get their information and how it is presented to people. The video also talks about why weather apps can be wrong sometimes.
In the lesson students will talk about using apps, percentage and odds and, of course, bad weather! The listening questions are true and false and the speaking is very clear, so pre-intermediate level students should be able to handle the material. If you are studying alone the answers are at the bottom of the third page.
This video, from Tom Scott, talks about the history of what is the most expensive object in the world by weight. It is very small and very expensive.
More importantly it is ‘non-fungible’ – things means it cannot be split up into smaller parts and keep the same value.
In this lesson students discuss the things they own. How the history of an object is important and if they collect anything. The PDF has comprehension and discussion questions and transcript of the video with answers highlighted. This video is definitely intermediate level English and above.
Advice to Teachers – Please watch this video fully to decide if it is suitable for your classroom. It contains a couple of examples of colourful language and some slight innuendo.
Taskmaster is comedy show in which celebrities and comedian compete to perform crazy tasks set by the task master. In this challenge the five contestants have to hind three aubergines in a room. The longest time to find all three is the winner!
This is a nice simple video that would be a great supplement to any beginner level class on coffee shops or ordering in a cafe. The video has hardcoded subtitles and is only 60 seconds long but has an interesting story and a compelling images. As a follow up activity I had my students leave comments (if they liked) on the artists Instagram. They really enjoyed that.
Comprehension Questions
Where is he originally from?
What did he do before he became a barista?
How do you become a good latte artist?
How much fat should the milk have?
Discussion Questions
Do you like coffee? How do you take your coffee?
Where do you go if you want to relax and talk with friends?
Which of his pieces of latte art did you like the most?
I absolutely recommend checking out all of 60 Second Docs other videos. They are perfect for quick, natural listening practice.
Enjoy!
Want to know how to live to 100? Watch this video from The Infographics Show to hear a summary of research on the subject of living to a ripe a old age.
In this simple lesson plan students will watch the video and read its transcript to answer questions on health and old age. This is followed by a series of discussion questions brought up by the video. The video has embedded subtitles that students can read along with.
Please like and subscribe to The Infographics Show. They have a lot of great content that can be used in classrooms.
How to live to 100 – Transcript – PDF*
How to live to 100 – Lesson – Word
How to live to 100 – Lesson – PDF
Health and Old Age Questions:
What exercises should you do?
How can you fight stress?
Why is loneliness bad for you?
In Sweden, what do they think are the secrets to a long life?
How much sleep is too much?
How much alcohol, should you drink alcohol if you want to live a long life?
*Taken from the Transcript available on the video.
Can you guess the age, likes and their past just by looking at them? The simple answer is no.
This video from Soul Pancake shows how wrong first impressions can be. Two people who have never met each other try to guess things about each other. They then find out how wrong they are. However, by the end of the video they have formed a very personal connection with each other.
Students will discuss first impressions. Then they will watch and answer questions on the video. Reading the transcript after will help with comprehension and the video also has subtitles. After the students will discuss some of the question raised in the video.
Are You Judging a Book Transcript – PDF
Are You Judging a Book Transcript – Word
Are You Judging a Book Worksheet – PDF
Are You Judging a Book Worksheet – Word
In this video from Vox they discuss what has made the Japanese Sanrio character Gudetama so popular, They talk about how and why Japanese Kawaii culture developed and how the Japanese notion of cuteness isn’t as simple as the ideas of good and evil in American culture.
Students will discuss characters, cuteness and the stress of modern life.
In this lesson based on a video from NPR Skunkbear they talk about why we still get goosebumps although they have no purpose. Students will talk about fears and react to quotes from famous people on the subject of fear.
Why Do We Get Goosebumps – Transcript WORD
