Gerunds and infinitives for discussing career goals and preferences

Summary

This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers helps B1 students discuss career goals. This ESL class material includes vocabulary and grammar exercises to talk about professional development, plans, and aspirations for the future.

This comprehensive lesson guides students through discussing their professional future. Activities begin with a warm-up discussion, followed by a vocabulary matching task on career development terms. Students then complete a listening gap-fill about career goals and a reading exercise on lifelong learning. The lesson culminates in a practical role-play where students simulate a career development meeting, using the target language to express their ambitions and plans.

Activities

• The lesson starts with a warm-up discussion about dream jobs, followed by a matching exercise to introduce essential career development vocabulary like "innovate," "collaborate," and "advance your career."
• Students practice their listening comprehension with a gap-fill exercise about a professional's career path. This is followed by a clear grammar explanation and practice focusing on gerunds and infinitives.
• A reading task about lifelong learning reinforces the target grammar. The lesson also provides a bank of useful phrases for expressing preferences, stating goals, and discussing professional development.
• The lesson culminates in a structured role-play where students act as an employee and a career coach. They use all the vocabulary and grammar learned to discuss a five-year career plan and future goals.

Gerunds and infinitives for discussing career goals and preferences B1

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Vocabulary focus

This lesson focuses on key verbs and phrases related to professional development and career planning. Students will learn and practice using terms such as: to innovate, to collaborate, to advance your career, to acquire skills, to specialize in, and to mentor someone.

Grammar focus

The main grammar point is the correct use of gerunds (verb + -ing) and infinitives (to + verb). The lesson explains which form to use after common verbs like enjoy, plan, decide, and avoid. It also covers using the infinitive to express purpose or a reason for an action.