Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers helps B2 students discuss career choices. The class material covers vocabulary, grammar, and a role-play activity to explore the dilemma between following your passion and choosing a safe, dependable job.
This ESL lesson centers on a video about choosing between a passionate and a safe career path. Students begin with a warm-up discussion before learning key vocabulary. After watching the video and answering comprehension questions, they practice the new words and review second and third conditionals. The lesson culminates in a structured role-play where students debate the pros and cons of each career path, using newly learned phrases for discussion and debate to advise a friend at a career crossroads.
Activities
- Vocabulary and video comprehension: Students learn and practice advanced vocabulary like 'onerous,' 'penury,' and 'mastery' through a matching exercise and a contextual gap-fill. They then watch a short video debating the merits of a safe career versus a passionate one and answer comprehension questions.
- Grammar practice: This part of the lesson provides a clear explanation of the second and third conditional forms. Students solidify their understanding by completing sentences that relate to hypothetical past and present career decisions, such as "If I won the lottery, I would..."
- Speaking and role-play: The lesson finishes with a dynamic role-play where students advise a friend on a career choice. Using provided phrases for debate, they take on roles arguing for either financial security or following one's passion, putting all the new language into practice.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary in this lesson is focused on career dilemmas and personal qualities. Students will learn and use words such as penury, onerous, muster, timidity, dependable, heed, cowardice, and mastery. These terms are crucial for discussing the challenges and rewards of choosing a career path based on passion versus security.
Grammar focus
The grammar focus is on the second and third conditionals. This is essential for the lesson's theme, as it allows students to discuss hypothetical situations about career choices, both in the present/future (If I were you, I would...) and in the past (If I had taken that job, I would have...).
