Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for B2-level students helps them master effective communication in online meetings. Based on an authentic video, this ESL class material provides essential phrases, idioms, and grammar practice focused on politeness using modal verbs. The lesson culminates in a role-play, building confidence in professional English for navigating discussions, interrupting politely, and handling common meeting scenarios.
Activities
- Students begin by discussing their experiences with online meetings, activating prior knowledge and preparing them for the lesson's focus on professional communication.
- Vocabulary matching: Students learn and match essential idioms and phrasal verbs for meetings, such as 'to kick off,' 'a hard stop,' and 'to bear with someone,' preparing them for the video content and building a strong lexical foundation for the topic.
- Video comprehension: Learners watch a short, engaging video about phrases for online meetings, then complete fill-in-the-gap and true/false exercises to check their listening skills and understanding of the phrases used in a natural context.
- Grammar practice: The lesson focuses on using modal verbs like 'can,' 'could,' and 'may' to make interruptions and requests sound more polite. A guided exercise helps students transform direct statements into professional, appropriate language.
- Communicative role-play: In groups, students take on different roles in a simulated project update meeting. This final task allows them to practice starting meetings, interrupting politely, and handling technical issues using all the target language.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson introduces crucial phrasal verbs and idioms used in business meetings. Key vocabulary includes: to kick off, to break the ice, to jump in, to break up, to talk over someone, on the horizon, a hard stop, and to bear with someone. These expressions help students sound more natural and fluent.
Grammar focus
The grammar section concentrates on using modal verbs for politeness, a key skill in professional communication. Students learn how to use 'can,' 'could,' and 'may' to soften requests and interruptions, transforming direct commands into more appropriate questions for a meeting environment.
