Summary
This B2-level ESL lesson delves into the complex world of international trade and economic policy, specifically focusing on US tariffs. Through a news video report, students will learn essential vocabulary related to trade disputes, such as tariffs, retaliation, and trade deficit. The lesson provides structured grammar practice on reported speech, a key skill for discussing news and politics. Activities are designed to build from comprehension to production, culminating in a debate and a written news summary.
Activities
Students begin with a warm-up discussion, sharing their prior knowledge and opinions on international trade, tariffs, and economic policies in their own countries.
Learners are introduced to key economic vocabulary by analyzing example sentences and deducing the meanings of terms like tariff, retaliation, and trade deficit from context.
Students watch a news report about US tariffs and answer comprehension questions to check their understanding of the main points, figures, and statements made by officials.
Vocabulary is reinforced through a matching exercise with trade-related terms and idioms, followed by a gap-fill task where students complete a paragraph using the new words.
The lesson focuses on reported speech, with a clear explanation and two structured exercises where students convert direct quotes from politicians into reported statements.
To consolidate their learning, students prepare for and participate in a debate on the effectiveness of tariffs, and then write a short news report about a fictional trade dispute.
Vocabulary focus
The lesson introduces essential economic and political terms. Key vocabulary includes tariff, retaliation, trade deficit, trading partner, escalation, reciprocal, importers, blanket tariffs, and idioms like kick the can down the road and bode well. This vocabulary helps students discuss trade policy with precision.
Grammar focus
The primary grammar focus is on reported speech (or indirect speech). Students learn how to report statements made by politicians and officials, which involves changing tenses, pronouns, and time/place adverbs. The exercises provide practice in converting direct quotes to reported statements using various reporting verbs.
