Summary
This ESL lesson for C1 English students explores Humour, puns, wordplay. Using a real video as the basis for discussion, students develop reading and listening comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar skills across a 90-minute class.
The grammar focus is Interrogative Structures and Pragmatic Functions. Key vocabulary includes push the envelope (idiom), stationary (adjective/noun), no pun intended (phrase) and more, all drawn directly from the source material. The practical English section gives students useful phrases for real-life situations: Reacting to humour in a social setting.
Activities
- A warm-up discussion to activate prior knowledge and get students thinking about the topic before watching or reading.
- Comprehension exercises based on the video to check understanding of the main ideas and key details.
- A grammar focus on Interrogative Structures and Pragmatic Functions. At a C1 level, it's important to understand not just how to form questions, but why we use them. Questions can serve many functions beyond simply requesting information.
- Vocabulary expansion with advanced expressions related to Humour, puns, wordplay not found in the source material.
- Practical English phrases for Reacting to humour in a social setting, with exercises to practise using them naturally.
- A speaking task where students role-play a real-world scenario, applying vocabulary and phrases from the lesson.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary section introduces C1-level words and phrases related to Humour, puns, wordplay. Key terms include push the envelope (idiom), stationary (adjective/noun), no pun intended (phrase), it dawned on me (idiom), outstanding in his field (idiom/pun). Students practise using these terms in context through exercises drawn from the source material.
Grammar focus
This lesson focuses on Interrogative Structures and Pragmatic Functions. At a C1 level, it's important to understand not just how to form questions, but why we use them. Questions can serve many functions beyond simply requesting information.
