ESL Lesson Plans That Always Work: When in Doubt with Lessons… Presentations!

Most Language Assistants that I have met have little to no teaching experience (myself included!), and it is definitely a journey to figure this out! The first weeks are easier than expected, as you are mostly just doing introductions; however, the real planning starts once this is over.

When attempting to create ESL lesson plans, one thing that I’ve noticed is that there are a lot of resources and ideas for Infantil and Primaria, but there are a lot fewer for ESO and Bachilleratoteachers. I am placed with older students, so if you are too, these ideas are perfect for you! I’ve created a list of some presentation ideas that the kids can create in the main class, and then they can present in smaller sessions.

“Convince me of a conspiracy theory”

4th of ESO to 2nd of Bachillerato
This presentation is great because it’s a topic that the kids can have fun with. The only instructions that I give them are to convince me of their favourite conspiracy theory. I give them some examples, such as the fake moon landing, the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, Elon Musk being a lizard… etc. Not only is this fun for the kids, but it’s also very entertaining for you!

“Create a Political Party”

1st & 2nd of Bachillerato
This topic suits the older kids more and encourages them to use political vocabulary that they may use outside of school in the future. I ask the students to create a political party with a name, logo, goals, and priorities, and they must tell me how they would run it. They must also tell me what they are against.

“Who inspires you?”

2nd & 3rd of ESO
This presentation is good for the slightly younger kids because it doesn’t require that much creativity and can really just include factual information. I ask the students to show me a picture of a person who inspires them and tell me about them. This includes their physical appearance, family, career, nationality, and some adjectives to describe them. It’s also a good way to get to know your students better and see what they are interested in. I warn you, though… be prepared to hear about all the Spanish football players (particularly if you are in Barcelona!!!)

“Tell me about the Scottish Islands”

1st & 2nd of Bachillerato
As someone from Scotland, it is my duty to teach the students about my small country! Scotland has over 700 islands. For the main lesson, the students get into groups of twos, and I put about 20 of the most well-known islands into a spin-the-wheel website. We spin the wheel in class, and the students get to work! They have to tell me about the geography, how to get there, how many people live there, are there schools, etc.

“What is your dream holiday?”

All of ESO
This presentation can cross all throughout ESO because it is so personal to the presenters. Students tell me their dream holiday destination, how to get there, what hotel they would stay in, the activities they would do, etc. This is also an entertaining one because the students are very creative and mostly choose different locations!

Of course, these ideas can be used for students of all ages, and it differs if these will work for you or not depends on your role as a Language Assistant. However, presentations have worked very well for me as someone who is in the classroom every few weeks to explain, and then in smaller sessions for the majority of the time.

Author: Kendra C.