ESL Uncaged

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why the human back is a design disaster -    BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Back pain is a uniquely human complaint. It is the price of standing up straight. One scientist said balancing our big heads on top of our vertebrae is like trying to stack 26 teacups and saucers. In short, the human back is an engineering nightmare. In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Learn back-related idioms;  Do a short exercise about transport prepositions;  Match six phrasal verbs (to BACK out of something, to BACK into something, to BACK down etc.) with corresponding pictures  Study a video and article about back pain.  Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!     Lesson objectives: 1) To match phrasal verbs with pictures (to BACK away, to BACK down, to BACK something up, etc.) 2) To complete a short exercise about transport prepos...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): What do your fingerprints say about you? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Police have long been able to identify suspects from their fingerprints. Now, scientists are pioneering a technique that tells police what suspects were touching before the crime - be it drugs, food, petrol or any number of other substances that could help detectives piece together a profile. In this B2+ worksheet, students will learn finger-related idioms; they will revise subject, object and reflexive pronouns; and they will match common hand gestures with their names. They will also put their comprehension skills to work on an article and video about how scientists are pioneering new fingerprint technology. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!     Lesson objectives: 1) To match six hand gestures with their names (to flip someone the bird, to do jazz hands, to give...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Is each snowflake really unique? -    BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Of the trillions of snowflakes that fall every year, is it true that no two are identical? A scientist at CalTech University has the answer. In this B2+ worksheet, students will practise the third conditional, learn six snow-related idioms/phrases, study lots of relevant vocabulary and discuss the science of snowflakes. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!            Lesson objectives: 1) To learn snow-related vocabulary by matching relevant words to a picture of a snow-covered road.  2) To practise using third conditionals, conjugating sentences appropriately to talk about a car that slipped on an icy road on bald tyres.  3) To understand nuance and puns with three wintry jokes, about a penguin, a snowman and an igloo. 4) To explain scie...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How eggs are used to make flu vaccines -   BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Could an egg save your life? Is it possible to hatch a supermarket egg? Can you make cakes without eggs? Find out the answers to all these questions and more in this week's lesson plan! Plus, six egg-related idioms, an exercise involving the subjunctive form of "to be" and some egg-related puns. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!    Lesson objectives: 1) Understand colloquial language/puns related to eggs through the study of jokes and idioms 2) Practise explaining scientific concepts and stepwise processes (the production of flu vaccines) using adverbs of sequence (firstly, next, after, then, lastly) 3) Understand how to use "to be" in the subjunctive mood 4) Express one's own opinion about an ethical issue (eating eggs) in response to a text about hatchin...

Advanced lesson plan (B2+): How to win friends and influence people -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content In 1937, arguably the most influential self-help book ever was published: How to Win Friends and Influence People , by American author Dale Carnegie.  But how relevant are its lessons in the modern world? Decide for yourself in this week's worksheet, which also introduces six friend-related idioms and phrasal verbs, as well as a mountain of advanced vocabulary. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will complete five quotes from Carnegie's best-seller, using vocabulary from a list. They will then discuss their thoughts about the advice.  Key vocabulary: to dangle, bristling, temper, shun, vanity, rattlesnakes, to be fond of, incessantly. 2) Students will watch a video (9:00) entitled "How to win friends and influence people - a summary of C...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): The language of pain -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content OUCH! How would we describe an ear ache, an ant bite, giving birth or being kicked in the testicles? It can be difficult even in your native language.  Fortunately, doctors in pain clinics have designed the McGill Pain Questionnaire to help patients put their feelings into words - a tool we can also use as ESL teachers. In this B2+ worksheet, students will learn lots of vocabulary related to pain, as well as studying a Ted-Ed video about the nervous system and an article about fibromyalgia. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will read a short extract from Elaine Scarry's 1987 book The Body in Pain . They will have to match underlined words with their definitions.  Key vocabulary: fragmentary, coax, bypass, perceive, amplify, unreliable narrator. 2...

Advanced lesson plan (B2+): Why don't country flags use the colour purple? - BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content    A nation's flag symbolises the homeland of millions of people. But why, of the 195 national flags currently in existence, do only two countries (Dominica and Nicaragua) feature the colour purple? Find out in this week's B2+ worksheet. In addition, students will learn six flag-related idioms, read an article about the British Union Jack and give a short presentation on the history of their own nation's flag.  Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will match 12 flags with the correct countries, as well as naming two things they associate with each of the countries. They will then match four "pun-ny" jokes about flags with the correct punchlines. Key vocabulary: pole, plus, hang out, to wave. 2) Students will watch a s...

  Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How to survive the apocalypse -    BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Who are the "doomsday preppers"? In light of the global pandemic of 2020, should we all start stockpiling and making contingency plans for future catastrophes? In this B2/C1 worksheet, students will learn some survival tips, discuss the psychology of "doomsday preppers" and learn phrases related to the topics (e.g. "better safe than sorry", "tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists"). Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will label nine survival items and discuss which three they would want in an apocalyptic scenario. Key vocabulary: axe, backpack, sniper rifle, gas stove, torch, compass, thermos flask, gloves, first aid kit. 2) Students will watch a video (8:41), offering tips on how to survive in the wilderness - fr...

  Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How to navigate using the stars -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Could you find your way if you had nothing but a blanket of stars above your head to go by? In this B2+ worksheet, students will learn how constellations correlate with north, south, east and west. They will also read a poem about the night sky, see six star-related idioms and learn about how birds use the stars to navigate. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will read the poem 'Distances' by William Stanley Braithwaite and discuss their intepretations.  Key vocabulary: dispassionate, flesh, bond. 2) Students will study a video (7:38) about the how to navigate using constellations.  Key vocabulary: Orion, nebula, horizon, equator, to keep track of. 3) Next, they will see  six star-related idioms/phrases: Reach fo...

   Advanced lesson plan (B2): What's that ringing in your ears? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content 1 in 8 people have tinnitus. So what causes it? And is there a cure? In this B2+ worksheet, students will study a Ted-Ed video on the causes of tinnitus, as well as the subtle differences between the verbs "to listen", "to hear", "to overhear" and "to eavesdrop". Six idioms related to ears will also be presented to students. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!     Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will match four images of people in various situations with the verbs "to hear", "to listen", "to eavesdrop" and "to overhear". They will then find the correct punchlines for four pun-ny jokes related to hearing. Key vocabulary: handy, symptoms, to shine, tip of the iceberg. 2) Students will watch a video (5:38) en...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why do we dream? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Mr Sandman, bring me a worksheet about dreams! In this B2/C1 worksheet, students will learn about the science of dreams, study six dream-related idioms and read an article about predictive dreaming. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will read the poem 'A Dream Within A Dream' by Edgar Allan Poe and discuss their intepretations. Key vocabulary: surf, grains, grasp, clasp, creep. 2) Students will watch a short video (6:31) about the science of dreams.  Key vocabulary: REM, chemicals, lucid dreaming. 3) Next, they will see  six dream-related idioms/phrases: sweet dreams, pipe dream, to daydream, beyond one's wildest dreams, a dream job, living in a dream world.  Students will get a chance to see the idioms in sentences, and to create thei...

  Advanced lesson plan (B2): Why are planes painted white? -   BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Ever wondered why planes are nearly always painted white? In this FREE B2/C1 worksheet, students will find out why white is the bigwig of the aeronautical world. They will also learn vocabulary related to planes and idioms about flying. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will label an image of the inside of a plane. Then, they will match three pun-ny jokes about clowns with their punchlines. Key vocabulary: to take off, to land, altitude, flight attendant, head rest, arm rest. 2) Students will watch a video (6:02) entitled "Why are planes usually painted white?" and answer the comprehension questions.  Key vocabulary: paint job, false economy, first-world problems. 3) Next, students will see  six flying-related idioms: to fly in...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How salmon find their way back home -    BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Join these tenacious salmon on their epic journey from the depths of the oceans, all the way back to the rivers where they hatched. In this B2/C1 worksheet, students will learn fish-related vocabulary, see six idioms related to salmon and study an article and video about these tenacious globe-trotting fish.  Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will match six pun-ny jokes related to fish with their punchlines. In the process, they will learn about fish anatomy and wordplay. Key vocabulary: scales, gills, hook, loan shark, borrow. 2) Students will watch a short video (4:37) about the lifecycle of a salmon, and how they help sustain an entire forest creek ecosystem. Key vocabulary: sloppy eater, perilous, influx. 3) Next, ...

Advanced lesson plan (B2): Why are we afraid of clowns? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Give your students a fright this Halloween with a creepy lesson plan about clowns! In this B2/C1 worksheet, students will learn how clowns morphed from friendly sideshow goofballs to the terrifying villains of blockbuster horror films.  Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will match six pun-ny jokes about clowns with their punchlines. They will discuss their earliest memories of clowns and their own feelings about them.  Key vocabulary: juggler, to crack someone up, to have big shoes to fill.  2) Students will watch a video (10:37) entitled "Why are we afraid of clowns?" and answer the comprehension questions.  Key vocabulary: slapstick comedy, trope, down-and-out, steep price.  3) Next, students will see  six clown-rela...

  Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): What was the Golden Age of Piracy? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Arrr you ready to be transported back to the times when Blackbeard and his men terrorised merchants crossing the Caribbean sea?  In this B2/C1 worksheet, students will learn how pirates came to be associated with parrots and peglegs, as well as six pirate-related idioms and some prepositions of direction for navigating the high seas in search of plunder! Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will use prepositions of direction to guide a cartoon pirate to his treasure; in addition, they will match four pun-ny jokes about pirates with the correct punchlines. 2) Students will watch a video (7:30) about the Golden Age of Piracy (1650s-1730s).  Key vocabulary: treaty, stamp out, backfire, put an end to (something). 3) Next, stud...

    Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How to make a decision -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Ever found it difficult to choose between two paths? This week, we're talking about those crossroads moments in life... In this B2+ worksheet, students will discuss Robert Frost's famous poem, 'The Road Not Taken', look at idioms related to decision-making and watch a video about how to make difficult choices. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To begin, students will read possibly the most famous poem in the English language: The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, and discuss their interpretations. 2) Students will learn  six decision-making idioms/phrases: my way or the highway; to sit on the fence; to take a back seat; the lesser of two evils; all things considered; to flip flop/ They will then answer questions containing these phrases.  3) Ne...

  Advanced lesson plan (B1 and above): Why elephants never forget - BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Elephants have famously long memories: they can remember people who have hurt them and helped them many decades after the event.  In this B1/C1 worksheet, students will learn a host of astounding facts about these gentle giants. Also, they will study six elephant-related idioms, read an ancient Indian allegory about the flappy-eared beasts, and more! Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will read six pun-ny jokes about elephants, and discuss times they've seen elephants in person or on TV.  2) Students will watch a short video (5:22) from Ted-ED about elephants and their fantastic memories.  Key vocabulary: companions, boast, encephalisation quotient, matriarch, to exact revenge. 3) Next, students will see  six elephant-related...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How rubber ducks reveal ocean secrets -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content A shipment of rubber ducks lost at sea in 1992 is still teaching us about ocean currents. In this B2/C1 worksheet, students will learn about how these 'Friendly Floatees' have been traced by oceanographers for three decades. In addition, they will study a short video about how ducks' feathers protect them from the water, learn six duck-related idioms, and more!  Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will read six pun-ny jokes about ducks, and try and say three tongue twisters as fast and as clearly as possible. 2) Students will watch a short video (4:51) from PBS about how ducks' feathers keep them dry. Key vocabulary: to preen oneself, vaned/down feathers, to rummage around. 3) Next, students will see  six duck-related idioms...

  Advanced lesson plan (B1 and above): How intelligent are crows? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Learn why scientists think crows are as smart as seven-year-old children. In this B1 and above worksheet, students will watch a video about the unique way crows react when a member of their species dies; in addition, they will read a short, cryptic story about a scarecrow; they will study bird- and crow-related idioms; and they will read an article that summarises scientific research on the immense intelligence of these strange corvids. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!      Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will read a cyrptic story by Lebanese-American writer Kahlil Gibran about a scarecrow and discuss how they interpret it.  Key vocabulary: lasting joy, stuffed, straw, to belittle. 2) Students will watch a short video (4 minutes 34 seconds) about ho...

Advanced lesson plan (B1 and above): The boy who was raised as a girl -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content After a botched circumcision, doctors recommended baby Bruce be raised as a girl. He would be happier as a girl than as a boy without a penis, according to the family's psychologist Dr John Money. His true identity was to be kept a secret. In this worksheet, students will discuss the line between nature and nurture, the patient-doctor relationship and a mother who did her best in an impossible position.  Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson activities: Part 1: The Accident . Students read the introduction to the medical case study. They must complete the sentences by choosing words from the purple box. There is then a discussion section, where they can practise second and third conditional structures: "If that happened to my son, I would feel devastated"; "If I had bee...