Lesson Plan Template

Teacher/s: Xinyu Li and Shan Gao

Level: Early intermediate
Students: 12
Location: New York Public Library
Date/Time: 7-8:30pm, Monday
Topic of the week: environment
Goal: after this lesson, students become more familiar with environmental-related issues and analyze
causes and sequences of various environmental problems, provide meaningful suggestions in the target
language

Objectives (SWBAT):
Students Will Be Able To
1. Comprehend the reading and listening articles about pollution; describe the issue in the target language
with accuracy and fluency
2. Distinguish the causes and sequences and provide with suggestions regarding to pollution issue
3. Write a simple proposal about traffic congestion issue with proper structure
4. Communicate effectively with peers about pollution issue in your country in the target language

Activity/Procedure/Stage

Warm-up

Activity one

1. Ss have previously assigned to think about a natural place

from their home countries and find the Wiki page of that place
in English
2. In class, Show Ss some nature pictures from magazine,
Google imagines first; then ask Ss to show the wiki page
through class screen and describe the basic information about
that place by using their own words
3. Divide Ss into three groups and ask them to talk about how
they would feel if some of these places were lost.
Background: Teachers have introduced Google Doc in the
beginning of the course, Ss have built a Vocabulary database
on Google Doc together to update new Vocabulary.
1.1 Pre-Stage:

Interacti
on
SS-T

T-Ss

Skills
Speaking
(Practice
how to
interrupt
peers
properly in
order to
make a
comment)
Writing
(Getting
ready for
writing a

Time

10 min

10

Ss brainstorm the vocabularies they know that are associated

with pollution, list these words at class Google doc, update the
vocabulary list anytime throughout this lesson.

S-S

simple
proposal)

1.2. During Stage:

Background: Ss have previously learned how to make a simple
Wiki page.

Activity two

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/readingpollution-environment-issues.php#.VOC7ml64nFJ

S-S
Listening
(Focus on
casual
relations)

20 min

1) Ss open this link and read the article about pollution

individually, finish the single choice questions below. S-S

Teachers work as facilitators.
2) Ss come back together and check the answers together.
3) Ss are divided into three groups. Each group has to
create a simple Wiki page about pollution based on
their understanding of the article. The Wiki page
should include the following information: definition of
pollution; causes of pollution and prevention of
pollution.
4) Ss visit each others Wiki page.
S-S
Activity three

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al-do-HGuIk
1) Ss go to the above link, watch the youtube video about
water cycle twice individually
2) Ss are divided into three groups, each groups has a
paper posters. Based on the understanding of the video,
Ss list the causes of water cycle on the paper poster.
(Write simple sentences or key words on the poster)
3) Post their outcome on the wall; then have one member
from each group share their findings to the whole
class.
4) Ss watch the video again as a whole class, note taking
is required this time. Ss need to summarize the main
ideas of the three speakers in the video.
5) Ss switch their answers with their peers, do a peer
review. During peer review, Ss will look for
similarities and differences, then talk about it together.

Listening
(focus on
20 min
causal
relations)
Writing (Get
more
familiar
with the
vocabulary
related with
pollution)
Speaking
(Interrupt)

10 min

Activity four

S-S
1.3 Post-Stage
1) For this activity, Ss work in groups of three if possible.
Each group should choose one of the following topics:
What you like best or least about this country?
The best local shops (or restaurants)
Your first memories of school
Your favorite food
2) Ss have to speak about the topic for about three minutes.
After speaking, please reflect the following questions:
Whether you have managed to say everything you had
planned?
How many times you spoke in your group?
Did you manage to delay unwanted interruptions?
Did anyone speak more than the others?
S-S

Activity five

www.newscientist.com/hottopics/climate/climatetrends.jsp
1) Ss read the above article first, then make a list of
environmental problems facing the world. Include those
materials in the text, and any others you know of. Which ways
affect your country?
2) Ss form a group of three, then discuss the following points:
Compare your lists of environmental problems and add
to your list any more that are mentioned by members of your
group.
3) Take turns to describe an environmental problem that affects
your country or region. What are the cause and what is being
done?
4) Make sure everyone in your group understands all the
problems listed.

Wrap-up

Teachers will use the last five minutes to answer questions

Homework
assignment

Writing:
1) Increasing levels of road traffic is a problem affecting
many cities. There is a serious and growing traffic
congestion problem in the city where you are studying
or living. You are a member in the city council, please

Speaking
(practice
how to use
past forms
as well as
how to
interrupt
properly
during
group
discussion)

20 min

Reading
(read
critically,
find the
hiding
problems in
the article)
Speaking
(Practice
how to
describe
causal
relations)

SS-T

Review
Writing
(Review the
related
vocabulary;

5 min

write a simple Congestion charge proposal.

2) Upload your proposal to class blog by Friday and get
ready for peer review

practice past
forms; get
familiar
with
proposal
structure)

Materials:
- My English Page Website
- Youtube Video
- Google Doc
- Class Blog on Schoology
- Paper Posters
- Dry erase markers
Anticipated Problems & Suggested Solutions:
- Tech problems: If there is Internet access problem, we will use the printed copy of the reading articles;
and for listening practice, Teachers will read it aloud.
- If we dont have enough time to complete the whole lesson, we will shorten some of the group work
time and use it as whole class discussion.
- In the case that Ss dont complete our assignments beforehand, we can pair them up with a classmate
who did.
Contingency Plans (what you will do if you finish early, etc.):
We dont anticipate finishing early but if we do, we will use this time as Q &A.
Post-Lesson Reflections: