EXPRESSING LIKES ESL LESSON PLAN DESCRIPTION
OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES
This expressing likes ESL lesson plan offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for beginner A1–A2 students. In this lesson, students will:
Discuss common dating activities and share ideas about showing affection.
Learn and review verbs and vocabulary related to everyday actions and relationships.
Watch a fun music video featuring Tom Hanks lip-syncing and dancing through the city.
Practice using adverbs of degree to express different levels of liking something.
Share and guess each other’s favorite things using clear, simple target language.
PREVIEW & DISCUSSION
In the preview section of this expressing likes ESL lesson plan, students match verbs like holding, watching, and playing to images of Tom and Carly doing various couple activities. They complete fill-in-the-blank sentences using the correct verb forms. Then, they discuss dating-related questions, such as what people do on first dates and how someone might show affection. In the final preview activity, students read Tom’s internal thoughts about his feelings for Carly. They answer simple comprehension questions, choose emojis that reflect his emotions, and give advice on whether he should confess how he feels. These activities prepare students for the vocabulary and themes explored in the video and give them a reason to relate to the content personally.
VIEWING ACTIVITY
In this upbeat and unexpected video, actor Tom Hanks lip-syncs to Carly Rae Jepsen’s song “I Really Like You” as he walks, dances, and surprises people around the city. Students start by watching the first part of the video and putting six events from Tom’s morning routine in the correct order. Then, they focus on the second half and answer yes/no questions to identify which activities Tom and Carly do together, such as dancing or watching TV. Finally, students complete a fun and accessible lyrics gap activity by choosing the correct words they hear in key lines of the sonG.
DISCUSSION & ADVERBS OF DEGREE
After watching, students discuss how they feel about the video using emoji responses. They also talk about their favorite moments and share any other love songs they know. Then, they read three short texts from different people expressing what they “really like,” including family members, places, and foods. Students identify and sort adverbs of degree like really, quite, so, and a bit into a table under weak, medium, or strong intensity. In the final task of this section, they choose personal favorites from a list and write short descriptions using the new adverbs. This helps reinforce the target language and gives them tools to personalize their English more naturally.
GUESSING GAME: WHAT DO YOU REALLY LIKE?
In this final activity, students first choose a few categories—such as a person, a place, an object, or an activity—and write about something they really like in each one using adverbs of degree. Then, they pair up with a classmate or their teacher to play a guessing game. They read short clues aloud and their partner guesses what they are talking about. This fun speaking task allows students to apply everything they’ve learned, express their preferences clearly, and build confidence in conversation.
BENEFITS OF USING THIS EXPRESSING LIKES ESL LESSON
This lesson helps students develop real-life communication skills through relatable topics and fun media. It introduces useful vocabulary and structures that support everyday conversations. It builds confidence in speaking by encouraging students to share personal opinions and feelings. It includes scaffolded listening tasks that guide beginners through increasingly active listening. Finally, it ends with a creative and personalized activity that reinforces the target language in a fun, low-pressure environment.
VIDEO DESCRIPTION
Tom Hanks lip-syncs his way through the city in this unexpected, feel-good music video for Carly Rae Jepsen’s “I Really Like You.” It’s a quirky love song with surprise celebrity energy, spontaneous dancing, and fun charm.
LESSON ACTIVITIES
- SPEAKING: Likes, Dating, Relationships, Music, Feelings
- VIEWING: Ordering Events, Yes/No Listening, Multiple Choice (Lyrics), Song Comprehension
- VOCABULARY: Verbs, Emotions, Daily Activities, Degrees of Liking, People & Places
- GRAMMAR: Adverbs of Degree (very, really, pretty, quite, a bit, a little)
- ADDITIONAL: Guessing Game (describing likes), Quiz & Review, Lesson Reflection
LESSON TOPICS
Likes, Dating, Relationships, Music, Feelings