LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• watch, comprehend details, and summarize a news report;
• learn and practise vocabulary to talk about higher education;
• discuss the alternatives to higher education.

This lesson creates an opportunity for students to talk about higher education, its benefits and issues related to it. Students learn vocabulary connected to education and career (e.g. pursue a career, work your way through college, tuition fees, etc.) and use it to discuss various points and have some debates. 

WARM-UP & VIDEO

The lesson starts with a quick but engaging warm-up. Students look at the things in the boxes (status, success, financial stability) and say how they might be connected to higher education. They should mention only the first thing that comes to their mind. Then, students move on to the video activities. First, they look at the sentence about the job market and choose the best words to complete it. Then, students watch the first part of the video and check their answers. After that, they watch the second part and choose the best summary. Finally, students watch the third part of the video and decide if the statements are true or false. They also have to correct the false statements. After watching the video, students have a discussion and talk about higher education in their country, its value in the past and its future.  

VOCABULARY TO TALK ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION

In this part of the lesson, students work with useful phrases and have more speaking practice. First, they choose the best phrase to complete each sentence (e.g. vocational studies or vocational training, pay it over or pay it off, etc.). For more practice, you can ask students to come up with stories using the phrases and the beginnings or endings that you provide. Then, students read the statements they completed again and choose one in each pair that describes their experience. To wrap up the lesson and practice vocabulary to talk about higher education, students work in pairs. They receive statements their partners have to agree or disagree with. They also have arguments for and against the idea they might use during the discussion. 

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students create questions using the vocabulary to talk about higher education. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.