LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson, students watch a video and learn how to use some vague language in English while talking about their favourite things in life.

WARM-UP & VIDEO

To start with, students focus on a box with six words and their definitions (e.g. overwhelming, splurge). They read the definitions and then use the words to complete six gapped sentences. Next, they discuss the sentences in pairs and say if they agree with them. To prepare students for a video, they’re going to watch later in the lesson, the next task introduces four things mentioned by the speaker: coffee, avocados, TED Talk and music. First, students answer a few questions about these things and express their preferences. Then, they have to decide what they all have in common. Students watch the video for the first time to check their answers and then listen again to specify why each thing is the speaker’s favourite.

VAGUE LANGUAGE PRACTICE

In the following task, students read seven sentences containing some vague language (e.g. sort of, kind of, more or less). They need to explain what the highlighted expressions have in common. Then, they study a box with their definitions and synonyms. When the meanings are clear, students choose the appropriate expressions to complete the gaps in eight given sentences. After that, they get the chance to practise the vague language further. They analyse ten sentences where only some vague expressions have been provided and need to complete them with their own ideas, creating logical sentences. The last activity allows students to relate to the video and personalise the new language. They have to think about their own four favourite things in life. Next, they take turns and  describe them to their classmates using the vague language learnt earlier in the lesson.