Living the life of a modern vagabond

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – Teach the use of definite articles with geographical locations through clear rules and topic-related practice.

• – Build vocabulary connected to the vagabond lifestyle, travel experiences, and unconventional ways of exploring the world.

• – Develop listening, comprehension, and speaking skills through a TED Talk on life on the road, interactive vocabulary exercises, and discussions about digital nomads and unique travel styles.

In this ESL lesson, the student will find out more about the vagabond lifestyle and learn some new vocabulary related to the life-on-the-road experience. Moreover, the student will learn when to use the definite article with geographical locations. Following a set of rules, the student will be able to put their new skills into practice in exercises with topic-related examples.

Introduction

The lesson starts with a short passage about life on the road and a few questions about traveling in general. Then, the student is presented with pictures of different landmarks and they need to identify them.

Grammar: articles with geographical locations

The student learns when to use and not use definite articles with geographical locations. Then, they put their knowledge into practice.

Video: A glimpse of life on the road

The student watches a TED Talk video A glimpse of life on the road and then lists and discusses pros and cons of the vagabond lifestyle mentioned in the video.

They learn the meaning of the word vagabond and try to remember synonyms for this word. They watch the video again and fill in the gaps in sentences extracted from the video (unconventional, sacrifice, materialism, etc.).

Discussion

The student discusses questions about digital nomads and unconventional ways of traveling.

Vocabulary

The student learns some more words related to traveling (impromptu, touristy, solo, etc.) and puts them to use by filling in the gaps and matching them with their antonyms.

Finally, the student reads about different ways people travel and expresses their opinion about it.