Dressed to the nines

In this Upper-Intermediate ESL lesson, students will learn language related to fashion in different eras. They will acquire expressions and words related to style and design.

Introduction

The lesson starts with a paragraph about fashion, in which the student identifies words related to fashion, design, and style (small shoulders, short skirts, padded shoulders, etc.).

Fashion Eras

The student reads brief descriptions of fashion eras of the last century. Then, they get introduced to some fashion idioms (get dolled up, fit like a glove, fashion junkie, etc.).

New vocabulary practice

The student puts their knowledge of the new vocabulary related to materials, designs, and fashion idioms into practice by filling in the gaps.

Video: Who was Coco Chanel?

The student watches a video about Coco Chanel’s life and career. Next, they complete the video comprehension sentences using only one word. New words are extracted from the video for the student to match them with their meanings (trailblazer, empire, revolutionized, etc.).

Review

The student checks their knowledge of fashion eras by matching them with images of different outfits.

Finally, they match pieces of clothing to their materials and complete a word family table.