Food for Thought: Analyzing the Mediterranean Diet

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – introduce Mediterranean diet vocabulary and healthy eating concepts through interactive activities;
• – practice essential language skills through collocation matching and gap-fill exercises;
• – watch a video about Mediterranean diet for beginners and analyze healthy eating principles.

This B1 intermediate English lesson introduces students to Mediterranean diet vocabulary and healthy eating concepts through engaging interactive activities. Students will learn about nutritious foods, cooking methods, and lifestyle choices while practicing essential language skills through collocation matching, gap-fill exercises, role-play scenarios, and meaningful discussions about food and health.

Warm-Up 

The lesson starts with students working on Mediterranean diet vocabulary by matching words to create natural collocations.

Video 

Students watch an informative video called “Mediterranean Diet for Beginners” that explains the basic principles of this healthy eating style. After watching, students complete a gap-fill exercise based on the video content, which helps them practice listening for specific information while reinforcing the new vocabulary and concepts they’ve learned.

Exercises

The exercise section includes three different activities. First, students fill in gaps in sentences using words from a provided list, focusing on Mediterranean diet vocabulary and healthy eating expressions.

Next, students participate in a role-play activity where they take turns with their teacher – one person plays a dietitian giving advice about healthy eating, while the other plays someone asking questions about starting a Mediterranean diet.

Finally, students analyze photographs of different Mediterranean dishes.

Reading Comprehension

Students read an informative text about the various health benefits of following a Mediterranean diet. After reading, students answer detailed questions that test their understanding of the text.

Discussion 

The lesson concludes with students discussing their own eating habits.