How Emotions Work

This Advanced ESL lesson plan develops advanced vocabulary and structures for discussing emotions. Students practice precise language for describing emotional processes.

Warm-up:

The lesson kicks off with students thinking about a moment when they experienced an unexpectedly strong emotion.

Video:

Students watch a video “How emotions work.” After viewing, they review a list of key points and select which ones were mentioned in the video. This task helps improve listening skills and sparks conversation.

Reading:

Next, students read a short article called “We don’t understand how emotions work.” They discuss the main message from the article using a list of phrases provided. This part of the lesson strengthens vocabulary and reading skills while reinforcing the theme of the lesson.

Exercises:

In the first language activity, students choose the option that fits a particular sentence best. In the second exercise, they choose three emotional habits and discuss how they might shape people’s lives over time. 

Discussion:

To wrap up the lesson, students complete a few sentence starters in a way that reflects their own thoughts and experiences. This final activity gives them a chance to personalize what they’ve learned.