Paradise Lost: Welcome to Dystopia

In this advanced ESL lesson plan, your students will:

• – explore and discuss dystopian concepts using new English vocabulary presented in gap-fills and antonym matching activities;
• – improve their reading comprehension skills by answering questions about an authentic text, and boost their vocabulary with word replacement exercises;
• – engage in meaningful discussion activities about how societies can lose their freedom, and make comparisons between dystopian themes and current real-world concerns.

This advanced ESL lesson focuses on the idea of dystopian societies, and how common dystopian themes apply to current real-life situations. In addition to their existing knowledge, students are encouraged to express their ideas using new vocabulary presented through a range of activities that combine vocabulary building, reading comprehension and critical thinking.

Warm-up:

Students answer thought-provoking discussion questions based on a diagram to elicit their existing knowledge and English vocabulary about the topic. This lead-in activity allows the teacher to gauge the student’s current ability to talk about the topic in English. Students should answer the questions, but also ask the teacher if any of the terms are unfamiliar.

Video:

Students watch an authentic English-language video titled “How to recognize a dystopia – Alex Gendler”. After watching the video, students complete some comprehension questions to check that they were able to understand the key ideas. Students are also encouraged to note down any new English vocabulary or phrases that they hear in the video, so that they can ask the teacher about them. If the vocabulary or phrase might help the student in later activities, the teacher should briefly show them how to use it.

English practice exercises:

Exercises in this lesson focus on presenting and practicing advanced English vocabulary related to the topic of dystopian societies. First, students complete a gap-fill activity using useful vocabulary, then they practice paraphrasing with a “word replacement” exercise, and finally they match a selection of words with their antonyms. These activities should be done interactively, with the teacher asking questions to guide students in the right direction if necessary. Students are encouraged to ask questions if any of the new vocabulary is unfamiliar, and to try to use it in subsequent discussion activities to aid retention.

English reading exercises:

Students read an authentic English-language text about dystopian societies, then answer questions about the key ideas to confirm their understanding. The primary focus of this exercise is on reading comprehension, but it may also present additional new vocabulary for the students to use in the final discussion activity. Students are encouraged to ask questions about unfamiliar words and expressions, and if relevant to the topic, the teacher should briefly show how to use them in a sentence. If the word or phrase is not particularly relevant to the topic, a simple definition will suffice.

English discussion activity:

Students practice answering questions about dystopian societies and concepts. The teacher asks follow-up questions to encourage students to give more detail or examples. Stronger students should be encouraged to ask the teacher questions too, to practice the flow of a real English conversation. The teacher can present simple templates to use in this case, such as “Answer, Explain, Ask”. During this activity, it is recommended that students use new phrases and vocabulary from earlier in the lesson. The teacher should focus primarily on their fluency in this stage of the lesson, noting down mistakes to revisit after the discussion if necessary.