Pick your card

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – Discover gaming vocabulary including phrasal verbs like “join in” and “get into” while exploring leisure activities through reading about Uno’s history and watching instructional videos in this A2 lesson.
• – Practice articles “a,” “an,” and “the” through basic usage rules and text completion exercises about games like Cornhole.
• – Experience different game types by learning Uno rules, trying Mad Libs activities, and distinguishing between individual versus team activities while following step-by-step instructions.

In this A2 English lesson, the student will learn and practice new vocabulary related to playing games. They will also practice using articles a, an, and the.

Warm up

A game with conversation starters is presented as a springboard of discussion.

Vocabulary

The student learns phrasal verbs used when playing games (join in, get into, call off, etc.) through a matching activity. Then, they use them to complete the sentences.

Based on descriptions, the student tries to guess the leisure activities (card games, chess, yoga, etc.).

Reading: History of the Uno card game 

The student reads about the history of the Uno card game and answers the questions about the text.

Video: How to play Uno

The student watches a wikiHow video explaining the rules to playing Uno. They complete the video comprehension activity and then, match the Uno cards to their names and meanings.

Grammar: Articles

The student learns the basic rules of using definite and indefinite articles. They practice using them by completing the text about a game called Cornhole.

Reading: Mad Libs 

The student reads about Mad Libs and how it’s played. Then, they practice playing it while following the instructions.

Vocabulary: Individual and team activities

The student decides if the activities in the box are individual or team ones.

The lesson ends with a review of the rules of the games the student learned about – Uno, Mad Libs, and Cornhole.