Safe playgrounds aren’t great for kids

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – Practice “make vs let” grammar while learning playground vocabulary including “risk,” “hazard,” and “philosophy” in this upper intermediate ESL lesson plan.
• – Watch videos about playground safety and complete comprehension exercises about adventure playgrounds versus safe play areas for adult English lessons.
• – Engage in discussions about controlled risk and children’s development using these English teaching materials.

In this Upper-Intermediate lesson plan, students will practice the grammar of make vs. let somebody do something. They will develop an understanding of adventure playgrounds and what makes them better for kids than safe playgrounds. Students will also learn about controlled risk and become more familiar with terminology related to play structures.

Warm-up

The lesson starts with a warm-up discussion about playgrounds.

Video: Why safe playgrounds aren’t great for kids

The student watches the video Why safe playgrounds aren’t great for kids and answers questions based on the video. Then, they read statements based on the video and decide if they are true or false. 

New words are extracted from the video for the student to match with the meanings (risk, philosophy, hazard, etc.). Then they practice using them in sentences.

Grammar: make vs. let

The student learns the contexts in which they should use make and let. They practice using these two verbs by completing sentences and rephrasing them.

The lesson ends with a discussion about adventure playgrounds.