Social engineering

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – develop sophisticated vocabulary around manipulation tactics through dialogue analysis, sentence categorization exercises, and distinguishing between suspicious and trustworthy behavioral signs;
• – strengthen analytical and reading comprehension skills by watching a video about corporate hacking, examining phishing emails to identify deceptive elements, and recognizing social engineering techniques through diagram analysis;
• – practice advanced writing and discussion abilities by composing phishing emails as learning exercises, engaging in conversations about email security strategies, and exploring social engineering concepts through structured discussions.

In this Proficiency ESL lesson, the focus is on broadening students’ vocabulary around manipulation tactics.

Warm-up

The session begins with reading a short dialogue to immediately engage students.

Video

A video titled “Watch this hacker break into a company” serves as a conversation starter. Students will then dive into the video’s main points, responding to questions that prompt both direct and analytical thinking.

Exercises

The lesson includes interactive tasks where students apply their newly learned vocabulary, such as categorizing sentences and identifying signs as either suspicious or trustworthy.

Reading

This segment involves analyzing a short phishing email, in which students are tasked with identifying the most suspicious parts.

Writing

Students are assigned to compose a brief phishing email, followed by a discussion on the strategies for recognizing such emails.

Discussion

The lesson concludes with a discussion on social engineering techniques, aided by a diagram.