The Good Dictator

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – Explore political vocabulary through discussion topics and other activities related to different types of government systems. 
• – Practice and develop better conversational skills through social science themes and prompts. For example, propaganda analysis will be explored to think critically in English about power structures. In addition, personal feelings and reactions to current political situations will be part of discussion practice for this lesson. 

Warm-up

The lesson starts with a prompt for students to discuss their opinions related to political-based subjects like authoritarian leadership and democracy.

Video

Students will watch the video “Has There Ever Been a Good Dictator?” Students will practice application of English comprehension skills through discussing the video content.

Speaking Exercises

In this “we do” part of the lesson, students will practice vocabulary and conversation skills through given scenarios of government and leadership topics. Students will further explore and practice through activities like matching content and discussion prompts about propaganda slogans.

Discussion

To finish the lesson with “you do” for student learning, students will choose a quote that resonates with them and explain why they chose it.