The likelihood of a coincidence

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• • – Learn and use vocabulary and expressions specific to statistics, numbers and trends.
  • – Practice Upper-Intermediate language while practicing discussion, interaction exercises and categorizing phrases.
  • – Develop listening skills with a video called “Check Your Intuition: The Birthday Problem” followed by comprehension questions.

This Upper Intermediate ESL lesson will allow learners to discover new language related to trends and numbers. The lesson will help develop students’ confidence to use statistical language and expressions more easily and naturally. 

Warm-Up

In the Warm-up, learners brainstorm synonyms for the vocabulary in the passage

Video

Students watch a short video called “Check your intuition: The birthday problem – David Knuffke.” After watching the video, students respond to questions to check their comprehension of meaning and details.

Exercises

In the first exercise, students put phrases into the correct category. In the second activity, they play a game called Two Truths and a Lie.

Reading

During the reading comprehension, students read a brief passage about statistics in daily life and respond to questions about the text.  

Discussion

In the last part of the lesson, students create a quote related to statistics and discuss it with the teacher.