The Psychology of Gambling

This Upper-Intermediate ESL lesson plan on the psychology of gambling engages students through a variety of carefully chosen interactive activities.

Warm-up

The lesson kicks off with students reading several facts related to gambling. After reading, students are asked to explain what the bolded phrases mean, using their own words. This helps set the stage for the topic and gets them thinking and talking right away.

Video

Students watch a video “The clever trick used by sports betting apps.” After viewing, they review a list of key points and select which ones were mentioned in the video. This task helps improve listening skills and sparks conversation.

Reading

Next, students read a short and simple text about the psychology of gambling. The passage introduces key vocabulary and ideas in context. After reading, they’ll answer some comprehension questions to check their understanding and start a conversation around the topic.

Exercises

In the first task, students match phrases with their definitions, helping to reinforce new words. In the second activity, they fill in the blanks in short dialogues using the vocabulary provided. This gives them a chance to see how the phrases work in real-life conversations.

Then, students choose one of several discussion topics and use expressions provided.

Finally, students will complete sentences with their own words.

Discussion

To wrap things up, students choose two opinions that they either agree or disagree with. They’ll explain their viewpoint and talk about it with their teacher. This final task encourages reflection, deeper thinking, and real conversation using the vocabulary and ideas they’ve learned throughout the lesson.