The troubled life of Vincent Van Gogh

In this Upper-intermediate ESL lesson, the student will discover vocabulary related to painting and color palettes, as well as revise their knowledge of passive verb forms. 

Introduction

The lesson starts with a few general sentences about Vincent Van Gogh. The student shares what they know about Van Gogh’s life and art.

Vocabulary: Basic painting subjects

The student matches the most common painting subjects with the right descriptions (self-portrait, still life, portrait, and landscape). 

Video: Everything you wanted to know about Van Gogh

The student watches a video about fun facts from Van Gogh’s life and answers video comprehension questions. New vocabulary is extracted from the video for the student to match it with the definitions (wanderlust, reputation, fervor, etc.).

Vocabulary: Colors

The student reads and learns about different types of colors and shades. Then, they answer multiple-choice questions about the colors they read about.

Grammar: Passive voice revision

Passive voice structure and use are explained and exemplified. The student applies their knowledge of passive voice by transforming sentences from active to passive voice.

Finally, the student takes a look at two Van Gogh’s paintings and describes them in their own words.