LESSON PLAN
Conversation class
Topic: Beliefs & Opinions
Language level: Intermediate
Duration: 1 hour
Language skills:
· Speaking: express beliefs and personal opinions; express agreement and disagreement
· Listening: identify and understand specific details/information
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to share personal opinions, express agreement and disagreement, ask for clarification.
Language:
· Vocabulary: opinions (asking for, supporting, stating, agreeing or disagreeing)
· Grammar: prepositions, present tense
· Pronunciation: topic-related vocabulary
Materials / Resources:
· Handouts provided by the teacher
Procedure:
- Warm-up
- Ask students : Are you passionate about your beliefs?
- Explain the difference between believe and belief
- Ask students: Do you have strong opinions on things? What things do you feel strongly about?
- Elicit as many answers as possible
- Introduce the topic: Beliefs and Opinions
- Write examples on the board: stating an opinion, supporting an opinion, asking for an opinion, agreeing with an opinion, partially agreeing or disagreeing with an opinion.
- Class or group discussion
- Discuss the following questions as a class / Put students in groups, give them a handout and ask them to discuss:
- Do you ever try to impose your beliefs on others?
- Does anyone ever try to impose their beliefs onto you?
- Have you ever been afraid to share your beliefs with anyone?
- How do you feel when someone disagrees with something you believe to be true?
- Do you ever get into arguments with people who have different beliefs or opinions as you?
- Are there any politicians or famous people whose opinions you strongly disagree with?
- What is the best way to deal with different opinions in the workplace?
- Do you consider other people’s opinions before making a decision?
- At work do you ever share your opinions on controversial issues? What type of response do you get?
- Do you always give your honest opinion or do you sometimes tell a white lie to avoid upsetting someone?
- Whose opinion do you value most?
- Pair/Group Activity
- Divide students in pairs or groups of 3, or 4 depending on the class size
- Write the following list of controversial topics on the board:
- Extraterrestrials
- Traditional medicine
- Telepathy
- TV causes violence
- Life after death
- Men are smarter than women
- Alcohol should be illegal
- Ghosts
- Reincarnation
- Vampires
- Dogs are the best pets
- Dreams have messages
- Drugs should be legal
- Ask students to answer the following question in their groups: Which of the following do you believe in/agree with? Why?
- Encourage students to practice stating an opinion, supporting an opinion, asking for an opinion, agreeing with an opinion, partially agreeing or disagreeing with an opinion.
- Monitor the groups and provide help when necessary.
- Go over the list of controversial topics as a class.