This lesson is designed around a short film by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Thought Bubble , and the theme of kindness. Students practise using vocabulary related to character, listening and speaking.
Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper-intermediate (B2.1)
Learner type: Teens and adults
Time: 60 minutes
Activity: Revising vocabulary, watching a short film and speaking
Topic: Kindness
Language: Adjectives to describe character
Material: A short film
Downloadable material: kindness lesson instructions
Step 1
Tell your students that you are going to create an A-Z of adjectives to describe character. Choose one student and tell them to say an adjective which begins with ‘a’, the next students has to come up with an adjective beginning with ‘b’, and so on until you have gone through the alphabet.
Step 2
Ask students the following question:
How do you want to be remembered?
Give them a few minutes to think, and then ask them to write down adjectives which describe how they would like to be remembered. Next put them into pairs to explain the adjectives they have used. Get feedback from the class and write up on the board the adjectives which have been mentioned the most.
Step 3
Tell your students they are going to watch a short film which asks the question:
How do you want to be remembered?
Ask them which characteristic the narrator says is the most important. Show the film and then get feedback from the class.
The narrator says that kindness is the most important characteristic. Ask your students if they agree.
Step 4
Tell your students that they are going to watch the film again, this time they should make notes using the following headings:
- An old lady in a shop
- Society and kindness
- What kindness requires
- A doctor and a patient
- Mankind
- A happy ending
After watching, students should compare their answers. Get feedback from the whole class.
Step 5
Put students into small groups and tell them to come up with practical ways in which we can be kind to other people in our everyday life. After 5 minutes get feedback from each group.
Homework
Give your students the link to the website Random Acts of Kindness.
Ask them to browse through the ideas about how to be kind. In the following class they should talk about the ideas which they liked the most.
I hope you enjoy the lesson.
This is such an excellent lesson plan. I will try it in my writing class tomorrow. After step 5, I will have them write a composition about an act of kindness they have performed or have seen or heard about. They will be encouraged to use some of the vocabulary we spoke about earlier in the lesson. First drafts next week! Ruth
Hi Ruth,
I’m really glad that you like the lesson. Let me know how it goes with your students.
All the ebst,
Kieran
Dear Kieran,
Really liked this film, thanks so much for sharing. I can imagine it working really well with groups of teenagers. We forget how important it to think about others and this really is a good way to remember. I’ve just finished giving a series of lessons around a picturebook called The Lost Thing http://picturebooksinelt.blogspot.pt/2011/03/and-winner-is-lost-thing.html
and one of the messages that came through loud and clear in the students’ discussions (all over 16 years old) was that we seem to have lost the ability to see others and recognise when to stop and help. We need to take stock and look around at the world and those in it besides ourselves.
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas.
Sandie
Dear Sandie,
Great to hear from you. Thanks for your kind comments. I completely agree with you about us forgetting about other people around us. By the way, i loved you post on The Lost Thing.
Take care,
Kieran
Great ideas in your blog! I think I’ll use this one about kindness, so a necessary reflection nowadays!
Hi Nieves, Thanks a lot for your kind comments. I’m really happy you like the blog. Let me know how the lesson goes with your students, please. All the best, Kieran
I enjoyed the video and it’s a good idea for a lesson. Well done. I don’t agree with all of it, but there is some truth in it. As a Christian, I believe that we are born sinners and we don’t have the ability to do good…kindness doesn’t come natural. Selfishness, envy, greed, etc. come natural. It takes a change of heart, a change of the inner man that only God can do to give someone the ability to love others and think of others first. At salvation, the Holy Spirit came to live inside me and gave me the ability to love others selflessly. My 2 cents.
) God bless you and keep writing great ESL lesson plans.
Hi Jeremy, Thanks a lot for your kind comments. I’m glad you enjoy the lessons. All the best, Kieran