This lesson plan is designed around a short video which was inspired by Be Happy: A Little Book to Help You Live a Happy Life by Monica Sheehan. Students speak and write about happiness, and watch a short video.
Language level: Pre-intermediate (A2) – Intermediate (B1)
Learner type: All ages
Time: 60 minutes
Activity: Speaking, writing and watching a short video
Topic: Happiness and being happy
Language: Gerund as subject of sentence and imperatives
Materials: Short video
Downloadable materials: be happy lesson instructions
Step 1
Write “Things that make me happy” on the board. Then write up 5 things that make you happy. In my case I wrote:
Swimming in the sea.
Being with my daughters.
Drinking coffee in a terrace.
Reading a novel in bed at night.
Waking up late at the weekend.
Explain to your students why each thing makes you happy.
Step 2
Tell your students that you would like them to write 5 sentences about things that make them happy; they should use the gerund as the subject in each sentence.
Step 3
Put your students into pairs and tell them to show their sentences to their partner. They should explain why each thing makes them happy.
Step 4
Put your students into groups of 3 or 4 students. Show them the photo of the cover of Be Happy: A Little Book to Help You Live a Happy Life. Tell them that they should imagine that they are going to write this book. They should write 10 sentences of things you should do and 10 things you shouldn’t do to live a happy life. Give them some examples such as:
Be kind to other people.
Believe in yourself.
Don’t be selfish.
Don’t give up.
Tell them that they should use the imperative in all the sentences. Give them 10 minutes to come up with their sentences.
Step 5
Pair up students with a partner from another group. They should explain their group’s sentences with their new partner. Get feedback from the whole class.
Step 6
Tell students they are going to watch a short video inspired by sentences and images from the book Be Happy. Ask they watch the film they should compare the advice in the video with their own sentences.
Step 7
Get feedback from your students ask them what sentences and images they can remember.
Step 8
Show the video again; this time pause at each new sentence and image, and ask students to talk about them.
Homework
Ask students to write a short composition titled:
What I do to live a happy life.
I hope you enjoy the video and the lesson.
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This lesson plan makes me very happy! Perfect for my students. Thank you for sharing so many great ideas.
Hi Victoria,
Thanks a lot for commenting. I’m really glad the lesson makes you happy.
All the best,
Kieran
Dear Kieran,
I LOVE IT!
Thank you for sharing it. I am proceeding to use it in class as of tomorrow.
Hi Ivy,
Thanks a lot for commenting; I’m really glad you like the lesson and I hope your student do too
All the best,
Kieran
I think this lesson plan is really important for young people as it is easy for them to lose their direction and make mistakes. Thanks a lot for sharing it.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you like the lesson.
Cheers,
Kieran
Oh, thanks Kieran, this is a great lesson!
I find it very useful to get to know our students better, thanks.
John.
Hi John,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment and for your kind words. I’m really glad you like the lesson. if you use it with your students, please let me know how it goes.
All the best,
Kieran
I can see this working with my B1 group, I’ll try it out tonight and let you know how it goes: thanks for this website!
Hi Mick,
Thanks for commenting. I hope your students enjoy the lesson, please let me know how it goes.
Cheers,
Kieran
it went really well at B1 and pre-B1 level…Thanks!
I was amazed by how many of the phrases the students remebered…just shows what can happen when students are engaged with the topic and format.
Hi Mick,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment. I’m really happy your students were so engaged and that they remembered so many of the phrases.
All the best,
Kieran
Hi again!
I used your lesson ” Educating the heart ” with a group of Spanish teachers learning ESL, and it has been great.
Sometimes the resources that we use, even do they are thought to be appealing and interesting, are far from real language for the students, but your lessons help them to see English from a different perspective, from their perspective, thanks again.
John.
Hi John,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment. I’m really happy you like the lesson so much:-)
All the best,
Kieran
Inspired lesson for everyone!!!!!!!Thanks.
Hi Emilce,
Thanks a lot for the kind words; I’m really glad you like the lesson.
Cheers,
Kieran
I was just waiting for a film-english new post and this one seems perfect to my students who are learning the IMPERATIVE form at this moment.It’s also an interesting one because it’s an activity for basic learners and I find it difficult to find material for beginners. Thank you indeed and keep doing this great job.
Hi Lucila,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment and for your kind words. It’s great to know the site is useful to you.
All the best,
Kieran
Very nice.Thanks for sharing.I love the video.I love learning English with videos
Hi Mary,
Thanks a lot for commenting. I’m really happy the site helps you learning English.
All the best,
Kieran
Great film and brilliant way of using it in class. Simple but effective. Thank you.
Hi Jean,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment and for your kind words about the lesson. I,m really happy you like it so much
All the best,
Kieran
Hi, Kieran! Your lesson about happiness is so lovely! Can I load a video on a disk to show it in the classroom? Or perhaps it’s impossible? Thanks a lot!
Hi Vika,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment. I think you could download the video and show it in class. Please let me know how it goes.
All the best,
Kieran
Great lesson!Thank you =)
Hi Aida,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you like the lesson so much:-)
All the best,
Kieran
Great job.! very inspiring for teachers and food for thought for students. I’m using ‘Be happy’ in my next class. Thank you for everything.
Hi Ghallali,
Thanks a lot for commenting; it’s great to know you like the lesson so much.
All the best,
Kieran
Hi there!
Just want to let you know that I used this lesson for my assessed teaching practice. I was told off for introducing the input, in this case the video, so late in the lesson. The video about being happy has a great potential but perhaps it would be useful to introduce it earlier, in the second stage, so that the students can actually understand (in a bigger context than just a phrase with a picture) and use some of the words themselves. As for the students’ enjoyment, I felt that more creative ones were indeed engaged, but some other students looked as if they thought it was a waste of time as it wasn’t very practical for them. Nevertheless, I really like your ideas and appreciate you’re post them here for free. Your lesson are something completely different from what I’ve experienced as a language learner myself, which was a very traditional (and boring) approach. Thanks!
Hi Jagoda,
Thanks a lot for commenting and letting me know how the lesson went. I think your tutor’s comments about the structure of the lesson are very strange, but I’m not totally surprised. On lots of teacher training course the tutors teach very rigid lesson plan structure which trainees have to adhere to, this allows very little room for creativity and innovation on the part of the teacher. There’s absolutely no pedagogic reason why you can’t introduce a video at the beginning, middle or end of a session; it all depends on the material and your objectives. The students use language actively and in a very engaged manner before watching the film. Frankly I wouldn’t pay too much attention to your tutor’s comments as they don’t seem to have much idea of how to use film in the classroom.
All the best,
Kieran
Well, yes, it’s true that we have to follow PPP approach (presentation, practice, and production). My tutor says it’s the most effective way as students in the first part of the lesson are given the language they would need for free communication in the final stage, and that in the middle the language needed for that last stage is practised in a more less controlled way. Personally, I don’t see the reason why I wouldn’t depart from this PPP approach once in a while, and do something different. I feel a little bit that perhaps my tutor doesn’t appreciate fluency practice as a good enough objective, which basically this lesson was about. I’m only starting to teach, so probably that’s why I’m a bit lost, and also because every tutor is saying something different. It’s a very subjective thing, this teaching.
No teacher should have to rigidly follow the PPP model; it may be useful for trainee teachers but it’s very restrictive. You’ll find your own style of teaching which suits you and your students.
Cheers,
Kieran
I used this yesterday for my students here in Boston. It was perfect for helping us all cope with the recent tragedy.My students were able to express their feelings through your wonderful lesson. Thank you so much! Meg
Hi Meg,
Thanks a lot for commenting and for your kind words about the lesson; it’s great to know that the lesson helped you to deal in some way with your recent tragedy in Boston.
All the best,
Kieran
This lesson idea has completely changed my otherwise dreary afternoon. Can’t wait to get to class and do this with my students. THANK YOU!
Hi Kieran,
As I’m developping some workshops for my students I came across your work. I plan to use these lessons for my workshops.
Will let you know what they thought about it.
Loes
Hi Loes,
I look forward to hearing how they go.
Cheers,
Kieran