Latest Lessons

Latest

B2 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Metacognition

Published on March 29, 2026

By kierandonaghy

Lesson Summary:This Upper Intermediate (B2) to Advanced (C1) ESL lesson plan is built around a thought-provoking video that explores the theme of metacognition and emotional intelligence. It is designed to help learners develop key language skills—listening, viewing, speaking, reading, writing and visually representing—through guided discussion, roleplay, vocabulary building and engaging classroom activities. Learners explore how […]

B2 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Ian

Published on January 16, 2019

By kierandonaghy

This ESL video lesson plan is designed around a short film titled Ian inspired by the true story of a boy of the same name, and the theme of disability. In the lesson students watch a short film, and speak, write and read about it and their reactions to it. Language level: Upper […]

B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: A Single Life

Published on January 3, 2018

By kierandonaghy

This ESL video lesson plan is designed around a short film titled A Single Life and the theme of stages of life. In the lesson students practise vocabulary related to the stages of life, discuss stages of life, watch a short film, and speak and write about it. Language level: Intermediate (B1) – […]

Download a Free Copy of My Latest Book: The Image in English Language Teaching

Published on November 4, 2017

By kierandonaghy

I am delighted to announce the publication of my latest book ‘The Image in English Language Teaching’. The book is available by open access thanks to the support of the ELT Council. You can download a free copy from the Visual Arts Circle website. “The Image in English Language Teaching” is a groundbreaking book that […]

B2 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Gold Costs More than Money

Published on September 10, 2017

By kierandonaghy

This ESL video lesson plan is designed around a short video produced by Hothouse Productions in collaboration with The NO Project, an award-winning global educational campaign that specifically targets youth awareness of human trafficking through music, art, dance, film, animation, sport, creative writing and social media. In the lesson students practice vocabulary related to gold, […]

B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: In a Heartbeat

Published on August 6, 2017

By kierandonaghy

This ESL video lesson plan is designed around a short film titled In a Heartbeat and the theme of love. Students learn and practice expressions using the word “heart”, watch a short film trailer, predict and write a story, watch and discuss a short film, and watch and discuss a video in which elderly people […]

Train in the Use of Film and Video with Kieran in Barcelona

Published on April 24, 2017

By kierandonaghy

This July and September Kieran Donaghy, the director of Film English and renowned expert in the use of images in language education, will be giving teacher training courses on how to use film and video in the language classroom, aimed at in-service teachers. The course language will be English but the course is suitable for […]

B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: The Employment

Published on March 21, 2017

By kierandonaghy

This ELT video lesson plan is designed around a short film titled The Employment and the themes of jobs and employment. Students revise job vocabulary, talk about jobs and employment, and watch and discuss a short film about employment. Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate (B2) Learner type: Teens and adults Time: […]

B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Julio Diaz

Published on March 13, 2017

By kierandonaghy

This ESL lesson plan is designed around a short video by Story Corps and the theme of empathy. In the lesson students talk about an imaginary situation, listen to a story, watch a video, speak, and write an account of an incident from another person’s perspective. Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate […]

B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Alike

Published on February 27, 2017

By kierandonaghy

This ESL video lesson plan is designed around a short film titled Alike and the theme of the impact of societal pressures on childhood and family relationships. In the lesson students practise using alike, adjectives to describe character and routines, watch a short film, predict how the film will end and speak about the film […]