B1 ESL Lesson Plan: How to Stay Motivated

Lesson Summary:

This ready-to-use B1–B2 ESL lesson plan explores motivation and how to stay motivated through a short video titled How to Stay Motivated, Using Psychology. The lesson introduces learners to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and examines how enjoyment, meaning, rewards and social influences affect behaviour.

Students talk about motivation, predict video content, watch and analyse the video, answer comprehension questions and practise new vocabulary. They explore the difference between internal and external reasons for completing tasks and consider practical strategies for achieving long-term goals.

Students also read an article titled How to Develop Intrinsic Motivation at Work, discuss eight strategies for increasing workplace motivation and take part in roleplay, critical thinking, speaking, writing and reflection activities.

Learning Objectives:

• To introduce students to the concepts of motivation, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
• To expand students’ vocabulary related to motivation, rewards, persistence and long-term goals.
• To develop students’ viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills.
• To improve students’ speaking skills through discussions, roleplay and use of new vocabulary.
• To develop students’ writing skills through creative tasks and use of new vocabulary.
• To improve students’ visual representing skills through multimodal composition homework tasks.

Lesson Activities:

• Discussing personal motivation and common motivational challenges.
• Predicting, watching and analysing a short video.
• Answering chronological video comprehension questions.
• Learning vocabulary connected with motivation and achieving goals.
• Comparing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
• Discussing strategies for staying motivated.
• Performing a roleplay about completing goals and maintaining motivation.
• Reading and analysing an article about intrinsic motivation at work.
• Answering article comprehension questions.
• Developing critical thinking through discussion and reflection.
• Completing creative writing and multimodal composition tasks.

Learner Type:

The lesson is designed for mature teenage and adult ESL learners at Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2) level. The complete lesson takes approximately 90–120 minutes.

Language Focus:

• Vocabulary related to motivation, rewards, persistence and long-term goals.
• Expressions for discussing personal interests, values and sources of motivation.
• Language for giving advice and recommending practical strategies.
• Speaking and writing practice using vocabulary from the Video Glossary and Article Glossary.

Benefits for Teachers:

• Save hours of preparation with a fully developed, flexible lesson plan
• Engage students through compelling stories and real-world themes such as emotional intelligence, character, values, empathy, personal development, identity, relationships, global issues and social issues
• Build classroom routines that integrate multimodal literacy naturally and progressively
• Foster more inclusive and differentiated learning by using varied modes of input
• Promote social-emotional learning (SEL)
• Rely on a trusted methodology backed by educational research and grounded in the theories of Vygotsky, Kress, Mayer and Krashen

Benefits for Learners:

• Develop communicative competence and confidence through integrated skill-building
• Expand vocabulary and improve listening and reading comprehension through repeated, meaningful exposure
• Think critically and creatively while exploring powerful social and emotional themes
• Strengthen emotional intelligence and intercultural awareness through affective engagement with multimodal texts

Watch the short video.

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We hope you enjoy this ESL video lesson plan.

Thanks for being part of the Film English community, and happy teaching!
— The Film English Team

Transform Your English Classroom with the Multimodal Approach
This ESL video lesson plan is built around a thought-provoking short video and designed using the innovative Multimodal Approach, integrating listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing. Engage learners with real-world themes, develop communicative competence, build vocabulary and foster critical thinking through dynamic, research-informed activities. Find out more about the Multimodal Approach and join thousands of teachers transforming their classrooms with Film English.