
B2 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Ali’s Story
This B1-level ESL video lesson plan is built around a thought-provoking video that explores the theme of refugees. 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.
Check out the lesson planThis ESL video lesson plan is designed around an animated short film and the theme of refugees. Students practise vocabulary related to refugees, speak about refugees, watch a short film, retell a story, answer comprehension questions, talk about a short film, empathise with refugee children, reflect on the lesson and write an account of a refugee child fleeing their country.
Language level: Upper Intermediate (B2) – Advanced (C1)
Learner type: Teens and adults
Time: 90 minutes
Activity: Practising vocabulary related to refugees, speaking about refugees, watching a short film, retelling a story, answering comprehension questions, talking about a short film, empathising with refugee children, reflecting on the lesson and writing an account of a refugee child fleeing their country
Topic: Refugees
Language: Vocabulary related to refugees
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
- 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 film.
Check out the lesson plan
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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.