B1 ESL Lesson Plan: Fear of Failure

Lesson Summary:

This ready-to-use B1–B2 ESL video lesson plan is based on a short video titled How to Overcome Fear of Failure by Identifying Emotional Needs. It helps learners examine why people fear failure, how negative what-if thoughts influence behaviour and how identifying emotional needs can support resilience.

Students discuss quotations and personal attitudes towards failure, predict and watch a short video, answer comprehension questions and analyse its message. They then perform a roleplay, read How to Challenge Negative What-If Thoughts and develop their speaking, writing, vocabulary and critical-thinking skills.

Learning Objectives:

• To introduce students to the concepts of failure and fear of failure.
• To expand students’ vocabulary related to emotions, challenges, resilience and personal development.
• To develop students’ viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills.
• To develop students’ writing skills through reflective tasks and use of new vocabulary.
• To improve students’ speaking skills through discussions, roleplay and use of new vocabulary.
• To improve students’ visual representing skills through multimodal composition homework tasks.

Lesson Activities:

• Discussing attitudes towards failure and fear of failure.
• Exploring negative what-if thoughts and emotional needs.
• Discussing authentic quotations about failure.
• Predicting, viewing and analysing a short video.
• Completing video and article comprehension activities.
• Practising vocabulary through speaking and writing tasks.
• Performing a detailed two-person roleplay.
• Reading and discussing an article about challenging negative predictions.
• Reflecting on resilience, uncertainty and personal development.
• Creating multimodal homework projects.

Learner Type:

Mature teenagers and adults at Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2) level.

Language Focus:

Vocabulary related to emotions, fear, failure, challenges, negative predictions, reassurance, uncertainty, resilience and personal growth.

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.