B1 ESL Lesson Plan: Housing for Ex-Prisoners

Lesson Summary

This engaging ESL lesson plan uses the short video Finding Home After Leaving Prison to examine imprisonment, release and the difficulties ex-prisoners may experience when looking for stable housing. Students consider how accommodation, community support and personal relationships can help people rebuild their lives.

Learning Objectives

• Explore the experiences of prisoners and ex-prisoners.

• Examine why stable housing is essential after release.

• Learn vocabulary connected to imprisonment, accommodation and reintegration.

• Develop viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills.

• Practise spoken interaction through discussion and roleplay.

• Develop writing, critical-thinking and visual representing skills.

Lesson Activities

• Discuss prisoners, ex-prisoners and imprisonment.

• Identify barriers to finding accommodation after release.

• Explore the meaning and importance of stable housing.

• Predict, watch and analyse a short video.

• Complete video comprehension activities.

• Take part in a roleplay about transitional housing.

• Read an article presenting eight reasons stable housing matters.

• Complete reading comprehension and critical-thinking tasks.

• Write a personal reflection.

• Create a multimodal homework project.

Learner Type

• Mature teens and adults

Language Focus

• Imprisonment, release, accommodation and reintegration vocabulary

• Giving and justifying opinions

• Discussing social problems and proposing solutions

Language Level

• Intermediate (B1)–Upper Intermediate (B2)

Lesson Time

• 90–120 minutes

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.