B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Living on a Bus

Lesson Summary:
This Intermediate to Upper Intermediate ESL video lesson plan is built around a short video about a young couple who decide to live on a bus to escape the high cost of living in Chicago. The lesson explores the themes of alternative living and the search for a simpler life. Students develop their vocabulary, viewing and listening skills, analyse the video, discuss ideas around simplicity and modern lifestyle choices, complete a roleplay task, and read and respond to an article titled Why Simple Living Movements Are Growing Worldwide. The lesson supports thoughtful discussion and helps learners build confidence in expressing complex ideas.

Learning Objectives:
• To introduce students to the themes of alternative living and the search for a simpler life
• To expand vocabulary related to lifestyle choices, housing and minimalism
• To develop students’ viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills
• To improve students’ speaking skills through structured discussion and roleplay
• To develop students’ writing skills using new vocabulary
• To improve students’ visual representing skills
• To develop critical thinking through guided questions and reflection

Lesson Activities:
• Vocabulary preparation and discussion
• Pre-viewing prediction tasks
• Viewing the video and answering comprehension questions
• Analysing the video and discussing lifestyle choices
• Roleplay activity based on alternative living
• Reading the article Why Simple Living Movements Are Growing Worldwide
• Article comprehension and critical discussion
• Creative and reflective writing tasks

Learner Type:
Mature teens and adults at Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2) level

Language Focus:
Vocabulary related to lifestyle choices, housing and minimalism

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 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.