B1 ESL Lesson Plan: Starting a New Job

Lesson Summary

This B1–B2 ESL video lesson helps students explore the challenges of starting a new job and the skills needed to succeed in a new workplace. Through viewing, discussion, roleplay, reading and writing activities, students consider how employees can demonstrate competence, commitment and compatibility while building strong relationships with colleagues.

Learning Objectives

• Introduce the themes of starting a new job and workplace success
• Expand vocabulary related to employment and workplace culture
• Develop viewing, listening and reading comprehension
• Improve spoken fluency through discussions and roleplay
• Develop writing skills using newly acquired vocabulary
• Encourage critical thinking about workplace behaviour and relationships

Lesson Activities

• Discussing first-day experiences and workplace success
• Predicting the content of a short video
• Watching and analysing How to Succeed in Your New Job
• Answering video comprehension questions
• Performing a workplace roleplay
• Reading How to Build Strong Relationships in a New Workplace
• Completing article comprehension and discussion activities
• Writing reflections and completing multimodal homework tasks

Learner Type

Mature teens and adults

Language Focus

Vocabulary related to employment, workplace expectations, professional communication, teamwork and positive workplace relationships

Level

Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2)

Time

90–120 minutes

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.