B2 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Sustainable Design

Lesson Summary:
This Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2) ESL video lesson plan is built around the short film Inside Dubai’s Push for Sustainable Design and explores the theme of sustainability and sustainable design. Learners engage in guided discussion, vocabulary development and critical reflection as they explore how designers are reimagining materials to create a more sustainable future. The lesson integrates viewing, discussion and creative tasks, followed by an in-depth reading article titled Plastic Reimagined: Creative Solutions for a Sustainable World. Students develop key language skills while examining real-world environmental challenges and innovative design solutions.

Learning Objectives:
• Introduce students to sustainability and sustainable design
• Expand vocabulary related to recycling and innovation
• Develop viewing and listening comprehension skills
• Strengthen reading comprehension through an extended article
• Improve speaking skills through roleplay and discussion
• Develop writing skills through reflective tasks
• Promote critical thinking about sustainability and identity

Lesson Activities:
• Warm-up discussion on environmental responsibility
• Quotation analysis and prediction task
• Short video viewing and comprehension
• Vocabulary exploration
• Group discussion and critical reflection
• Roleplay on sustainable design solutions
• Reading and analysing Plastic Reimagined
• Written reflection and lesson review

Learner Type:
Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate (B2) mature teens and adults

Language Focus:
• Sustainability and environmental awareness
• Recycling and waste reduction
• Innovation and design thinking
• Identity and social responsibility
• Critical discussion language

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.