B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: The Benefits of Flexible Thinking

Lesson Summary:
This Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2) ESL video lesson plan is built around the short video The Benefits of Flexible Thinking and explores the theme of flexibility and flexible thinking. It is designed to help learners develop key language skills – listening, viewing, speaking, reading, writing and visually representing – through guided discussion, vocabulary building, roleplay, critical thinking, article work and engaging classroom activities. Students reflect on how flexible thinking can help people adapt to change, manage stress, solve problems and grow personally.

Learning Objectives:
• To introduce students to the concept of flexibility and flexible thinking
• To expand students’ vocabulary related to flexible thinking, learning, stress and personal growth
• To develop students’ viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills
• To develop students’ writing skills through creative tasks and use of new vocabulary
• To improve students’ speaking skills through roleplay, discussion and use of new vocabulary
• To improve students’ visual representing skills though multimodal composition homework tasks
• To practise critical thinking through discussion, reflection and article analysis

Lesson Activities:
• Discuss introductory questions on flexibility and flexible thinking
• Explore quotations about adaptability and change
• Predict the ideas in a short video
• Watch a short video and answer comprehension questions
• Analyse the speakers’ ideas and the benefits of flexible thinking
• Read an article titled How to Train Your Brain to Adapt to Change
• Discuss post-reading critical thinking questions
• Complete speaking, writing, roleplay and multimodal homework tasks

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

Language Focus:
• Flexible thinking and adaptability
• Learning, prediction, stress and personal growth
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Reflective language for discussing change
• Roleplay language for negotiating solutions

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.