B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: The Gratitude Effect

Lesson Summary:
This Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2) ESL lesson plan is built around the short video Not All Gratitude is Created Equal: A Psychologist Explains and explores the theme of gratitude and its effects on relationships and well-being. It helps learners understand how practising gratitude can strengthen relationships and enhance mental health. Through vocabulary expansion, viewing, discussion, roleplay, and writing activities, students reflect on virtues, gratitude, and emotional well-being in their own lives.

Learning Objectives:
• To introduce students to the concept of gratitude and its effects on relationships and well-being.
• To expand students’ vocabulary related to virtues, gratitude, relationships and emotions.
• To develop students’ viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills.
• To improve students’ speaking skills through discussion, roleplay and reflection using new vocabulary.
• To enhance students’ writing skills through creative and reflective tasks using new vocabulary.
• To foster visual representing skills through multimodal composition homework tasks.

Lesson Activities:
• Brainstorm virtues and personal values.
• Discuss quotations about gratitude.
• Watch and analyse a video on gratitude and well-being.
• Answer comprehension and post-viewing questions.
• Perform a roleplay exploring gratitude in relationships.
• Read and respond to the article Gratitude and Mental Health: Finding Joy in Small Things.
• Complete creative and reflective writing tasks.

Learner Type:
Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate (B2) learners; teens and adults.

Language Focus:
• Vocabulary related to virtues
• Vocabulary related to gratitude
• Vocabulary related to relationships and emotions

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.