B2 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Willpower

Lesson Summary
This ESL video lesson plan is built around the short video Why Willpower Doesn’t Predict Your Success and the theme of willpower and success. Designed for Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2) students, the lesson helps learners expand vocabulary related to psychology, self-control, and achievement while developing core language skills. Activities include discussion, video analysis, structured roleplay, article-based reading, and reflective tasks, making it ideal for teens and adults.

Learning Objectives
Students will:
• Explore the role of willpower in personal success
• Learn vocabulary related to psychology, self-control, and development
• Develop listening, viewing, and reading comprehension skills
• Improve speaking through discussion and roleplay
• Enhance writing through reflective and creative tasks
• Build critical thinking skills by analysing video and article content
• Practise multimodal composition in homework tasks

Lesson Activities
In this 90–120 minute ESL video lesson, students will:
• Discuss quotations about willpower and success
• Predict and watch a short video, then answer comprehension questions
• Analyse how willpower is presented as a predictor of success
• Read an article titled Why Willpower Is Overrated
• Complete reading comprehension and discussion tasks
• Engage in a roleplay about success factors
• Write a reflective piece on the role of self-control in success
• Complete a multimodal homework project on success and willpower

Learner Type
Teens and adults at Intermediate (B1) to Upper Intermediate (B2) levels

Language Focus
Vocabulary related to:
• Willpower and psychology
• Self-control and success
• Childhood development and achievement

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.