How to Deal with Panic

Lesson Summary:
This complete ESL video lesson plan is designed for Pre-intermediate (A2) to Intermediate (B1) learners and explores the theme of panic and how to manage it. Students build vocabulary related to panic, fear and calm responses, watch and analyse a short video, answer comprehension questions, read an article titled Eight Simple Techniques to Stop Panic Before It Starts, perform a roleplay, and reflect on strategies to stay calm. This ready-to-use package is perfect for teachers looking to help learners develop confidence, critical thinking and practical language skills.

Learning Objectives:

• To introduce students to the concept of panic and how to manage it

• To expand vocabulary related to panic, fear and calm responses

• To develop students’ viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills

• To improve students’ speaking skills through discussion and roleplay using new vocabulary

• To develop students’ writing skills through reflective and creative tasks using new vocabulary

• To practise critical thinking through discussion and reflection tasks

• To develop representing skills through multimodal composition homework tasks

Lesson Activities:

• Warm-up and vocabulary building activities

• Discussion of panic, fear and calm responses

• Prediction and viewing of short video

• Comprehension and analysis tasks

• Article reading and comprehension

• Roleplay activity

• Reflection and creative writing tasks

Learner Type:
Pre-intermediate (A2) – Intermediate (B1), mature teens and adults

Language Focus:

• Vocabulary related to panic, fear and calm responses

• Expressions for calmness, rational thinking and emotional regulation

Transform Your English Classroom with This Film English Multimodal Lesson

This ESL video lesson plan is built around a carefully selected short video and designed using the exclusive Multimodal Approach– an innovative methodology that integrates traditional language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) with viewing – the active process of analysing and interpreting multimodal texts – and representing – creating multimodal texts. This pedagogically rich approach mirrors how communication works in the real world, through a combination of language, image, sound, gesture and spatial design, making the lesson more engaging, relevant and effective.

This ESL video lesson plan plan consists of a complete, ready-to-use package that includes:

• A thought-provoking short video
• A detailed teacher’s guide with step-by-step instructions
• A pre-viewing vocabulary glossary to scaffold understanding
• Comprehension, discussion and critical thinking questions
• Creative post-viewing tasks such as roleplays, writing prompts and reflective activities
• A thematically linked reading text to reinforce language and deepen understanding
• A final task encouraging learners to create their own multimodal compositions (e.g. vlogs, posters, infographics or social media posts)

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
• Create authentic, personalised multimodal projects that reflect their own voice and ideas
• Strengthen emotional intelligence and intercultural awareness through affective engagement with multimodal texts

Whether you’re teaching in a secondary school, university or adult education context, Film English lesson plans offer a dynamic, research-informed pathway to meaningful language learning. Join thousands of teachers worldwide who are transforming their classrooms with the Multimodal Approach and helping their students learn English—and live through English—more fully.

Watch the short video.