The Attention Economy

Lesson Summary:

This stimulating ESL video lesson plan explores the themes of attention, distraction, and the attention economy through the short video The Attention Economy Needs to Change. But How? It is a complete, ready-to-use resource for Advanced (C1) to Proficient (C2) learners. Students develop key skills through vocabulary-building, viewing, discussion, reading, roleplay, and creative tasks that encourage reflection on technology and media influence.

Learning Objectives:

• To introduce students to the concept of attention and the attention economy
• To expand students’ vocabulary related to attention, media influence, and technology
• To develop students’ viewing, listening, and reading comprehension skills
• To improve students’ writing skills through creative and reflective tasks using new vocabulary
• To enhance students’ speaking skills through discussions and roleplay using new vocabulary
• To strengthen multimodal communication skills through visual homework composition tasks

Lesson Activities:

• Vocabulary-building tasks related to attention, focus, and technology use
• Pre-viewing prediction and discussion activities on attention and media influence
• Viewing and comprehension of the short video The Attention Economy Needs to Change. But How?
• Analytical and reflective discussion on issues raised in the video
• Reading and comprehension of the article Digital Detox: The Art of Reclaiming Your Mind
• Speaking and writing tasks using new vocabulary in meaningful contexts
• Roleplay and critical thinking activities exploring digital habits and attention management
• Creative multimodal homework composition

Learner Type:

Advanced (C1) – Proficient (C2); mature teens and adults

Language Focus:

• Attention and focus
• The attention economy
• Media influence and digital technology
• Distraction and self-regulation
• Communication and well-being

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.