B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Hiking

Lesson Summary:
This B1–B2 lesson centres on Hiking through Tragedy on the Pacific Crest Trail and guides learners to explore hiking and emotional resilience. Students predict content, watch and analyse a short video, extend topic vocabulary, perform a supportive roleplay, read Hiking as a Path to Emotional Healing, discuss ideas and write reflectively.

Learning Objectives:

• To introduce hiking and emotional resilience as connected themes

• To build topic vocabulary and collocations in context

• To strengthen viewing and reading comprehension skills

• To improve speaking through discussion and extended roleplay

• To develop writing through creative and reflective tasks

• To foster critical thinking through analysis and debate

• To promote multimodal expression through optional follow-up tasks

Lesson Activities:

• Warm-up on outdoor exercise and long-distance trails

• Prediction tasks from title and stills

• Viewing for gist then detail with comprehension checks

• Vocabulary focus and communicative practice

• Roleplay to practise supportive language and decision-making

• Article reading with discussion and reflection

• Short written response consolidating learning

Learner Type:
B1–B2, teens and adults, 90–120 minutes.

Language Focus:

• Hiking and trail vocabulary

• Emotions and resilience language

• Strategies for giving support and advice

• Narrating experiences in sequence

• Cause and effect in personal change

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.