US captures Venezuelan President Maduro
Lesson plan overview
This breaking news ESL lesson plan explores the recent US raid in Venezuela, focusing on political, economic, and international reactions. Students practice English through authentic content, improving vocabulary, listening comprehension, discussion, and debate skills. The lesson encourages critical thinking, reflection, and engagement with current events, making it ideal for advanced ESL/EFL students or classrooms integrating current affairs into language learning.
Activities Overview:
Speaking: Students reflect on Venezuela’s recent political and economic situation, the effects of inflation and shortages, and the role of foreign countries in political crises.
Vocabulary: Students connect key verbs and terms such as jeopardize, face charges, run a country, regime change, and narco-terrorism with their definitions. Then, they apply new vocabulary in context to reinforce understanding.
Listening: Video Comprehension: Students watch a breaking news report called “U.S. captures Maduro. Here’s what President Trump says comes next for Venezuela” and complete sentences with missing information. In the second listening activity, students answer open-ended comprehension questions. After that they engage in a post-listening discussion.
Reading and Speaking: Students read summaries of how different groups—including Venezuelan diaspora, Latin American allies, Maduro’s global supporters, neighboring nations, and EU countries—reacted to the raid. They analyze motivations, predict consequences, and express personal opinions.
Debate: Finally, students form two teams to argue for or against the US raid, using vocabulary and ideas from the lesson. This activity encourages critical thinking, persuasive speaking, and collaborative discussion.
For more speaking practice, you can use the printable conversation cards.
This worksheet is perfect for teachers looking to bring current international events into the language classroom while reinforcing English language skills through meaningful, real-world content.
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Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
Pre-class activities
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In-class activities
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Additional resources
Each video-based lesson plan includes links to additional resources (videos and articles), which are FREE can be found online (in the pre-class activities page. These links aim to extend the learning experience, enabling students to connect classroom knowledge with real-world applications.
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Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
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