Daylight saving time
Lesson plan overview
This ESL lesson plan is about daylight saving time and the effect changing the clocks twice a year has on us. Students will learn interesting expressions, will watch a short video and will debate the subject of daylight saving time. This lesson will work well in combination with “Phrasal verbs: sleep” and “Idioms: time“, as well as “Phrasal verbs: autumn“.
Speaking: The lesson starts with an initial discussion, which also introduces key vocabulary for this lesson (spring forward, fall back, standard time, daylight saving time). Students discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.
Listening: Next, students watch a video “It’s that time of year again: inside the daylight saving time debate”, and complete extracts from the text with the words they hear. After that they talk about different aspects of daylight saving time.
Vocabulary: Students learn a few expressions related to sleep (a late riser, a morning person, a night owl, oversleep, disrupt sleeping patterns). They look at 6 sentences, each one containing a different expression, and then complete the definitions given, To practise, students choose the correct option to complete 3 sentences, and then they discuss 3 questions given.
Confusing expressions: in time and on time. Students learn the difference between in time and on time and practice with a gap-fill activity.
Debate: Finally, students prepare a debate about daylight saving time. To revise and practise the key vocabulary from this lesson, you can use the set of conversation cards.
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Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
Pre-class activities
All video-based ESL lesson plans include online pre-class activities, which are FREE and can be completed without registration. Perfect for teachers who wish to embrace the blended learning approach. By providing students with resources and engagement opportunities before the actual class session, educators can foster active participation, enhance comprehension, and optimise in-class discussions.
The pre-class activities are optional: if you choose not to assign them, or your students don’t complete them, it will not disturb the flow of the class. You can find and review the pre-class activities for this lesson plan here:
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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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