Doping in sports
Lesson plan overview
The sports related ESL lesson plan is dedicated to the topic of doping. Students will learn relevant vocabulary, will read about famous cases of athletes using performance-enhancing drugs, and will discuss the topic at length. Other sports-related lessons you might find interesting are: “Is hosting the Olympics worth it?“, “How are sports chosen for the Olympi Games?“, “Financial tips for athletes”, “Using sports psychology to improve our everyday lives”, “What happens to your brain when you have a concussion”, “Are smart clothes the future?”, “Winter sports”, and “Phrasal verbs: sport”, “Idioms: sports performance“, “Phrasal verbs: at the gym”, and “Phrasal verbs: role models“.
Speaking: The lesson starts with a couple of speaking activities. First, students are given different things that might affect an athlete’s performance (e.g. training, mental health, coaching, nutrition) and are asked to discuss them. Then, they answer 7 conversation questions.
Reading and speaking: Students read about famous cases including banned substances, and match the information to the correct athlete. Then, they discuss the punishment received, as well as other cases they’ve heard of.
Vocabulary: Next, students match a few expressions from the texts to the correct definitions (e.g. be stripped of, banned for life, be disqualified, be suspended, designer steroid). To practise, they complete a word formation activity, in which a few more interesting phrases are introduced (to tarnish someone’s reputation, to sever ties with somebody), and then give examples of 3 situations.
Video: Students watch a video called “Gene editing and the future of doping in sport”, and complete 2 listening comprehension tasks. After that they engage in a post-listening discussion.
Speaking: Finally, students participate in a debate related to doping and whether or not it should be permitted.
To review key vocabulary from this lesson, and for more speaking practice, you can check out the conversation cards.
Unlock these resources with one of our subscription plans
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:
To send the pre-class activities to your students, copy the link below.
In-class activities
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.
Unlock these resources with one of our subscription plans
Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
Not sure yet?
Try one of our FREE lessons plans
Share this lesson plan with someone who will find it useful