Ecotourism
Lesson plan overview
This ESL worksheet focuses on the topic of ecotourism in Costa Rica and how sustainable travel practices help protect biodiversity, support local communities, and reduce environmental impact. It is most suitable for B1 level learners and is ideal for lessons on environmental issues, travel, and sustainability. Students build essential vocabulary related to nature conservation, sustainable travel, and eco-friendly behaviour. Other lessons you might like are “Sustainable Hotels“, “Travel destinations“, and “Can poaching ever be stopped?“.
Speaking: Lead-in and Discussion
The lesson begins with a discussion about students’ travel experiences and opinions about tourism in their own country. Learners reflect on where tourists go, the benefits and problems of tourism, and whether some places should limit visitor numbers. They also discuss dream destinations and personal experiences in nature, such as forests, national parks, or wildlife areas.
Reading: Costa Rica – A Global Ecotourism Leader
Students read an informative text about Costa Rica’s environmental achievements, including its protected land areas, forest recovery, renewable electricity, Payment for Environmental Services (PES) programme, and sea turtle conservation efforts. They complete comprehension questions and a quiz based on key facts about sustainability and ecotourism success.
Vocabulary: Ecotourism and Environmental Issues
Students learn and practise key expressions such as biodiversity, renewable energy, deforestation, conservation, eco-conscious travellers, and sustainable tourism. They complete a word formation task.
Listening: Ecotourism in Monteverde Cloud Forest
Students watch a video called “Ecotourism in Costa Rica – Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve” and complete three listening comprehension tasks.
Speaking: Ecotourism Rules and Sustainable Travel
Students explore and discuss practical rules for eco-conscious travellers, such as not feeding wild animals, reducing waste, respecting wildlife distance, and choosing eco-certified tour operators. Finally, they design their own ecotourism plan for a real location in their country, present ideas to the class, and reflect on how they can improve their travel habits.
For more speaking practice, you can use the printable discussion cards.
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Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
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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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