Gentrification
Lesson plan overview
This ESL lesson plan is about an issue a lot of cities are facing – gentrification. Students will talk about neighbourhoods, amenities, and the pros and cons of gentrification, as well as practice conjunctions and linking devices. It can be combined with the lessons: “Buying a home“, “Is hosting the Olympics worth it?“, “Carpooling and car sharing“, “Digital nomads“, and “Inflation and young people”.
The lesson starts with an initial discussion about affordable housing. Next, students look at different amenities and discuss which amenities they consider to be important when choosing an area to live.
Vocabulary: Students look at adjectives used to describe neighbourhoods and areas (booming, quaint, welcoming, run-down, shabby, bustling) and divide them into negative and positive. Next, they are asked to describe 2 different areas in their cities, using both positive and negative adjectives.
Next, students talk about gentrification and think about different pros and cons from the perspective of long-term residents, new residents, local businesses, etc. After that they read a short text about gentrification which introduces key vocabulary (be prices out, displace, unaffordable, evicted, undergo transformation, rent stabilisation). They match the words to their definitions and then complete a few sentences with their own ideas.
Listening: Students watch a video “The pros and cons of gentrification” and complete the notes given. After that they further discuss gentrification.
Grammar: Students look at a few sentences from the video and the use of the linking devices although, so as to, as, and lead to. They match the words to their usage. Then, they complete 4 sentences with the correct word. After that they use the linking words to talk about their own living situation.
Lastly, students role-play a meeting between different people affected by gentrification (home owners, tenants, city planners) and discuss possible concerns and solutions. You can combine this lesson with lessons about urban development and renewal, city planning and infrastructure, life in the city vs life in the countriside
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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
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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