Independence Day (Fourth of July)
Lesson plan overview
This ESL lesson is dedicated to American Independence Day – Fourth of July. Students will learn about this holiday, will discuss history of the USA, and their own countries, patriotism and celebrations. Other lessons dedicated to American celebrations are: “Thanksgiving”, and “Halloween”.
The lesson starts with a few conversation questions about American history, popular celebrations and holidays.
Vocabulary: Students take a look at 6 photos and match them to the correct expression, saying what the people are doing (e.g. watching the fireworks, waving the American flag, singing the national anthem, giving a speech). Then, they look at a list of words (e.g. colonies, empire, revolution, patriotism, parade), and say what they know about Fourth of July, using words and expressions from this lesson.
Listening: Students watch a video called “Calendar Days: Independence Day – 4th of July History”, and complete 2 listening comprehension activities. Then they engage in a post-listening discussion about their own countries and patriotism.
Vocabulary review: Students complete 5 sentences with the correct form of the word given.
Confusing words: story vs history. Students look at the differences between these 2 words. They look at examples and try to work out the differences themselves. Then, they complete 7 sentences with the correct word (story or history), and discuss a few conversation questions. Finally, they are asked to describe a patriotic holiday from their own country.
For more speaking practice, you can check out the 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:
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.
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Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
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