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
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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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