Qatar 2022: The World Cup of controversy
Lesson plan overview
This ESL lesson plan is about the World Cup in Qatar and the controversies surrounding it. It is focused on speaking – students will discuss issues such as workers’ rights, human rights, LGBTQ+ rights and corruption. You may also like these worksheets: “The stadiums of Euro 2024“,“Why is football so popolar?“, “Argentina wins the world cup”, “Phrasal verbs: The World Cup (football)”. For lower-level students, you can check this lesson:“Football fans”.
Speaking: The lesson starts with a few general questions about the World Cup. After that students are given a list of issues related to the World Cup in Qatar (e.g. Working conditions of migrant workers, bribery and corruption allegations, human rights violations, climate concerns) and they discuss what they know about each one. After that, they look at a few quotes related to the World Cup in Qatar and talk about each one, expressing their opinions and giving their arguments.
Collocations: in a short vocabulary activity, students practice collocations related to human rights. They complete the questions with the correct word and then ask and answer the questions with a partner.
Video: Students watch a video “How Qatar got to host the World Cup” and complete 2 tasks. Firt, they are asked to take notes about a few things mentioned in the video and then they complete extracts from the video with the verbs they hear.
Grammar: the second listening activity is also used as a transition to the grammar part of the lesson. After students have completed the extracts with the correct reporting verb (deny, accuse, allege, acknowledge), they match the verb to their definitions. Then, they complete a few sentences with the correct verb and word out the correct verb pattern each verb follows.
Speaking: next they are asked to share with a partner what they know about the topics given, using the reporting verbs from this lesson. The last activity is optional: a link to an article is provided where fans share their opinions about the World Cup. Students read it and discuss each of the opinions.
The printable conversation cards will provide further conversation practice.
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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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