The Chernobyl disaster
Lesson plan overview
This intermediate ESL lesson is about the Chernobyl disaster. Students will learn more about it, and will discuss Chernobyl and nuclear power. You can also take a look at the lesson “Dark tourism”.
Speaking: The lesson starts with a discussion about Chernobyl and what students know about it.
Vocabulary: Next, they take a look at different expressions (e.g. Soviet Union, evacuated, sarcophagus, Remembrance Day, exclusion zone, aftermath, nuclear disaster) and then complete a timeline of the events with the correct expression.
After that students make expressions by combining 2 words (e.g. nuclear reactor, nuclear power, radiation sickness, ghost town, routine maintenance, safety protocol). To practise, they choose the correct expression to complete 8 sentences.
Video: Students watch a video called “Chernobyl disaster 1986: what really happened”, and answer 6 questions. After that, they look at extracts from the video and match a few highlighted words with their definitions (e.g. outcry, infamous, uproot, off-limits)
Then they complete 4 questions with the correct word and discuss the questions. Finally, students discuss questions related to nuclear power.
For more speaking practice, you can use 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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