What makes a relationship last?
Lesson plan overview
This B2-C1 ESL lesson deals with the topic of healthy and successful relationships. Students will discuss the topic at length, and will learn interesting vocabulary, as well as expressions to talk about deal-breakers.You can also check out other relationships–related topics, such as “Modern dating”, “The business of St. Valentine’s Day”, “Planning a wedding”, “Idioms: love”, “Idioms: relatinoships“, and “Phrasal verbs: relationships and dating”.
Speaking: The lesson starts with 3 speaking activities. First, students are given conversation questions and discuss the importance of relationships in our lives. Then they brainstorm Dos and Don’ts of healthy relationships. After that, they are given different statements about relationships to agree or disagree with.
Vocabulary and speaking: Next, students are given words such as commitment, forgiveness, empathy, compromise, affection, boundaries, and are asked to discuss the meaning of the words and how each one is related to relationships.
Listening: Students watch a video called “8 signs your relationship will last forever”, and note down the signs mentioned, as well as any other details they hear. Then they engage in a post-listening discussion.
Vocabulary: Students look at sentences from the video, containing idioms (e.g. stand the test of time, see eye to eye, have a bright future ahead, keep the spark alive). They match the idioms to their definitions, and then complete 5 sentences with the correct idiom.
Speaking: Next, students discuss deal-breakers in a relationship. They are given a list of common deal-breakers, as well as useful phrases to talk about deal-breakers (e.g. I consider [specific issue] to be a deal-breaker, In my opinion, [certain behavior] is non-negotiable, For me, [particular aspect] is something I cannot overlook).
Vocabulary review: Lastly, students complete a word formation activity, reviewing words from the lesson such as commitment, forgiveness, empathy, understanding.
For more speaking practice, and to review key words and expressions from this lesson, 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:
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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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