free english lesson plans

Discover The English Flows’ free video-based ESL lesson plans! Our ready-to-use lesson plans are a valuable asset for ESL teachers working with adult and Business English students, helping you save time lesson planning and allowing you to focus on guiding, coaching, and addressing your students' individual needs. With up-to-date and highly relevant topics, your students will remain engaged before, during, and after class.

Free Video-based ESL lesson plans

a person doing skydiving, and a slogan "good stress vs bad stress"

Vocabulary: collocations and expressions with “stress” (chronic stress, stress-induced, stress-free, stress management, stress out)
Confising words: distress vs de-stress
Speaking: stressful situations, stress managements techniques, refaming your perspective

4:37

people analysing graphs, and a slogan "dealing with the off-season slump"

Vocabulary: describing graphs and charts
Vocabulary: to diversify, existing assets, overheads, staffing
Speaking: seasonal businesses, diversification, off-season marketing

7:00

an illustration of a heated debate and a slogan "can you spot these dirty debate tactics?"

Vocabulary: verb + noun collocations (bring up a topic, get defensive, change the subject, dodge a question), and adjective + noun collocations (ongoing/constructive/heated debate, complex/unresolved issue)
Reading: common logical fallacies and dirty debating tactics
Video: Why debates turn into arguments (and how to fix it)

3:15

a person crossing his fingers and a slogan "are you a superstitious person?"

Vocabulary: words and expressions related to superstitions (e.g. omen, jinx, misfortune, unlucky, toss a coin, knock on wood, cross your fingers)
Video: The craziest superstitions in the world
Speaking: superstitions in students’ culture

5:15

a photo of a dog and a slogan - "How do pets improve our mental health?"

Vocabulary: pet care, having fun with your pet, mental health benefits of having a pet
Video: “7 ways having a pet can improve your mental health”
Speaking: animals in our lives, responsibilities of having a pet, how to have contact with animals if you can’t have a pet

5:30

a photo of people working on a computer, and a slogan "Can Europe produce its own tech giants?"

Vocabulary. to scale up, unicorns, brain drain, to raise capital, social safety nets
Vocabulary: types of funding (bootstrapping, venture capital, angel investors, government grants, crowdfunding
Video: Why does the EU suck at tech?

5:42

a person throwing away a computer, and a slogan "how can we combat throwaway culture?"

Vocabulary: verbs related to repairing things and tools
Speaking: consumerism, recycling, alternatives to throwaway culture
Videos: Repair cafĂ©s – what they are and why we need them

2:59

UPDATED

a person preparing a vaccine and a slogan - viruses and vaccines

Vocabulary: symptoms (rash, swollen glands, fever)
Vocabulary: viruses (spread, outbreak, strain)
Video: Why is mpox a global health emergency?

3:07

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Idiom and phrasal verb boosters

What can you expect from our free lesson plans?

  • Pre-class online activities: Ideal for educators looking to try the blended learning approach. All video-based ESL lesson plans feature pre-class activities. They are free and do not require registration. These activities provide students with resources and opportunities for engagement before the actual class. By doing so, teachers can stimulate active participation, create a more interactive learning experience, boost comprehension, and help students prepare for in-class discussions.
  • In-Class Resources: Our video-based ESL lesson plans contain 5-8 pages of versatile in-class material, allowing for in-depth exploration of each topic. The English Flows’ lessons are designed with communication in mind. They facilitate meaningful conversations and offer abundant speaking opportunities. Additionally, each lesson includes a set of printable conversation cards that teachers can use to review target vocabulary or transform the lesson into a conversation-focused class, further encouraging student interaction.
  • Meaningful homework ideas: Each lesson presents three research topics that encourage students to explore authentic materials independently after class. Also, we provide links to supplementary resources, such as videos and articles, to extend the learning experience. The access to these links is free for all lessons. These features enable students to bridge classroom knowledge with real-world applications.

Try out our free video-based ESL lesson plans today!