A selection of English ESL crash printables

This matching and fill in the gaps will help students to improve their listening skills, as well as their knowledge of vocabulary related to transports and past tense. 

Ironic, by Alanis Morrissette (1995)

Lesson plan for a class of Senior High School students in Japan, First Grade, Low Academic Level (but high enthusiasm!). 40 students aged 15



LEAD-IN

We start off brain storming the problems that you might have if you crashed on an island. I only elicit one or two answers before moving on to watch the trailer for CastAway (included in the Power Point). While they watch this, they add more ideas to the bubble on their worksheet and then discuss with a partner. * FEEDBACK: I usually get them to answer a full sentence in feedback `There are . . . .on the island` (no phones, no people, no boats) etc.



MATCHING

Beforehand, I explain the grammar form briefly and point out that the different colours in the sentences indicate past and infinitive forms of a word, and CCQ `Is this real/true or imaginary?` for meaning.

FEEDBACK - you can use the Power Point for this to reveal the answers. When they feedback, I get students to flip sentence halves around to highlight that the clauses can work both ways.

eg. `If I waswere cold, I would make a fire` and 

`I would make a fire if I was/were cold` etc.



WRITING AND SPEAKING

They then answer the four questions in the boxes, writing their own answers first (I explain `I would` and `I`d` and drill pronunciation a little). Then they walk around and ask each other the question with the approach `Can I ask you a question?`.



WRITING GAME

Finally in groups of 4, they answer two questions cards each (writing on separate pieces of paper), then jumble them up on their table. They then move to another table and try to match together the questions and answers of the other team. 



*Here I should really add a `gist` activity with simple questions like `Does the film have a happy or sad ending` etc. I sometimes just ask them afterwards to confirm their understanding.



ANSWERS

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/projectables/powerpoints_ppt_pptx/second_conditional_with_castaway_movie_trailer_answers_and_clip/conditional-2-second/113474

Second Conditional, CastAway Movie Trailer 

this is a fun activity for any level to practice onomatopoeia.  I recommend giving the worksheet first, and having the students try to come up a sound for each picture.  Have students work in pairs.  While doing this, put each word on a sticky note and stick each note to the wall somewhere in the room.  When ready, students can stand up, walk around the room, and try to match each onomatopoeia to each picture.  

---ANSWERS: buzz, pop, jingle/jangle, crash, tick/tick-tock, fizz, snap, clang/ding, vroom, sizzle, drip/drip-drop, crackle, zap, bang/boom, clip-clip

Onomatopoeia

I collected a bunch of It-structures and divided them into groups on this ws. The visual theme is centered around the crash test dummy, since these it-patterns all feature a Â´dummy subjectÂ´ (=not real subject). Enjoy! Bless up,

Â´It:Â´ The Dummy Subject (Grammar Guide)

This lot is about shops and facilities. Deal all the big cards.  Put the small cards in the middle.  Each player takes a small card and says where they go to buy something / when they have done something.

f.i. 	I go to hospital when I am injured.

	I phone the fire brigade when there is a car crash.

	I go to the fishmonger’s to buy prawns.

The player who is the first to have completed all their big cards has won.





Shops and Facilities Loto

An MTV Cribs episode where Teen stars Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, Lil Mama and Mark Indelicato take you through their Los Angeles and New York apartments. This worksheet includes listening comprehension tasks and in some of the tasks the students are expected to give their opinion about personality, lifestyle and music.The students read a short biography of Lil Mama and Soulja Boy and fill out their fact files. It also includes youtube clips showing an incident where Lil Mama crashes the stage during a the performance of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys at the VMA and the follow reactions of all three. Finally it includes lyrics of the best selling songs of Soulja Boy and Lil Mama.

MTV CRIBS - Soulja Boy & Lil Mama

-	Harry: “Dear Mr Potter, 
 We are pleased to inform you that you have accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”.
-	Mr Dursley: He will not be going to tell you. We swore when we took him in we’d put a stop to all this rubbish.
-	Harry: You knew. You knew all along and you never told me.
-	Mrs Dursley: Of course, we knew. How could you not be? My perfect sister being who she was. My mother and father were so proud the day she got her letter. We have a witch in the family. Isn’t it wonderful? I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak. Then she met that Potter, and then she had you…and I knew you would be the same. Just as strange, just as abnormal. And then she got herself blown up, and we got landed with you.
-	Harry: Blown up. You told me my parents died in car crash.
-	Hadrid: A car crash? A car crash killed Lily and James Potter?
-	Mrs Dursley: We had to say something. 
-	Hadrid: It’s an outrage! A scandal! 
-	Mr Dursley: He’ll not be going. 
-	Hadrid: And, I suppose, a great Muggle like yourself is going to stop him, aren’t you?
-	Harry:  - Muggle?
-	Hadrid: Non-magic folk. This boy’s had his name down since he was born. He’s going to the finest School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the world. And he’ll be under the finest headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen, Albus Dumbledore.
-	Mr Dursley: I’ll not pay to have some crackpot old fool teach him magic tricks. 
-	Hadrid: Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me.
-	Mrs Dursley and Mr Dursley: Ah, oh my God, oh my God!
-	Hadrid: Well, I’d appreciate it, if you didn’t tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Truly speaking, I’m not allowed to do magic.
-	Harry: Okay. 
-	Hadrid: We’re a bit behind schedule. Better be off. Unless you’d rather stay, of course. (18.21)




Harry Potter's birthday

This speaking-based worksheet focuses on a classic survival ranking activity set in a desert plane-crash scenario. Students imagine they have survived a crash in a hot desert and must decide which of 15 available items are most important for survival while waiting for rescue. The task encourages learners to rank items individually and then negotiate their choices in pairs or small groups, using justification and comparison rather than guessing. The worksheet includes a full item list with Czech translations to support lower-level learners, along with clear sentence starters that scaffold discussion and help students express opinions, agreement, disagreement, and conditional thinking. After the discussion phase, students compare their decisions with an expert survival ranking based on real desert survival logic, leading to reflection on common misconceptions such as overvaluing navigation tools or food. The activity naturally practices comparatives, conditionals, modal verbs, and functional speaking language, making it suitable for A2–B1 learners, older teens, and adults. It works particularly well as a high-engagement speaking lesson, a problem-solving task, or a soft skills activity focused on communication and decision-making. The scenario is adaptable to different class sizes and can be used as a standalone speaking lesson or as part of a wider unit on survival, travel, or real-world problem solving.

Lost in the desert survival: Speaking

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

20 Crash English ESL worksheets pdf & doc