A selection of English ESL gist printables

This poem, by a Franciscan priest, has gone viral. It looks at the positives of the coronavirus quarantine. They have to listen to the priest reading the poem and fill in the missing words. (If this is logistically difficult, just use the poem on page 2 and miss out the gap fill.) Then they match up the vocabulary and answer the questions. The youtube link is provided, plus a full key, including a transcript of the whole poem. 



'Lockdown', a poem. 

Hi teachers,



I recently published a free lesson plan on Fluentize based on a video with tips about how to make better decisions.



I would say this lesson plan is probably most suitable for upper intermediate (B2) students.



In order to view the video, please visit the lesson page on Fluentize via the link below.



https://app.fluentize.com/lesson/decision-making



This post contains the first half of the lesson materials. You can download the full lesson lesson directly from Fluentize when you're registered and logged in.



As you'll see in the lesson plan, students discuss topics and questions related to decision-making in addition to a quote about decision-making. It then includes some video viewing / listening comprehension exercises. The post-viewing sections include activities on quotes from the video and CCQ discussion activities based on vocabulary featured in the video. The grammar activity features the usage of usage of adjective + preposition + gerund combinations. There is an an additional speaking task and grammar activation included, as well as a quiz and review section.



It all can be accessed on Fluentize just by signing up for free!



Thanks,



Jake from Fluentize

How To Make Better Decisions - ESL Lesson Plan (B2)

A pair activity: partners take turns in dictating and writing down registration plates. An alphabet review is always a good idea - no matter what level you are teaching.

Registration Plates

Включают в себя задания устной части 1-4 (чтение текста, работа с лексикой, вопросы по теме "Интернет", задания формата "Speaking" 2023). 
The tasks of the oral part 1-4 (reading text, working with vocabulary, questions on the topic “Internet”, other “Speaking” tasks 2023) are included.

ЕГЭ.The Internet

Watch the video of Dr. Phil speaking about blended families, the statistics for such families in the USA and strategies for parents when dealing with children in blended families. Answer the questions in the worksheet. The video youtube address is at the top of the worksheet.



The main objective of this worksheet is listening for gist and specific information. It should be used as a follow up activity after a unit of learning on family. The level of learners this will be most suited to will be pre-intermediate and above.

Blended Families

Outline task to students

Divide the class into two groups - psychologists and patients

Hand out problems to patients (you choose interesting problems before the class and write them on small pieces of paper)

Psychologists pair up with patients

When everyone is finished change partners

When patients have spoken to three psychologists they decide whose advice is best

Swap roles; patients become psychologists and vice versa

Repeat activity

Going to the psychologist

Discuss questions, read an article, give examples in the article of ways that people could be taken out their comfort zones which appealed to you personally? Complete idioms.

Outside the comfort zone

This handout motivates students do tasks via listening to music of one of the greatest band "Pink Floyd".

Listening for gist (for the main idea), specific vocabular 

Pink Floyd - Time (listening)

By scanning the QR Code, listen to the story in Spoken English and read the story in Written English. With a partner, ask and answer questions about the story then as a class, discuss the viewpoint questions. 

The Importance of Value Investing: Lessons from Warren Buffett

This is a speaking exercise on the topic of International Happiness Day. Students ask and answer the questions in pairs or small groups and then discuss some famous quotes about happiness. We have a teacher’s copy (including teacher’s notes) and a student version which you can email to your class for online lessons.


Get the PDF here with teacher's notes here:


https://tefllessons.com/product/happiness-speaking-activity//


You might also like:


https://tefllessons.com/product/happiness-idioms/


You can access over 100 FREE worksheets and posters on our site when you register as a FREE member. :)

Happiness Day Speaking Activity

Gist/detailed reading about strange Christmas traditions in different countries. Includes Lead-in and Follow-on questions and to comprehension tasks - for gist and detailed reading

Christmas traditions in different countries

Tolkien Movie Lesson has the video subtitle script and the YouTube link. It has 16 questions the are answered in the 16 different paragraphs of the text. The lesson is designed, so students will have to pay attention to the video and respond to the general gist questions.

Tolkien Movie Lesson

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)

For personal or classroom use only. Uploading on other internet sharing platforms or any commercial use NOT PERMITTED. Share Alike.

Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License

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Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike License

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License

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

218 Gist English ESL worksheets pdf & doc