In this engaging series of activities students will discuss different actions that involve taking risks. It aims at developing students’ communicative, listening and writing skills through the acquisition of new vocabulary.
Level: advanced
Time required: 60 minutes
Materials: handout 1 and handout 2
Warming up: The video
- Do a quick survey asking students: Do you enjoy taking risks?
- Play the first 55 seconds of the video and pause it. Ask students in pairs to discuss what they would do in this situation. Get feedback. Ask the class as a whole to predict what might happen to the people who decide to run the risk and take the two empty seats.
- Play the video until the end. here
Step 1. Speaking based on visual prompts
- Class as a whole. Ask students: What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?
- Put students in pairs. Tell them you are going to show them different activities that involve taking risks. Ask students to discuss whether they would be willing to try them or not, giving reasons for their choice.
Step 2. Working with vocabulary .
- Put students in pairs and ask them to write, in two minutes, words related to taking risks. On the board, write their suggestions.
- Give them handout 1. Focus on any new words/expressions.
- Prepare slips of papers with the new vocabulary and follow the steps given for activity number 4 in the article “Nine ways to revise vocabulary using slips of paper”.
Step 3. Speaking. Using new vocabulary.
We all know how difficult it is for students to introduce new vocabulary when they speak. This activity aims at encouraging students to use new words.
- Give students a photocopy with ten questions to talk about. Handout 2 here
- Stick on the walls of the class the slips of paper (from Step 2) containing the new vocabulary.
- Follow the steps given for activity number 9 in the article “Nine ways to revise vocabulary using slips of paper”
Step 4. Listening Comprehension
Tell students they are going to see a video about parkour. Hopefully, students will remember what parkour is, as they came across this word at the beginning of the lesson.
If you are running short of time, you can always set this activity as homework.
Step 5: Writing
Ask students to write a “for and against essay” on one of these quotes
- “To know what life is worth you have to risk it once in a while” Jean- Paul Sartre
- “The biggest risk is not taking any risk”-Mark Zukerberg
Tips on how to write a “ for and against essay” in the Writing Section of Blog de Cristina.
It should be working now
Hi, the video for the warmup is still not working.
Thanks for letting me know. I have updated the link, and you can see it now.
There is no video
Glad you like the content in the blog!!
Thankyou so much cristina for your hardwork and lessons, it really helps me a lot with my students sinec I am very busy and have little time for lesson planning. You are amazing at this, Please keep doing what you do best
Thanks, Tasha for letting me know it was not working. I have already updated the link .
Nevermind, found it! Looked up “free running or parkour Ozzi Quintero” on youtube. Thanks again for the lesson!
First of all I love this lesson. Second, can you give the link for the parkour video? Or the name of the video so I can search on youtube? I can’t see it and when I click on it, it’s just the exercise. Thank you.
NICE PLAN! Thanks for sharing!
Great lesson plan. Thanks for sharing it. It is so creative!
Thank you soooo much for sharing such an awesome lesson plan. Besides, and contrary to Mar´s opinion, I believe it is a great way to deal with many interesting topics that every student must face and get involved in, even animals´mistreat, in order to give them the chance to actually be aware of this problem and be able to judge such a negative fact. We, as teachers must show students all sides of life for them to really become concious not only about the joys but also the dangers of life, giving them the opportunity to recognise, distinguish them and so do something about, instead of making them blind about them. Discussing about negative actions of human beings is not the same as fostering those actions but just the opposite. Hidding is not the right tool, but showing.
I think I can only be grateful by the way you have created this interesting and enterteining lesson.
My pleasure! Thanks for your comment!
Great lesson plan! Thank you so much for sharing it, Cristina!
Thanks a lot for your comment!
I think this lesson plan is fun and interesting. Thank you Cristina
Creo que no has leido bien. En ningún caso he expresado que sea una actividad graciosa, ni una costumbre de la que debamos sentirnos orgullosos.
Muy desafortunado incluir actividades que implica hablar de maltrato animal (San Fermines), los cuales, en ningún caso son una actividad “graciosa” ni actividad de la que estar orgullosos. Como profesores, ese tema NUNCA debería tomarse a la ligera. Al ver eso, descartada la actividad.
Thanks, Anabel! Great to know you like it
Absolutely love this lesson plan. So useful for both teenagers and young adults!
Thanks Cristina!
Thanks. I am thrilled that you like them.
The activities are awesome and absolutely useful! Thanks a lot!
Thanks Sabine! 🙂
Muy buen idea, Christina. Gracias¡