How to Use TED Talks with ESL Students
Have you tried using TED Talks with your higher level ESL students? If you have, then I am sure you will agree that they are perfect for English language learners. If you have not used them before, I highly recommend that you try one. My students LOVE them, and I can almost guarantee that your students will also!
Here are just some of the benefits of using TED Talks with ESL students:
- There are LOADS of videos on engaging topics. You can find Talks on a wide variety of topics that are sure to interest your students.
- You can choose a Talk based on the length of the presentation and/or the level of difficulty.
- They all have written transcripts. This is perfect for reviewing after students have listened a couple of times to take note of things that they missed.
- With the exception of highly technical topics, most Talks use very natural, conversational type language. It can be very difficult to find examples of native speakers of English using authentic language. But these Talks are perfect because they are rich with expressions, phrasal verbs, and idioms that are used naturally by native speakers.
- Students practice listening comprehension skills by listening to different speakers with a variety of accents, speaking styles, etc.
- Students practice speaking skills by discussing the topics.
Using TED Talks with ESL students is super useful in general for building skills, but students can take their learning even further by using an educational talk for deep analysis with a focus on vocabulary, grammar, writing, and speaking skills. However, creating a lesson plan around one of these Talks can be a time-consuming and overwhelming task.
That is why I created a series of lesson plans based on these Talks.
These are literally print and go, so you can use them in your classroom right away. You can also use them as a partially flipped lesson. First, introduce the topic, have pre-viewing discussion, and go over vocabulary they will hear in the Talk. Then send them home to view the video as many times as needed and complete the other activities together as a class. There are a wide variety of activities included in each lesson. So just choose the ones that are best suited for the level and needs of your students.
Get the bundle with all the lessons here
Or choose from these individual lessons, including a FREEBIE!
Get a FREE no-prep sample lesson using one of these Talks!
Want to try a FREE sample lesson based on an Educational Talk with your students? Click the link for your free download, and if you and your students enjoyed this lesson, please check out my lessons on other Talks as well!
