dcsimg | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC

Skip to content

  • Help
  • Log in
  • Sign Up for a Free Account
  • LearnEnglish Teens
  • LearnEnglish
  • LearnEnglish Kids
  • EnglishAgenda
  • Home
  • Teaching kids
    • Resources
    • Articles
    • Teaching tools
  • Teaching teens
    • Resources
    • Articles
    • Teaching tools
    • UK culture
  • Teaching adults
    • Resources
    • Articles
  • Teacher development
    • Teaching for Success online conference
    • Low-resource classrooms
    • Continuing professional development
    • Video tips
    • Publications
    • ELT research database
    • Networks
    • Teaching speaking
    • Teaching reading and writing
    • TeachingEnglish radio
    • Teaching knowledge database
  • Training courses
  • Events
    • IATEFL
    • Webinars
    • Conferences
    • Seminars
    • E-merging Forum
    • Teacher Educator Conference
  • Magazine
    • Top stories
    • The learner
    • Innovations in education
    • Classroom ideas, tools and resources
    • Classroom management
    • Testing and assessment
    • Teaching the four skills
    • Teaching grammar and vocabulary
    • Methodology
    • Teacher and career development
    • Teaching pronunciation

Search form

  • Home
  • Teaching kids
    • Resources
      • Activities
      • Lesson plans
      • Songs
      • Stories and poems
      • CLIL
    • Articles
      • Methodology
      • Speaking
      • Resources
      • Vocabulary
    • Teaching tools
  • Teaching teens
    • Resources
      • Activities
      • Lesson plans
      • Stories and poems
      • CLIL
    • Articles
      • Methodology
      • Speaking
      • Reading
      • Writing
      • Listening
      • Pronunciation
      • Resources
      • Culture
      • Literature
    • Teaching tools
    • UK culture
      • Shakespeare
      • Jane Austen
      • Charles Dickens
      • Dylan Thomas
      • Magna Carta
      • First World War
  • Teaching adults
    • Resources
      • Activities
      • Lesson plans
      • English for business
    • Articles
      • Methodology
      • Resources
      • Speaking
  • Teacher development
    • Teaching for Success online conference
      • Day 1
      • Day 2
      • Day 3
      • Day 4
      • Day 5
      • Schedule of talks
    • Low-resource classrooms
      • Primary success stories
      • Secondary success stories
      • Diversity
      • Managing
      • Materials and methodology
    • Continuing professional development
      • Planning lessons and courses
      • Understanding learners
      • Managing the lesson
      • Knowing the subject
      • Managing resources
      • Assessing learning
      • Integrating ICT
      • Taking responsibility for professional development
      • Using inclusive practices
      • Using multilingual approaches
      • Promoting 21st century skills
      • Understanding educational policies and practices
    • Video tips
    • Publications
      • Books and resource packs
      • Milestones in ELT
      • Research papers
    • ELT research database
    • Networks
    • Teaching speaking
    • Teaching reading and writing
    • TeachingEnglish radio
    • Teaching knowledge database
      • h
      • g
      • f
      • e
      • i
      • m
      • l
      • k
      • j
      • d
      • c
      • b
      • a
      • n
      • o
      • z
      • y
      • x
      • t
      • s
      • q
      • p
      • u
      • w
      • v
      • r
  • Training courses
  • Events
    • IATEFL
    • Webinars
      • Recordings
      • Upcoming webinars
    • Conferences
    • Seminars
      • Seminar archive
    • E-merging Forum
      • Forum 4
      • Forum 5
    • Teacher Educator Conference
      • TEC 2014
      • TEC 2015
  • Magazine
    • Top stories
    • The learner
    • Innovations in education
    • Classroom ideas, tools and resources
    • Classroom management
    • Testing and assessment
    • Teaching the four skills
    • Teaching grammar and vocabulary
    • Methodology
    • Teacher and career development
    • Teaching pronunciation
  • Help
  • Log in
  • Sign Up for a Free Account
  • LearnEnglish Teens
  • LearnEnglish
  • LearnEnglish Kids
  • EnglishAgenda
 
 

You are here

Home » Teaching adults
Teaching adults
Resources

Lesson plans and activities for English language teachers of adults, business English students and learners in tertiary education.

  • ALL
  • Activities
  • Lesson plans
  • English for business
  • Most Recent
  • Most Popular
  • A to Z List
Lesson plans
31 July, 2017
Left handers
This lesson explores what it is like to be left-handed - the advantages, the disadvantages and the prejudices.
Lesson plans
4 May, 2017
Collecting Europe - Identity
In this lesson students will discuss issues related to identity and what the future will be like.
Lesson plans
4 May, 2017
Collecting Europe - Robot relationships
This lesson takes the Collecting Europe project as a starting point for an exploration of whether a romantic relationship between a human...
Lesson plans
20 February, 2017
Women in science
This lesson helps raise awareness of some of the reasons why women are relatively poorly represented in science.
Activities
30 September, 2016
Technology
A short series of activities designed to provide students with essential vocabulary and listening practice to help them communicate in...
Activities
13 September, 2016
Rants and Raves - Returning goods to a shop
This activity provides short listening practice based around a conversation between a customer and sales person. The conversation is to...
Activities
25 August, 2016
Rants and Raves - Reality TV
This activity provides short listening practice based around a monologue regarding reality TV in the UK. The monologue provides...
Activities
25 August, 2016
Rants and Raves - Queuing
This activity provides short listening practice based around a monologue regarding queuing etiquette in the UK. The monologue provides...
Activities
11 August, 2016
Rants and Raves - Please and thank you
This activity provides short listening practice based on a monologue with imaginary conversation. The monologue relays information about...
Activities
2 August, 2016
Rants and Raves - Planning an excursion
This activity provides short listening practice based around a conversation between a customer and sales person. The conversation is to...
Activities
21 July, 2016
Rants and Raves - Mobile Phones
 This activity provides short listening practice based around a monologue about mobile phones. The monologue relays how the speaker feels...
Resources
11 July, 2016
Hotel Booking
This activity provides short listening practice based around a phone call to a hotel to enquire about reservations.  
Activities
4 July, 2016
Break up
This activity provides short listening practice based around a telephone message from a woman to her friend. The message relays information...
Activities
28 June, 2016
To Tech or not to Tech is NOT the question.
With or without technology, raising student's awareness of their own ability to promote their learning is never a difficult job. There are...
Resources
25 June, 2016
Materials free teaching
Teaching materials-free has never been easier with these tools from ReflectESOL and others. Try the 'Brexit with a Tree' lesson.
Activities
25 June, 2016
Booking a train ticket
This activity provides short listening practice based around a dialogue at a train station ticket office.
Resources
19 June, 2016
Speed-chat: A minimal resource activity to get your learners talking
A great minimal resource activity to get your learners feeling relaxed and comfortable talking.
Activities
15 June, 2016
Asking someone out on a date
This activity provides short listening practice based around a dialogue in a workplace.
Activities
6 June, 2016
Airport check-in
A short series of activities designed to provide students with essential vocabulary and listening practice to help them communicate in...
Lesson plans
16 May, 2016
Get to know the neighbours
This lesson for adults and teenagers is designed to develop fluency skills.
Lesson plans, Lesson plans
2 December, 2015
Charities
Every year as Christmas approaches, thousands of charities launch appeals, asking for donations.
Lesson plans, Lesson plans
1 November, 2015
A new flag?
This lesson plan for older teenagers and adults at CEF level B1 and above looks at the symbolism and meaning of flags.
Lesson plans
30 September, 2015
Four hats for discussion
This is an integrated speaking lesson for higher level adults that involves them taking different roles depending the colour of their hat.
Lesson plans
18 October, 2012
Cooking in Britain Today
This lesson plan for teachers of teenage and adult students at intermediate level is about food and cooking. Students will take part in a...
Activities
4 June, 2012
Playing with lexical cards
Very often students know the meaning of a word but don’t know how to use it correctly. This is often because they don’t know what words go...

Pages

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • next ›
  • last »
Lesson plans
31 July, 2017
Left handers
This lesson explores what it is like to be left-handed - the advantages, the disadvantages and the prejudices.
Lesson plans
4 May, 2017
Collecting Europe - Identity
In this lesson students will discuss issues related to identity and what the future will be like.
Lesson plans
4 May, 2017
Collecting Europe - Robot relationships
This lesson takes the Collecting Europe project as a starting point for an exploration of whether a romantic relationship between a human...
Lesson plans
20 February, 2017
Women in science
This lesson helps raise awareness of some of the reasons why women are relatively poorly represented in science.
Activities
30 September, 2016
Technology
A short series of activities designed to provide students with essential vocabulary and listening practice to help them communicate in...
Activities
13 September, 2016
Rants and Raves - Returning goods to a shop
This activity provides short listening practice based around a conversation between a customer and sales person. The conversation is to...
Activities
25 August, 2016
Rants and Raves - Reality TV
This activity provides short listening practice based around a monologue regarding reality TV in the UK. The monologue provides...
Activities
25 August, 2016
Rants and Raves - Queuing
This activity provides short listening practice based around a monologue regarding queuing etiquette in the UK. The monologue provides...
Activities
11 August, 2016
Rants and Raves - Please and thank you
This activity provides short listening practice based on a monologue with imaginary conversation. The monologue relays information about...
Activities
2 August, 2016
Rants and Raves - Planning an excursion
This activity provides short listening practice based around a conversation between a customer and sales person. The conversation is to...
Activities
21 July, 2016
Rants and Raves - Mobile Phones
 This activity provides short listening practice based around a monologue about mobile phones. The monologue relays how the speaker feels...
Resources
11 July, 2016
Hotel Booking
This activity provides short listening practice based around a phone call to a hotel to enquire about reservations.  
Activities
4 July, 2016
Break up
This activity provides short listening practice based around a telephone message from a woman to her friend. The message relays information...
Activities
28 June, 2016
To Tech or not to Tech is NOT the question.
With or without technology, raising student's awareness of their own ability to promote their learning is never a difficult job. There are...
Resources
25 June, 2016
Materials free teaching
Teaching materials-free has never been easier with these tools from ReflectESOL and others. Try the 'Brexit with a Tree' lesson.
Activities
25 June, 2016
Booking a train ticket
This activity provides short listening practice based around a dialogue at a train station ticket office.
Resources
19 June, 2016
Speed-chat: A minimal resource activity to get your learners talking
A great minimal resource activity to get your learners feeling relaxed and comfortable talking.
Activities
15 June, 2016
Asking someone out on a date
This activity provides short listening practice based around a dialogue in a workplace.
Activities
6 June, 2016
Airport check-in
A short series of activities designed to provide students with essential vocabulary and listening practice to help them communicate in...
Lesson plans
16 May, 2016
Get to know the neighbours
This lesson for adults and teenagers is designed to develop fluency skills.
Lesson plans, Lesson plans
2 December, 2015
Charities
Every year as Christmas approaches, thousands of charities launch appeals, asking for donations.
Lesson plans, Lesson plans
1 November, 2015
A new flag?
This lesson plan for older teenagers and adults at CEF level B1 and above looks at the symbolism and meaning of flags.
Lesson plans
30 September, 2015
Four hats for discussion
This is an integrated speaking lesson for higher level adults that involves them taking different roles depending the colour of their hat.
Lesson plans
18 October, 2012
Cooking in Britain Today
This lesson plan for teachers of teenage and adult students at intermediate level is about food and cooking. Students will take part in a...
Activities
4 June, 2012
Playing with lexical cards
Very often students know the meaning of a word but don’t know how to use it correctly. This is often because they don’t know what words go...

Pages

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • next ›
  • last »
Lesson plans
4 December, 2003
A night out in Newcastle
This lesson plan for teachers of teenagers and adults at intermediate level and above explores the theme of things to do in a city at night...
Activities
1 November, 2006
A business letter
In this activity, learners attempt to re-write an inappropriately informal business letter in a more appropriate, formal style.
Activities
1 January, 1970
A creative writing activity: A dark and stormy night
This is an idea I learned when I first started teaching and still use to this day. The main focus of the activity is on developing writing...
Lesson plans, Lesson plans
1 November, 2015
A new flag?
This lesson plan for older teenagers and adults at CEF level B1 and above looks at the symbolism and meaning of flags.
Activities
19 September, 2008
A Reading Task and Role Play
Here is an activity to challenge the students' reading skills at intermediate level and give them controlled speaking practice in a role...
Activities
22 October, 2008
Accidents anecdotes
In this speaking activity students exchange authentic personal anecdotes.
Activities
9 January, 2003
Action Research - Stop, Start, Continue
This is an idea I got from a workshop that I went to many years ago. I have used it many times since and found it to be a really useful way...
Activities
6 June, 2016
Airport check-in
A short series of activities designed to provide students with essential vocabulary and listening practice to help them communicate in...
Activities
19 June, 2008
Amazing facts
This activity is designed to be used as a warmer for Intermediate level learners. It could be used to generate interest in amazing facts as...
Activities
24 November, 2009
An Interview with Sir Peter
This activity is based on the real story of Merhan Karimi Nasseri, who found himself unable to leave Charles de Gaulle airport in France,...
Activities
22 January, 2010
Artists as immigrants
This activity attempts to challenge some of the preconceptions that people often have about immigrants by looking at a group of artists...
Activities
15 June, 2016
Asking someone out on a date
This activity provides short listening practice based around a dialogue in a workplace.
Activities
30 November, 2010
Big City Small World
This is a fun listening activity that can be used with adults and secondary groups. It exploits the Big City Small World audio soap from...
Image
Lesson plans
4 April, 2012
Big numbers!
This lesson plan for teachers of older teenage and adult students at low intermediate B1 level is about big numbers. Students will...
Activities
25 June, 2016
Booking a train ticket
This activity provides short listening practice based around a dialogue at a train station ticket office.
UK map
Lesson plans
3 December, 2010
Born, bread and buttered in London
This lesson plan for teachers of teenagers and adults at Intermediate level and above explores the theme of London. Students will develop...
Activities
4 July, 2016
Break up
This activity provides short listening practice based around a telephone message from a woman to her friend. The message relays information...
British and American English - activities
Activities
21 May, 2008
British and American English
This activity is designed to be used when teaching or practising the difference between British and American English vocabulary.
Activities
23 June, 2002
C for consonant, V for vowel
This is an activity to be carried out before introducing phonemic symbols.
Activities
22 July, 2009
Chain story telling
In this speaking activity the students tell personal stories which are prompted by pictures.
Activities
23 June, 2002
Chalk and cheese
This activity looks at ways of making comparative forms by asking learners to compare things that are usually thought of as opposites.
Activities
5 September, 2007
Change place, change face
This activity gives students maximum speaking time and helps develop fluency. The slightly ‘unusual’ classroom set-up seems to encourage...
Activities
14 January, 2009
Changes
This is a speaking activity in which learners answer questions about their past, present and future, and identify how they change.
Lesson plans, Lesson plans
2 December, 2015
Charities
Every year as Christmas approaches, thousands of charities launch appeals, asking for donations.
Activities
24 April, 2008
Cheat & Swindle Holidays
If you've got a confident class with a passion for debate this activity could be the ideal way to allow learners to let off a bit of steam...

Pages

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • next ›
  • last »

A - Z of Content

A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T V W
sort ascending
Women in science
Vocabulary lesson: Money
To Tech or not to Tech is NOT the question.
Three of a kind?
Three activities for speaking tests
Theft in the hotel
The spending maze
The soap opera
The revision box
The new student role-play
  •  
  • 1 of 17
  • next ›

Popular

3 Blog topics for March and April 2018
0 EVE: Equal Voices in ELT
0 Simon Borg - Teacher evaluation in ELT
0 Animal trafficking
0 Blog topics for January and February 2018

Courses

  • Find an online teacher training course
BACK TO TOP

Follow us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Email
  • Home
  • Teaching kids
    • Resources
    • Articles
    • Teaching tools
  • Teaching teens
    • Resources
    • Articles
    • Teaching tools
    • UK culture
  • Teaching adults
    • Resources
    • Articles
  • Teacher development
    • Teaching for Success online conference
    • Low-resource classrooms
    • Continuing professional development
    • Video tips
    • Publications
    • ELT research database
    • Networks
    • Teaching speaking
    • Teaching reading and writing
    • TeachingEnglish radio
    • Teaching knowledge database
  • Training courses
  • Events
    • IATEFL
    • Webinars
    • Conferences
    • Seminars
    • E-merging Forum
    • Teacher Educator Conference
  • Magazine
    • Top stories
    • The learner
    • Innovations in education
    • Classroom ideas, tools and resources
    • Classroom management
    • Testing and assessment
    • Teaching the four skills
    • Teaching grammar and vocabulary
    • Methodology
    • Teacher and career development
    • Teaching pronunciation
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
  • Freedom of information
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Accessibility
  • Cookie policy
  • Site map
  • Contact us

© British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN, UK
© BBC World Service, Bush House, Strand, London WC2B 4PH, UK