Use this lesson with secondary students to promote upcycling and its role in sustainability. 

Teenagers looking at plants

The Climate Action in Language Education series

This lesson is part of our series of 'Climate Action in Language Education' teaching materials. There are twelve lesson plans in the series, available for teachers of primary, secondary and adult learners of English. See the full list of lesson plans in this series.

About this lesson plan

This lesson focuses on upcycling to inspire learners to upcycle everyday items. This lesson will help learners to develop the vocabulary they need to discuss sustainability and help them understand that they can make their world greener. The lesson begins with a warmer to introduce the topic. This is followed by an activity with key ‘green’ vocabulary and a text analysis activity to model the language they need.. Learners play an upcycling speaking game, where they start thinking creatively about the possibilities that upcycling offers. The homework crossword reviews the lesson vocabulary. To extend this into a collaborative project, learners can plan, prepare, research and present their ideas for an upcycling project.

The lesson plan and student materials have been designed to be used in either face-to-face classrooms or remote teaching contexts.

Learning outcomes:

  • Become more aware of sustainability issues
  • Review and learn vocabulary related to giving instructions
  • Develop creativity and critical thinking
  • Use communication and collaborative skills
  • Develop speaking and reading skills

Age and level:

Aged 13-17 (CEFR B2)

Time:

45 or 55 minutes. This can be extended to make a multi-lesson project.

Materials:

The materials can be downloaded below in PDF format.

  • Lesson plan for remote teaching contexts (55 minutes)
  • Lesson plan for face-to-face classroom teaching (45 minutes)
  • Presentation
  • Student worksheets
  • Game board
Downloads
Game board 276.21 KB
Presentation17.88 MB
Homework169.58 KB

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