Creating good ESL teaching materials takes a long time. Try our free and premium ELT resources, including dynamic presentations and complete lesson plans.
Searching for fresh, new and engaging material for ELT lessons can take up a lot of valuable time, so we have created a range of complete lesson plans for adults and teenagers that include colourful grammar presentations, assessment quizzes, discussion topics and tasks that encourage speaking and develop your students’ fluency. Our learning resources have been used with thousands of satisfied ESL learners across the world, helping teachers deliver great lessons and improving their students’ learning experience.
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A1 BEGINNERS | GRAMMAR
The Magic 'e'
This free Powerpoint lesson plan is a great way to get your students thinking about how the pronounce new words that they encounter that end with ‘e’ – make, cake, theme, scene, time, line, phone, zone, flute, cute, etc. The magic ‘e’ rule will help students recognise when to pronounce a long vowel sound or a short vowel sound, which will give them more confidence when speaking.
A1 BEGINNERS | GRAMMAR
Beginner's Introduction to Prepositions of Place and Time
This short but complete Powerpoint lesson introduces ESL beginners to the basic prepositions and their use. This dynamic resource elicits spoken use of basic English vocabulary at beginners level in teaching the premise of the basic prepositions: in, on, at.
A1 BEGINNERS | GRAMMAR
Prepositions of Movement
This 40-50 minute Powerpoint lesson is a short but effective introduction to the basic prepositions of movement. Students study a variety of prepositions of place and movement before doing a range of speaking exercises using visual and themed prompts to practice making sentences. The presentation also has a variety of quizzes throughout to assess for learning.
A1 BEGINNERS | GRAMMAR
Countable & Uncountable Nouns: Your House and Home
This free Powerpoint presentation uses a range of images to elicit the basic grammar rules for countable and uncountable nouns. There are also a variety of dynamic quizzes and exercises that consolidate the topic. Students are assessed throughout the lesson, which gives them plenty of opportunities to practice as they are learning. Ideal for both beginners and elementary students.
A1 BEGINNERS | GRAMMAR
The Present Continuous
This short Powerpoint presentation introduces students to the present continuous (progressive) tense. Using visual prompts and dynamic graphics, students are encouraged to practice using progressive tenses with a variety of action verbs. There are a variety of tasks where students form their own questions and use the progressive tense to talk about themselves. It is the ideal introduction to the present continuous for beginners and a perfect supplement to lessons using written exercises.
A1 BEGINNERS | GRAMMAR
Modal Verbs: Can & Could
This complete Powerpoint lesson introduces beginners to the modal verbs ‘can’ and ‘could’. This presentation leads your students through the basic concept of using modal verbs for ability and possibility. it features a variety of visual prompts and dynamic graphics to encourage students to speak and use the forms. There are also a variety of assessment exercise throughout.
A1 BEGINNERS | GRAMMAR
How do you do – How to use do & does
This free Powerpoint presentation introduces students to auxiliary ‘do’ and the verb ‘to do’. The lesson lead your students through the basic concepts of how to use ‘do’ as an auxiliary verb and as a regular verb using visual prompts and dynamic graphics to elicit speaking. There are also quizzes and speaking tasks throughout to assess learning.
A1 BEGINNERS | GRAMMAR
Using have & have got - Talking About Things You Can Have in English
The verb ‘to have’ can be confusing to some ESL learners who communicate the possession of things such as age or illness in a different way. This free Powerpoint presentation introduces to the different ways the verb is used in English to talk about family, activities, illness, food and drink.
ELEMENTARY | GRAMMAR
Adjectives, Comparatives and Superlatives for Elementary Learners
This free 90 minute Powerpoint lesson plan for elementary English students is a colourful and dynamic introduction to adjectives, comparatives and superlatives. The lesson includes a variety of animations and interactive exercises to assess for learning as well as lots of speaking opportunities to practice fluency and pronunciation.
ELEMENTARY | GRAMMAR
What is an Article?
This free Powerpoint presentation explains the basics of how to use definite and indefinite articles in English grammar. The lesson plan includes exercises that encourage speaking practice as well as quizzes and learning assessment. There are lots of opportunities for students to practice the various rules for using definite and indefinite articles, and also when not to use an article.
ELEMENTARY | GRAMMAR
Prepositions of Place, Location & Time Lesson
This free English lesson reviews the basic prepositions of place and time like – in, on, at, for, inside. This colourful and dynamic Powerpoint presentation includes a variety of exercises to encourage students to practice the use of different prepositions and includes an assessment quiz at the end of the lesson. The presentation includes lesson notes for online classes and is an excellent resource to consolidate and develop knowledge of preposition uses.
ELEMENTARY | GRAMMAR
It's Personal: An Introduction to Pronouns (A1-A2)
This free 60 minute Powerpoint lesson plan provides an engaging and dynamic introduction to pronouns. Pronouns can be difficult to master for beginners and elementary students. They will benefit from the clear visual examples of the uses and and grammatical structures involved with the various pronouns in this lesson. The exercises will also help give students valuable speaking practice using the range of pronouns.
ELEMENTARY | GRAMMAR
Coordinating Conjunctions (A1-A2)
This free Powerpoint presentation helps students understand the differences between the present simple and the past simple and how to use both tenses correctly. The lesson plan includes exercises that encourage speaking practice as well as quizzes and learning assessments. There are lots of opportunities for students to practice talking using both tenses in question and affirmative forms.
ELEMENTARY | GRAMMAR
The Man Who Was Afraid of Falling
This free lesson is based on a delightful animated short film about an elderly man who overcomes his fear of falling. Students will practice using the past tense, time markers, prepositions and a range of phrasal verbs. This lesson uses task based learning as students describe what they see and practice their speaking and vocabulary by narrating the story in the past tense.
INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Neil deGrass Tyson – Knowledge vs Thinking
This free lesson plan includes a Cambridge exam style listening exercise, as well as a definition vocabulary match and a gap fill exercise. Students are encouraged to learn new vocabulary from context and discuss the engaging topic of the presentation. By the end of the lesson, students will have learned new vocabulary had the opportunity to practice language for discussion and giving an opinion.
INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Alone - After the Apocalypse
In this lesson, which is suitable for high intermediate or B2 students, the focus is on using modal verbs and conditionals to talk about hypothetical situations. Students will watch a short film about an end of the world scenario and try to predict an ending. More than just a listening exercise, students are encouraged to use the target language and be imaginative.
INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Dawn Maslar - The Science of Attraction
This is a fun lesson that is suitable for high intermediate or B2 learners. Introducing students to using language to talk about abstract things like love and feelings, this makes for a highly engaging lesson that, aside from assessing listening skills, encourages students to use a greater array of adjectives.
INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Annie Bosler & Don Greene - How to Practice Effectively
This free istening lesson is aimed at B1-B2 students, encouraging discussion around hobbies and leisure activities. Whilst students are introduced to new vocabulary, the focus on the lesson is language to explain. The task based learning exercise involves students preparing notes to give advice and guidance about how to become good at their chosen skill.
INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Rod Philips - A Brief History of Alcohol
This free lesson plan engages students in the topic of alcohol. It contains tasks that introduce students to new vocabulary followed by a listening exercise and discussion. Students will practice using discussion tags and supporting their opinion as well as learn some fascinating facts about the history of alcohol.
INTERMEDIATE | READING
Younger Generation Think That Women’s Rights Have Gone Too Far
According to a new survey about gender equality progress, Generation Z and Millennials think that women’s rights have gone too far. The surprising results of the survey found that over half of the people in the younger generations believe that the push for female equality is now having a negative effect on men.
INTERMEDIATE | READING
How Did Fish and Chips Become Britain’s Favourite Dish?
Fish and chips is a traditional British meal that is sold all over the UK. Fish and chip shops are known colloquially as ‘chippies’, and it is said that over a fifth of the UK population visit one of the more than 10,000 chippies in the country on a weekly basis. However, like many traditions in Britain, the origin of fish and chips does not begin in England.
INTERMEDIATE | READING
Portugal Introduces New Law to Improve Work-Life Balance
Portugal has banned bosses from contacting staff outside of working hours as part of its new ‘right to rest’ law. The new law means that companies with more than 10 employees could get fined if they contact staff after their working hours, unless it is because of an emergency.
INTERMEDIATE | READING
Data Shows Which Countries Have the Longest Working Hours
People often make stereotypical assumptions about how much people work in different countries. You may hear people claim that Mediterranean and Latin countries work the least while Asian and Northern European countries work long hours. But have you ever wondered whether these assumptions are correct or not?
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Mia Nacamulli - The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain (B2+)
Insightful advice on negotiation strategy is the topic of this presentation. An ideal lesson for business professionals that encourages students to to support opinions, explain and describe.
FREE
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Noah Zandan - The Language of Lying (B2)
This fun lesson is based on an animation discussing the linguistic cues that can help you spot lies. There are several activities with the main focus is on questioning to elicit information.
FREE
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
But I'd Really Have to Kill You (B2)
What do you like to do in your spare time? Well, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. Based on a darkly comic short film, this fun lesson introduces learners to some familiar idioms and phrases.
FREE
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Anthony Goldbloom - The Jobs we'll Lose to Machines (B2+)
Insightful advice on negotiation strategy is the topic of this presentation. An ideal lesson for business professionals that encourages students to to support opinions, explain and describe.
FREE
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
Tina Brown - Under what conditions are we most creative? (B2)
This animated presentation discusses the relationship between wealth and happiness. Students will learn new vocabulary discuss the elusive topic of contentment and happiness.
FREE
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | LISTENING
The Magic Mushroom Christmas Theory (B2)
This lesson is based on an animation presenting an look at the origins of Christmas. Students will practice their listening skills, learn new vocabulary and talk about Christmas traditions.
FREE
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | READING
Late Night Eating Linked to Depression and Anxiety
A 2022 study found that eating at night can have a negative impact on your mood. The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in the United States, found that nighttime eating can increase feelings of depression and anxiety.
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | READING
B2. How Our Idea of Love Changes As We Get Older
When people are ‘in love’, they often experience strong emotional feelings. They feel good, they feel healthy and their life seems wonderful. Many surveys and studies have tried to find out what makes a successful romantic relationship, but it is not the same for everyone. Our age and social culture can have a big influence on our ideas about love and romance.
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | READING
No More Throw Away Cups and Straws as India Bans Disposable Plastics
India has imposed a ban on a range of single-use plastic products in a bid to reduce the country’s pollution problem. The government has initially identified 19 disposable plastic items, including plastic cups, straws and ice cream sticks, that significantly contribute to pollution and the waste littering the streets of its cities.
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | READING
The Things That Annoy US Workers The Most
Collaboration and working together in any environment requires cooperation, tolerance and mutual respect. Nevertheless, whether you get annoyed if someone is humming along to music on their earphones or someone uses their mobile phone during meetings, we all have certain pet peeves that really annoy us. But what are the most annoying?
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | READING
How Honest Are We Really?
As part of a two-year research experiment, researchers handed in more than 17,000 ‘lost’ wallets that they said they had found in public buildings in 355 cities in 40 countries around the world to find out how honest people were. With as much as $100 in the wallets, the results that the researchers and academic economists who conducted got back were very surprising.
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | READING
New Penalties for Online Bullying to be Introduced in Japan
The Japanese government has announced that there will be new penalties for online bullying, also known as cyber-bullying. The new penalty for cyber-bullying and online insults will include spending up to one year in prison, or a fine of up to 300,000 yen, which is about $2,500.
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | READING
How Years of Low Income Can Affect Your Memory in Later Life
According to research by Columbia University, a study has found that earning low wages could affect your memory later in life. The study found that people in the US who earned low wages over a number of years were more likely to experience faster memory decline.
UPPER INTERMEDIATE | READING
Remote Working Re-Invented
There has a been a rising trend in remote working in recent years with more and more companies allowing employees to work from home. Some people have even taken this a step further by mixing their work with travel to become ‘digital nomads’. But what if you could work in your very own mobile office and move from destination to destination?
ADVANCED | LISTENING
How Not to be Boring (C1-C2)
This lesson is based on an animated video rich in descriptive language. The language focus is attributive clauses and the use of adverbs and adjectives for discussing abstract subjects.
FREE
ADVANCED | LISTENING
Jordan Peterson - Does your job match your personality? (C1)
This presentation by the renowned psychologist discusses what attributes are needed for different roles in business. The focus is on vocabulary used to describe character. Includes a role play exercise.
FREE
ADVANCED | LISTENING
The Truth Why Smart People Have Fewer Friends (C1-C2)
This humorous yet intriguing presentation explores the psychology social groups. Aside from listening practice, students will use language to discuss the abstract topics raised in the video.
FREE
ADVANCED | LISTENING
Dan Pink - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (C1)
This great animated presentation explains how assumptions about work motivation differ from the research. Includes listening and discussion exercises as well as a task based learning activity.
FREE
ADVANCED | LISTENING
Clint Smith - The Danger of Silence (C1)
Educator and poet, Clint Smith, uses spoken word in this presentation to focus on the importance of defending beliefs. The lesson focus is the use of abstract language, metaphor and simile.
FREE
ADVANCED | READING
The Curious Condition of Foreign Accent Syndrome
Imagine one day you woke up and started speaking in a foreign accent for no reason. For example, you suddenly found that your British accent sounded American, or your Spanish accent sounded a little bit Hungarian, or perhaps your Japanese now sounded like it was being spoken by a Korean. This strange condition is known as foreign accent syndrome.
ADVANCED | READING
UN Fear that Climate Change May Become Irreversible
Many see climate change as the single greatest present threat to humanity. Yet despite the warnings by scientists about the dangers of climate change, a UN report says it is about to get a lot worse. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report states that the impact of humans on the planet could continue to increase global warming.
ADVANCED | READING
Journalism is Becoming Increasingly Difficult, and Dangerous
In 2023, UNESCO reported that the killing of journalists rose from 55 in 2021 to 86 in 2022. The World Press Freedom Index have given a ‘very serious’ rating for journalism to more countries than ever before. This worrying trend indicates that more governments around the world are suppressing the freedom of the press to report the truth about important stories.
ADVANCED | READING
UK Companies to Trial a 4-Day Work Week
Over the last few decades, automation and artificial intelligence has helped to make many work processes much more efficient. Nevertheless, although in countries like Denmark, Germany and the UK, the average number of hours worked each week is less than it was 100 years ago, a full-time job is still typically five working days a week. But this could all change.
ADVANCED | READING
136 Countries Agree to 15% Minimum Corporate Tax Rate
More than 130 countries have agreed to implement a minimum corporate tax rate of 15% to deter multinationals from rerouting their profits through low-tax countries. The deal will also establish new rules for the digital era, forcing companies like Google and Amazon to pay taxes in countries where their goods and services are sold, even if they have no physical presence there.
ADVANCED | READING
Are Workaholics Narcissists?
According to a study conducted by researchers at Anadolu University in Turkey, workaholism may be connected to the personality traits of narcissism and perfectionism. Over three hundred academics working at universities in Turkey completed an online survey assessing factors that included levels of workaholism, perfectionism and feelings of inferiority – also known as ‘useless superiority effort’.
ADVANCED | READING
A Car That Cleans the Air As You Drive
Automobiles and other forms of motorised transport primarily rely on gasoline for fuel, which means travel is a huge contributor to global warming. However, there is one company that hopes to mitigate the negative impact of travel on the environment by not only reducing the harmful effects of transport, but also reversing them.
ADVANCED | READING
Banksy's Message to The Advertisers
Banksy is an anonymous street artist whose work has appeared in public spaces all over the world. His messages are controversial, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment. Many consider his work to be some of the most important art of the 21st century. In 2012 he wrote a statement expressing his opinion on the advertising industry. *Note: This quote contains a couple of profane words.
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