An ESL Conversation Lesson Plan on How to Create a New Society

ESL teacher in classroom with students
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By
Kenneth Beare
Kenneth Beare
English as a Second Language (ESL) Expert
  • TESOL Diploma, Trinity College London
  • M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music
  • B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music
Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience.
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Updated on April 24, 2019

This classic conversation lesson plan is based on the idea of creating a new society. Students must decide which laws will be followed and how many freedoms will be allowed.

This lesson works well for ESL students of most levels (except beginners) because the subject brings out many strong opinions.

Aim: Building conversation skills, expressing opinions
Activity: Group activity deciding on the laws for a new society
Level: ​Pre-intermediate to advanced

Lesson Plan Outline

  • Help activate vocabulary by asking students which laws they admire most and least in their own country — and why.
  • Divide students into groups of 4 to 6. Try to include as many different personalities as possible in each group (to provide for more stimulating discussion!).
  • Explain the following situation to the class: A large area of your country has been set aside by the current government for the development of a new nation. This area will include an invited international community of 20,000 men and women. Imagine that your group has to decide the laws of this new country.
  • Distribute the worksheet and ask students to discuss the questions.
  • Answer the worksheet as a class — ask the opinions of each group and leave ample time for discussion of differing opinions.
  • As a follow-up activity, the class could discuss which laws and customs they would like to change in their own country.

Scenario and Accompanying Questions

Populate Ideal Land
A large area of your country has been set aside by the current government for the development of a new nation. This area will include an invited international community of 20,000 men and women. Imagine that your group has to decide the laws of this new country.

Questions to Ask

  1. Which political system will the country have?
  2. What will the official language(s) be?
  3. Will there be censorship?
  4. What industries will your country try to develop?
  5. Will citizens be allowed to carry a gun?
  6. Will there be the death penalty?
  7. Will there be a state religion?
  8. What kind of immigration policy will there be?
  9. What will the educational system be like? Will there be compulsory education to a certain age?
  10. Who will be allowed to marry?
Format
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Your Citation
Beare, Kenneth. "An ESL Conversation Lesson Plan on How to Create a New Society." ThoughtCo, Sep. 30, 2021, thoughtco.com/conversation-lesson-plan-creating-a-new-society-1210305. Beare, Kenneth. (2021, September 30). An ESL Conversation Lesson Plan on How to Create a New Society. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/conversation-lesson-plan-creating-a-new-society-1210305 Beare, Kenneth. "An ESL Conversation Lesson Plan on How to Create a New Society." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/conversation-lesson-plan-creating-a-new-society-1210305 (accessed March 30, 2023).