Do you have a green thumb? In this lesson, students will learn about sustainability and environmental awareness. This lesson features a video of a man who grows his own food for one year. Students will learn and practice hypothetical clauses, “wish” clauses, and vocabulary relating to this topic. This lesson includes plenty of engaging discussion activities and worksheets that have been developed for adult and teenage learners.

Lesson Objectives

Grammar: Students will focus on mastering the use of hypothetical clauses and "wish" clauses, essential for discussing desires, regrets, and possibilities in the context of sustainability and environmental responsibility. They will practice these structures in sentences that speculate about personal and global environmental impacts.

Listening: Students will enhance their listening skills by engaging with a video that documents a year-long experience of growing and foraging for food. They will concentrate on understanding the detailed content about sustainable living and the implications of personal food production.

Speaking: Through role-playing exercises and discussions, students will simulate scenarios related to sustainable living. They will engage in conversations designed to help them articulate their views on environmental awareness and personal actions toward sustainability.

Vocabulary: The lesson will introduce and practice vocabulary related to environmental sustainability, such as "composting," "carbon footprint," and "local sourcing." These terms are vital for discussing and reflecting on practices that contribute to a sustainable lifestyle.

Homework: Students will complete tasks that reinforce the vocabulary and grammatical concepts discussed during the lesson. This includes unscrambling letters to form words relevant to sustainability, matching sentence fragments to build coherent discussions about environmental practices, and correcting mistakes in sentences that explore hypothetical changes in personal and community practices related to the environment.

Video

Could you survive without grocery stores, restaurants, or processed foods? Do you think about the impact you have on the environment? Watch this video of a man who grew and foraged all of his own food for a whole year in order to educate people on the issues of our time.

Video Transcript

Vocabulary and Pronunciation

activist [noun]: a person strongly believing in political or social change and taking part in activities, such as public protests, in hopes of achieving change

processed [adjective]: (of food) treated with chemicals that preserve it or give it better taste or color

adventurer [noun]: someone enjoying and looking for thrilling or dangerous experiences

get the picture [idiom]: to understand

foraging [noun]: the act of going from place to place searching for food resources

urban [adjective]: relating to towns and cities

repurpose [verb]: to use something for a different purpose for which it was originally created

bounty [noun]: a large amount of something, especially food

yam [noun]: a sweet potato

embark on something [phrasal verb]: to start something new or important

blow the lid off something [idiom]: to make something that was previously bad and secretive known to the public; reveal a secret

sustainability [noun]: the idea that goods and services should be produced without using irreplaceable resources and in an environmentally friendly way

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