This free ESL lesson plan on Brazil has been designed for adults and young adults at an intermediate (B1/B2) to advanced (C1/C2) level and should last around 45 to 60 minutes for one student.
With an area of over 8.5 million square kilometres, Brazil is the fifth biggest country in the world, and it has a history and culture of a similar magnitude. Brazil is famous for its football, its Carnival, and spectacular beaches. It also contains the mighty Amazon Rainforest- the lungs of the world. In recent times, Brazil has become one of the most important emerging economies in the world, and by 2050, is predicted to be the fifth largest economy in the world. In this ESL lesson plan on Brazil, students will have the opportunity to discuss and express their opinions on Brazilian history, culture and tourism.
This lesson plan could also be used with your students for Brazil Independence Day, which takes place in September. For more lesson plans on international days and important holidays, see the calendar of world days to plan your classes for these special occasions.
For advice on how to use this English lesson plan and other lesson plans on this site, see the guide for ESL teachers.
PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES
Reading activity
Before the English class, send the following article to the students and ask them to read it while making a list of any new vocabulary or phrases they find (explain any the students don’t understand in the class):
Sports Joe | Just why are Brazilians so good at football?
The article looks at a number of theories as to why Brazilians are so good at football (or soccer, if you insist), including the size of Brazil’s population, the five-a-side culture that emphasises use of space and close control, and the number of kids playing football in the street. What do they think about the issues raised in the article? Do they agree with what was said? Can they think of any ways they might disagree with the content of the article?
Video activity
To save time in class for the conversation activities, the English teacher can ask the students to watch the video below and answer the listening questions in Section 3 of the lesson plan at home. The questions for the video are styled in a way similar to an exam like the IELTS.
The video for this class is a called “Top 10 Places You Have to Visit in Brazil” by Mojo Travels which explores the best places in Brazil to visit including national parks and the big cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES
The focus in the class is on conversation in order to help improve students’ fluency and confidence when speaking in English as well as boosting their vocabulary.
This lesson opens with a short discussion about the article the students read before the class. Next, the students can give their opinion on the quote at the beginning of the lesson plan – what they think the quote means and if they agree with it. This is followed by an initial discussion on Brazilian culture including the best places to visit, the best Brazilian food, and the best Brazilian music and films.
After this, students will learn about some important Brazilian people, which is accompanied by a speaking activity. In this activity, students will speak about famous Brazilian people they know about, and what they think about Brazilian people in general.
If the students didn’t watch the video before the class, they can watch it after the vocabulary section and answer the listening questions. Before checking the answers, ask the students to give a brief summary of the video and what they thought about the content.
Finally, there is a more in-depth conversation about Brazil’s place in the world. In this speaking activity, students will talk about issues such as what Brazil gave to the world, how Brazil compares to other countries, and what the future has in store for the country.
HOMEWORK
After the class, students will write about their opinion of Brazil. This could be a short paragraph or a longer piece of writing depending on what level the student is at. The writing activity is designed to allow students to practise and improve their grammar with the feedback from their teacher.
