This free ESL lesson plan on nightlife 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.
Whether it’s to celebrate a birthday, socialise with colleagues, or just to catch up with friends, many people enjoy nights out regardless of their culture. While many may associate nightlife with having a few beers or fancy cocktails, these days there are an abundance of activities to do at night like bowling, theatre or watching live music. Unfortunately, the night-time economy also has its negative side with problems for local people and the safety of those who frequent pubs, bars and clubs. Additionally, thanks to the economic situation even before the covid pandemic and the changing habits of the public, many businesses in this sector had been struggling for years, meaning how people spend their time at night may change drastically in the future. In this ESL lesson plan on pubs, clubs, and bars, students will have the opportunity to discuss and express their opinions on issues such as the best things to do at night and the social consequences of these activities.
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):
Crimestoppers UK | 7 top tips for a safe night out
The article gives a number of pieces of advice on how people enjoying a night out can keep safe, including taking taxis home, drinking in moderation, and not displaying valuables. 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 can add to 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 Cities With The Best Nightlife” by Alux which explores the top cities with the most famous nightlife in the world.
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 the topic including the best bars, pubs and clubs in the students’ cities, famous cocktails, and why people seem to enjoy nights out so much.
After this, students will learn some vocabulary connected with nights out such as vibrant nightlife, bouncer and binge drinking. This vocabulary has been chosen to boost the students’ knowledge of less common vocabulary that could be useful for preparing for English exams like IELTS or TOEFL. The vocabulary is accompanied by a cloze activity and a speaking activity to test the students’ comprehension of these words.
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 political ideologies. In this speaking activity, students will talk about issues such as how to stay safe on a night out, the economic decline of the night-time economy, and how nights out will be different in the future.
HOMEWORK
After the class, students will write about their opinion of nightlife. 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. For students who intend to take an international English exam such as IELTS or TOEFL, there is an alternative essay question to practise their essay-writing skills.
