Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan helps advanced ESL students discuss the AI investment bubble. This class material for English teachers covers key financial vocabulary and speculative language related to Big Tech's latest ventures. This lesson guides students through the topic of AI investment and market speculation.
Activities include a warm-up discussion, a financial vocabulary matching task, a listening gap-fill based on a market report, and a reading comprehension exercise on an article comparing the AI boom to the dot-com bubble. The lesson culminates in a grammar exercise on hedging and a role-play debate where students act as financial analysts, using the new language to form and present their arguments.
Activities
- Warm-up and discussion: Students begin by spotting common errors in a series of sentences. This leads into a group discussion about why these particular grammar mistakes are so frequent for English language learners, activating their prior knowledge.
- Video comprehension: Learners watch a funny sketch where a "grammar Nazi" interrogates a farmer. They answer comprehension questions about the specific grammar mistakes highlighted in the video, such as the use of 'me and her' versus 'she and I'.
- Targeted grammar practice: The lesson provides three dedicated sections with clear explanations, simple tricks, and practice exercises. Students work through correcting double negatives, choosing between subject/object pronouns, and mastering who vs. whom.
- Speaking role-play: To apply their knowledge, students participate in a professional role-play scenario. They practice using polite phrases to correct a colleague's grammar mistakes in an email, focusing on tactful and constructive communication.
Vocabulary focus
The lesson focuses on financial and economic terms used to discuss market trends and investments. Key vocabulary includes: earnings report, to channel funds into, investment bubble, exponential growth, revenue stream, to exceed expectations, speculative hype, and financial prudence.
Grammar focus
This lesson targets the use of hedging language for speculation and analysis. Students learn to soften direct statements and express uncertainty professionally using modal verbs (might, could, may), adverbs (reportedly), and phrases like 'it seems that' or 'there is a tendency for'.
