Summary
This 90-minute ESL lesson for B1 learners explores Brainstorming sessions: making polite suggestions through a real article. Across 11 interactive exercises, you'll develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.
What you'll practise:
- 5 key vocabulary items with definitions and usage notes
- Grammar focus: Making polite suggestions with examples and practice
- Real-world phrases for participating in a brainstorming meeting
- Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
- Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
- Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness
- A reading passage to practise newly learned language
Lesson activities (11 exercises)
Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.
- Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
- Comprehension — Answer questions to check your understanding of the main ideas and supporting details.
- Vocabulary — Learn key words and expressions from the article, with definitions and usage notes.
- Fill the gaps — Complete sentences with the correct vocabulary. Drag and drop or type your answers.
- Grammar — Study Making polite suggestions — explanation, examples, and key rules.
- Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
- Practical English — Learn phrases for participating in a brainstorming meeting — ready to use in real conversations.
- Matching — Connect words, phrases, or concepts to their correct counterparts.
- Reading — Read a short passage on the topic and answer comprehension questions.
- Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.
Vocabulary
This lesson introduces 5 key terms drawn directly from the article:
- Think outside the box — to think in a creative and original way, not following the usual rules or ideas.
- Come up with (an idea) — to suggest or think of a plan or solution.
- On the right track — following a course of action that is likely to be successful.
- Bounce ideas off (someone) — to share your new ideas with a person or group to get their opinion.
- Put forward (a suggestion) — to formally offer an idea for other people to consider.
Grammar
This lesson focuses on Making polite suggestions.
When we share ideas in a group, it's important to be polite. Using modals like 'could' and 'might' makes suggestions sound softer and less direct. Phrases like 'How about...?' are also great for inviting others to consider an idea without being too forceful.
Examples from the lesson:
- We could try a different approach to marketing this product. — Using 'could' presents the idea as one possibility among many, not a command.
- We might want to consider the feedback from the last survey. — 'Might' is even more indirect than 'could' and suggests something is worth thinking about.
- How about focusing on social media for the next campaign? — After 'How about...?' or 'What about...?', always use the -ing form of the verb.
Key rules:
- Use 'could' and 'might' with the base form of the verb (e.g., we could go, we might see).
- Use 'How about...?' and 'What about...?' with a noun or an -ing verb.
- Avoid using 'should' for initial suggestions; it can sound like strong advice or criticism.
Practical English
participating in a brainstorming meeting
In a brainstorming meeting, it's important to share your ideas clearly and also respond positively to others. Here are some phrases to help you contribute effectively and politely.
Phrases you'll learn:
- "What if we tried...?" — to suggest a new idea in a gentle, open way.
- "Building on what [Name] said, we could also..." — to connect your idea to a previous one.
- "I'm not sure about that, because..." — to gently disagree or raise a potential problem.
- "Could you explain what you mean by...?" — to ask for more detail about someone's idea.
- "That's a great point." — to agree with an idea and show you think it's valuable.
