Summary
This ESL lesson plan helps B1-level English students master the use of "would rather" and "prefer" to express choices and preferences. This material uses a variety of interactive exercises, including listening, reading, and speaking, to teach the different grammatical structures and contexts for these common phrases. This lesson is designed to build students' confidence in discussing their preferences in both everyday situations and professional settings.
This lesson guides intermediate students through the nuances of expressing preference. Activities include a warm-up discussion, a listening gap-fill, vocabulary matching, and a grammar focus section with clear explanations. Students will also read a blog post about professional preferences and engage in speaking practice to apply what they've learned in a conversational context.
Activities
- A warm-up discussion where students talk about their preferences for holidays, food, and work, activating their existing vocabulary.
- A listening comprehension exercise where students fill in the gaps in a short monologue to practice identifying "would rather" and "prefer" in context.
- A grammar focus section that clearly explains the rules and sentence structures for both phrases, followed by an interactive multiple-choice quiz.
- A reading activity based on a blog post about professional preferences, which helps students see the target language used in a more formal context.
- A sentence transformation exercise to practice rewriting sentences using "would rather" and "prefer" correctly.
- Guided speaking practice with role-play scenarios that encourage students to diplomatically express their choices in various situations.
Vocabulary focus
The lesson introduces vocabulary for discussing preferences and workplace communication. Key terms include "outdoors," "relaxing," "mood," and "definitely." It also covers more advanced words from the reading, such as "diplomatically," "collaborate," "constructive," and "foster."
Grammar focus
This lesson concentrates on the different structures used with "would rather" and "prefer." Students will learn and practice key patterns, including `prefer + noun/gerund + to`, `prefer + to-infinitive`, and `would rather + bare infinitive (+ than)`. The exercises are designed to help students confidently and accurately use these forms to express their preferences.
