Help! I've Already Taught This Topic Before: How to Make Fresh Lessons from an Old Topic
Last semester, I faced one of the most challenging situations I’ve faced with lesson planning. I was lucky enough to teach the same class of students for three semesters. Thus, we had three different textbooks—one for each semester. In the second semester (during our second book), I noticed one of the chapters had a topic we’d studied in the previous semester. I didn’t think too much of it, and just tried to teach about protecting the environment in a slightly different day.
Then I got my textbook for the third semester (book #3 in the series) and very quickly realized that every single chapter topic was an exact repeat of book #2. AN EXACT REPEAT. Technology. Technology. Social Media. Social Media. Space Exploration. Space Exploration. Health. Health. Architecture. Architecture. Travel. Travel. And of course, our old friend, back for a third time: The Environment.
I tried with no avail to get the school to change to book #4, which had awesome topics, by the way. I was stuck with the teaching the exact same things for a whole semester.
So, what did I do?
Well, when life gives you lemons . . . We all know what we should do. I spent hours and hours staring at that stupid textbook wracking my brain, and this is what I came up with:
Go deeper on the topic
The first time we talked about social media, we talked about the ways social media has become intertwined with our lives, our addiction to social media, how much time social media wastes, and how to set better boundaries with how we use social media on a daily basis.
This time, we went deeper. We discussed how comparison culture, photoshopped images, and highlight reels affect our mental health and self-esteem. We discussed whether or not children or young people should use social media because of bullying or the effects it can have on body image. We brought up the topic of misinformation and fake news online, as well as cancel culture and the gift of being able to hear and learn from people from all walks of life.
This particular class of students was rather high-level, but don’t be afraid to narrow topics and go deeper on certain issues. Especially if you give them the information or vocabulary they’ll need to properly discuss it, it’s a great chance for them get out of the shallow end that most ESL textbooks stay in.
Do a fresh twist on the topic
As I looked at my old friend, “Protecting the Environment,” I knew I couldn’t just go deeper (we’d already done that), but I wasn’t sure how much more there was to say about protecting the environment in an ESL classroom. So instead, I zoomed out to think of a more remote topic that was still connected to the environment. And wouldn’t you know it, I turned that environment chapter into two separate lessons.
In the first lesson, we discussed endangered animals. We had fun talking about favorite animals, then we moved into talking about how human’s environmental actions have harmed certain animal groups. Students were divided into groups and given different endangered animals. Together, they had to come up with an ad campaign to help stop the harming of their animal. Pangolins and traditional medicine. Sea turtles and plastic straws. Rhinos and poachers.
In the second lesson, we talked about fast fashion. Like with the animal lesson, this opened the door for a variety of vocabulary words. We learned some words to describe fashion and clothes; I had students pick out their dream outfit and describe it to a partner. Then we talked about how we could be more eco-conscious with our fashion choices.
When you do twist the topic on its head like this, it’s a good idea to set the stage well. For example, many students didn’t realize that fast fashion is the #2 industry for water waste and pollution. Did you know it takes an average of 1,800 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans? Or that the average person wears a piece of fast fashion 7 times before throwing it away? At the beginning of the class, I showed a few infographics to get them caught up to speed about the topic.
Turn the topic into a hot topic
Throughout the entire semester, I used a combination of these three techniques, but this is the one I used the most. The first day of class, I was up-front with my students. I told them we would be studying the same topics we’ve talked about before, but that we would talk about them in a new way. Our theme for that semester became “hot topics.” Each week, they knew they would be given a controversial topic to discuss and debate with their partners. Their goal each week was to be able to clearly express their opinions and back up their opinions with reasons and persuasive language.
For the social media lesson, we asked the question, “Should we control or limit what children can do online?” For the space exploration lesson, we asked, “Should we spend so much money on space exploration when there are people on Earth who need help?” For the architecture lesson, we asked, “Should historical buildings be persevered, or should they be reused in a new way?” (I was honestly shocked with how many students would stay after class just to share their opinions about endangered animals or architecture with me.)
Tip: If you work in a country that might be sensitive to controversial topics, feel free to connect them back to your home country. As an American, I tried to only talk about hot topics in the context of America. For example, for social media, we talked about the criticism Mark Zuckerberg has gone through with Facebooks connection to fake news and influencing opinions.
Maybe you aren’t stuck with a horrible textbook like I was; maybe you’re just looking for a more creative idea for a lesson. Either way, I hope these three tips will give you some guidance or inspiration to create something new and exciting!