ESL Directions lesson plans and other external resources for your online beginners’ classes (CLB 1-4)
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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED POST
Week of Dec. 15/25
Teach your beginner ESL students about preparing for a traditional Canadian Christmas and encourage them to share their own cultural traditions.
The lesson includes interactive vocabulary activities, a short video, and reflection questions to…
Keep readingFocus on content: Checking in at the airport
Watch this short video on the words needed to check in at an airport (whether in person or at a kiosk). This video is part of the “Checking in at the airport” lesson plan.
Air travel
Lesson plans

Checking in at the airport
Learn vocabulary related to checking-in (in-person or online) at an airport.

Going through Customs
Learn the vocabulary needed to hold a brief conversation with a Customs officer.
Resources
Links to helpful external resources …
- At the airport:
- Audio English: Air travel (Airport dialogues with audio files.)
- ThoughtCo: Airport dialogue and quiz for beginners (role plays and vocabulary for check-in, security, and Customs)
- Going through Customs:
- BrightHub Education: At the airport lesson plan
- Lanternfish: May I see your passport? (Listening activity and role play.)
- Booking a flight:
- Lanternfish: Language for booking tickets:
- Air Canada: Destinations and flights (Ask students to explain the flights on the page.)
Driving
Lesson plans

Getting a driver’s licence in Alberta
Learn the stages of getting a driver’s licence in Alberta.

Understanding traffic signs
Learn the names (and meaning) of many common traffic signs.

Winter driving
Learn basic vocabulary and safety tips for driving in a Canadian winter.
Resources
Links to helpful external resources …
- About cars:
- 7ESL Learning English: Parts of a Car in English | Learn Names of Different Auto Parts (Video.)
- Janis’s ESL (ISS of BC):
- Cars and driving (ISS of BC videos and teacher’s resources)
- Cars and driving (Resources from external sites.)
- Language Guide: Car (Audio and speaking exercises.)
- Learning Chocolate: Car (Vocabulary for parts of the car.)
- Linguamarina: English vocabulary in my car (Video.)
- Car problems and repairs:
- Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks: Using a car (A CLB 1L-2L Module with Teaching Materials in pdf format.)
- E-How: Car Maintenance Tips : Basic Car Maintenance Checklist (Video.)
- VideoAnt: E-How, Car Maintenance Tips: Basic Car Maintenance Checklist* (Annotated version.)
- Regina Open Door Society: Car Services Reading Assessment CLB 4.3 (Module on Tutela, a free resource-sharing site for ESL teachers. You need to create an account to access the material.)
- Traffic signs:
- Driving discussion questions:
Taking the bus
Lesson plans

Buying bus tickets and passes
Learn basic vocabulary for buying bus tickets in-person or online.

Talking with the bus driver
Learn how to carry on a basic conversation with a bus driver.
Resources
Links to helpful external resources …
- BBC Learning: Catching the bus
- ESL Fast: Taking the bus (Conversations.)
General travel vocabulary
Resources
Links to helpful external resources …
- Learning Chocolate: Transportation (Vocabulary and practice activities on many forms of transportation.)
RELATED PAGES
Winter driving
This lesson plan for ESL beginners will teach basic vocabulary and safety tips about winter driving in Canada. The lesson includes…
Keep readingChecking in at the airport
This lesson plan focuses on vocabulary related to airport check-in. The lesson includes activities such as warm-ups, vocabulary building and skill-using…
Keep readingTRANSPORTATION YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
Click on the small arrow on the top of this video to play the videos or go to the YouTube Transportation Playlist.

TRANSPORTATION WORDWALL ACTIVITIES
Wordwall is a very useful interactive lesson-creation site. If you sign up for a free Wordwall account, you will be able to see our “Transportation” folder, which includes ESL Directions activities that you can add to your lessons.
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ABOUT ESL DIRECTIONS
ESL teacher, movie buff, constant reader, and former editor and communications pro. Now a graduate of the Teaching English as a Second Language program at the University of Manitoba and a TESL Canada certified ESL teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, I specialize in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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