The Societal Effects of Pornography (Upper-Intermediate Lesson)

Important Notes:

  1. This topic won't be suitable for most classes because many students won't be comfortable discussing pornography. With that said, I couldn't resist writing this lesson because I feel it's a rich and important topic. Though the lesson focuses on the societal impacts of pornography and not on a student's personal habits, please only try this lesson with adult students who you think would feel comfortable with this topic. Consider not only their age but also their cultural and religious backgrounds.
  2. I elected to write a text-based summary instead of using the video (only 6 mins) because I found it too spicy (women in underwear posing on beds, thumbnails of pornography). The video would be a good accompaniment to the lesson plan, but you'd have to be completely sure that your students would feel comfortable watching it with you.
ESL/EFL Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2/C1)
Lesson Topics: pornography, the pornography industry
Skill Focus: Speaking, Reading, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.5 hours
Lesson Plan Download: pornography-industry-perry-upper-intermediate-042023.docx
Lesson Overview:

  • After warm-up questions, students read a passage that summarizes a video featuring Louise Perry entitled "How porn f*cked our minds." The passage explains how profit-driven corporations have changed the world of pornography.
  • Post-reading activities include comprehension questions and a pair-work activity in which students use vocabulary from the video to ask each other questions.
  • Afterward, students debate whether adult websites should be banned on a college campus, attempt to rank internet-related societal issues, and then discuss two difficult pornography-related issues at the workplace.
  • Finally, the passage closes with some quotations and a review of collocations.
  • All lessons come with warm-up questions, vocabulary questions, and discussion questions.

A person with a colorful cloud coming out of his mind

UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2/C1) EFL Lesson Plan on Pornography

Warm-up Questions

  1. What are your favorite websites?
  2. At what age should children be allowed to access the internet alone?
  3. How would you define pornography? Is it a form of art?

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-- Lesson plan on the Effects of Pornography written by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. For questions, contact the author.

Possible answers to comprehension questions:

  • ….
  • Sex is now viewed as a mere interaction between two people; it has lost its mystery and magic. This has happened due to the prevalence of online porn, which is driven by profit-seeking corporations.
  • A super-stimuli might be a Dorito tortilla chip or a pornography video.
  • …
  • She is surprised that more people are not critical of the porn industry, considering that most people recognize the harm corporations can cause.

Vocabulary Answers: 1-h, 2-k, 3-e, 4-c, 5-j, 6-i, 7-d, 8-g, 9-L, 10-f, 11-b, 12-a

Collocation Answers: 1-b, 2-h, 3-a, 4-g, 5-c, 6-e, 7-f, 8-d

Endnotes:

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