Streaming Wars: The New Age of Television & Entertainment (Intermediate)

ESL/EFL Level: Intermediate (B1)
Lesson Topics: streaming services (e.g. Netflix), TikTok, attention spans
Skill Focus: Speaking, Reading, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.5 hours
Lesson Plan Download: streaming-wars-netflix-intermediate-lesson-102023.docx
Lesson Overview:

  • After warm-up questions, students read a 198-word passage entitled "Streaming Wars: The New Age of Television and Entertainment". The passage describes the shift from traditional TV to online streaming platforms (e.g. Netflix, Disney+) and the challenges facing these platforms. One challenge is the rise of TikTok, which may be turning off viewers from long-form content.
  • After a read-and-recall activity, students answer comprehension questions, do a vocabulary-matching activity, and then create questions using the new vocabulary.
  • For speaking activities, students first debate the ethics of password sharing. Then there are two roleplays. The first involves a parent who is worried that her child has 'TikTok' brain. The second involves a partner who wants to do more than watch Netflix every evening.
  • Next is an activity called "The Pilot" which has students create a basic plot for a TV series and then pitch it to a Netflix executive.
  • This is followed by some famous quotations related to TV and streaming, a final vocabulary review, final discussion questions, and a review of collocations.

A man streaming content on his TV.

INTERMEDIATE (B1) Lesson Plan on Streaming & Entertainment

Warm-up Questions

  1. How do you like to relax on a rainy day?
  2. Do you use any streaming apps? Which ones?
  3. Name a recent show or movie you watched online. Did you like it?

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-- Lesson plan on Streaming & Entertainment written by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). ChatGPT was used to check for errors, suggest revisions, and generate answer keys. 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 follow-up questions:

  1. (The passage mentions "85 percent of families in the United States paid for at least one video streaming service," not all families.)
  2. People prefer streaming services because they can watch shows whenever they want, and there are no ads.
  3. Streaming companies are trying to get more customers by getting into video games and live sports, and by offering plans with different pricing models such as Netflix's cheaper plan that includes ads.
  4. TikTok is a challenge because its users are used to short videos. Some parents believe their children cannot watch full movies anymore because they find them too "slow." Streaming companies have tried to offer short videos as well, but none have been as successful as TikTok.

Vocabulary Answers: 1-h, 2-a, 3-f, 4-i, 5-g, 6-d, 7-b, 8-c, 9-e

Vocabulary Review Answers: See original passage

Collocation Answers: 1-c, 2-b, 3-e, 4-a, 5-d

Endnotes:

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