Lesson Topics: voting, elections, U.S. political climate, voter anxiety
Skill Focus: Speaking, Listening, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours
Lesson Plan Download: elections-voting-upper-intermediate-102024.docx
Lesson Overview:
- After warm-up questions, students preview a short list of vocabulary featured in the lesson's video. They then match the vocabulary to definitions.
- The lesson's video is a humorous PSA-style comedy skit (from SNL) about the value of voting. The video is only 1:50 minutes long. It expresses the anxiety and worry among voters about the outcomes of the 2020 American election, which has similar themes to the 2024 election. Note that while the video describes the American political climate, the lesson's activities focus on elections and government policy in general and are not US-specific.
- Post-video activities include a recall and retell activity, comprehension questions, and an activity requiring students to use some of the seven new vocabulary items to form discussion questions.
- The lesson has one debate on whether the student's country is getting worse or better every year.
- As a roleplay activity, one politically active student tries to convince the other about the importance of voting.
- The next speaking activity has students play the role of congress members. After reviewing a proposed national budget (full of questionable allocations), students must suggest an alternative budget to the country's leadership.
- Afterward, students discuss famous quotations about voting and elections.
- The lesson closes with a vocabulary review and final discussion questions.
Note: Download the Word .DOCX linked above to access the lesson with proper formatting.
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2/C1) Lesson on Democracy & Voting
Web-based Preview: Warm-up-Questions
- What are some hot political topics in your country right now?
- Who is the current leader in your country? What is your opinion of him or her?
- Do you regularly vote? Why or why not?
Vocabulary Pre-Viewing: Preview the below phrases from the video.
- Our country’s future is on the line. (0:04)
- We’ve showed up. (0:10) (Note: “We’ve shown up” is preferable grammatically.)
- And now it’s time to put our faith in democracy. (0:22)
- Emotions are running high. (0:30)
- I trust the process. (0:40)
- “Polls Tighten in Battleground States” (0:44)
- Because I believe the people of this country are fundamentally (1:15)
Vocabulary: Match the words with their meaning based on how they were used in the article.
1. ____________ (adv): essentially, at heart, deep down, above all
2. ____________ (n): the steps/procedures required to achieve a particular goal
3. ____________ (n): complete trust or confidence
4. ____________ (idiom): describing a situation when people are very excited, angry, or concerned
5. ____________ (n): surveys/studies that measure public opinion before an election
6. ____________ (n): at serious risk, in danger
7. ____________ (phr. v): to be present and make an effort to do what is required
Prediction: Based on the above phrases and vocabulary, what do you think the video will be about?
Video: Watch the below video about voting in the United States.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlgwBoUj2MY (1:58) (Note: no subtitles available)
Listen, Recall, Retell: Retell the video’s main ideas to a partner using your own words.
Comprehension & Follow-Up Questions
1) How do the characters feel about the upcoming election? How can you tell?
2) What is the purpose of the video? Express it in a complete sentence.
3) List four ways that characters are preparing for the election outcome.
4) Is the video humorous (funny)? What parts of the video made you laugh?
5) When was the video published? Is it still relevant today?
6) Do elections worry you as much as it worries the video’s characters?
(Note: The video appeared on Saturday Night Live, a U.S. comedy show, on October 31, 2020.)
Replace the underlined phrase with one of the vocabulary items below. Some questions will need to be formed. Then ask them to a partner.
fundamentally / polls / showed up / process / running high / on the line / faith
- Do you have trust in democracy and the electoral procedures?
- At heart, are people good or bad?
- If your life was at risk, could you give up everything and move to another country?
- Are feelings very excited/angry/concerned about any issues currently where you live?
- Think of a time when you were present and did what was required for someone. How did it affect them, and how did you feel after?
Speaking Activity: Debate
- Every year, my country keeps getting worse.
Pick a side (FOR or AGAINST). Spend a few minutes preparing. The FOR side will present first.
Speaking Activity: Roleplays
Situation: Paula and Jose are friends.
| Jose | You are excited about a major election happening right now. Your friend, Paula, doesn’t seem interested in voting. Talk to her and try to explain why it’s important to vote. You will start the conversation. Possible expression: Our country’s future is on the line. |
| Paula | There’s a big election happening right now, but you don’t plan on voting. Spend a few minutes thinking about why voting is a waste of time. (Possible ideas: politicians are liars, one vote doesn’t make a difference, etc.) Your friend, Jose, will start the conversation. Possible expression: To be honest, I have no faith in politicians or the political process. |
Speaking Activity: Spending Tax Dollars (Group Work)
Background: You are members of Congress, a legislative group that discusses laws and ideas for your country. Today you must decide on the national budget. The government has 1 trillion dollars to spend. The president has proposed the following budget:
| Proposed Budget (in billions) | My Budget | |
| Military | 500B | |
| Infrastructure (public works including roads, power systems, etc.) | 200B | |
| Government (e.g. politician salaries, etc.) | 125B | |
| Space Exploration | 50B | |
| Health | 50B | |
| Education | 50B | |
| Social Services (e.g., welfare, unemployment benefits) | 20B | |
| Environmental Protection (e.g., pollution control, conservation) | 4B | |
| Arts and Culture (e.g., museums, libraries, grants for artists) | 1B |
Task: You and your partners disagree with the above budget. Spend 5-10 minutes preparing an alternative budget (use the ‘My Budget’ column). Then present it to Congress, explaining why specific areas deserve more or less money. (Your teacher will play the role of the president, your opponent.)
Famous Quotations about Voting & Elections
- "Bad Officials are elected by good citizens who don’t vote.” – George Jean Nathan
- “The people who cast the votes don’t decide an election, the people who count the votes do.” – Joseph Stalin
- "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
— Winston Churchill - “If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it.” – Mark Twain
- "Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."— Mark Twain
Vocabulary: Insert one of the below vocabulary items into the appropriate blank.
fundamentally / polls / showed up / process / running high / on the line / faith
1. Our country’s future is ____________.
2. We’ve ____________.
3. And now it’s time to put our ____________ in democracy.
4. Emotions are ____________.
5. I trust the ____________.
6. “____________ Tighten in Battleground States”
7. Because I believe the people of this country are ____________ good.
Final Discussion Questions
- The video suggests that Americans are divided and that this division (separation), cannot be overcome. In general, do you feel that people are becoming more or less divided? Why?
- Corruption is a big problem in politics. How can this issue be solved?
- Are there any unique voting traditions or laws in your country that you find interesting?
- Would you make a good politician? Why or why not?
- Is democracy the best form of government?
This lesson plan was created 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. ChatGPT was used to generate answer keys and some famous quotations. For questions, contact the author.
Comprehension Question Answer Key
- The characters are anxious and worried about the outcome. This is shown by behavior such as getting drunk, fleeing the country, trying to smother oneself with a pillow, etc.
- The video’s purpose is to provide a humorous depiction of the anxiety Americans (likely Democrats) feel regarding the outcome of the U.S. 2020 election.
- October 31, 2020….
- Examples: One woman is trying to sneak into Canada. Another man is preparing a store of food in a locked shelter. Another man is buying weapons. Another woman is getting drunk.
- (subjective)
- (subjective)
Vocabulary 1-fundamentally, 2-process, 3-faith, 4-running high, 5-polls, 6-on the line, 7-showed up