Lesson Topics: free speech vs hate speech, hate groups, metaphors
Skill Focus: Listening, Speaking, Vocabulary, Grammar
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours
Lesson Plan Download: westboro-hatespeech-upper-intermediate-122025.docx
- Warning: The video contains picket signs with hate speech on them. Please preview the lesson and its video beforehand.
- The lesson begins with warm-up questions about religious groups and how upbringing shapes beliefs.
- Next, students read a short foreword providing background on the Westboro Baptist Church, a group from the U.S. widely considered a hate group. Students then watch a short 2:21-minute YouTube video about a member of the group who chose to leave due to the gentle persuasion of people on social media.
- The video is followed by comprehension questions.
- Students then categorize the vocabulary according to whether it has positive or negative connotations. They then use the vocabulary to create discussion questions to ask a partner.
- The lesson has one debate topic about whether free speech is absolute.
- Next, students review six statements and discuss whether they comprise hate speech or acceptable free speech.
- The lesson has one extended roleplay, in which students try to use gentle persuasion to convince an extremist to leave their hate group. Strategies and sample questions are provided as support.
- The next focus is metaphors. Students read a list of four phrases containing metaphors and must select the correct word to complete them.
- After famous quotations on free speech, religion, and tolerance, students review collocations and vocabulary.
- Finally, the lesson ends with some final discussion questions.
ADVANCED (C1/C2) Lesson on Free Speech & The Westboro Baptist Church
Warm-up Questions
- Does your country have any unusual religious groups?
- In what ways are your beliefs similar or different from your parents’? Do you feel that your beliefs and values came from them?
- Have you ever argued with someone who has a strong spiritual, political, or religious belief? Did you change their mind?
- How would you define hate speech?
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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 questions:
- She describes growing up in the Westboro Baptist Church, protesting from a young age, questioning her beliefs through conversations on social media, and eventually leaving the church
- She began going to protests at around five years old
- Compassionate and respectful conversations with people on social media made her start questioning what she had been taught
- It shows social media in a mostly positive way, as a space that can encourage dialogue and help people change their beliefs
- She regrets the pain she caused, especially protesting at funerals
- Answers will vary, but students should explain whether they think people are responsible for beliefs learned as children and give a clear reason
Vocabulary answer key: a-picketing, b-reinforced, c-compassion, d-extremism, e-inflicted, f-doctrine, g-persuasion, h-wrath
Metaphors: 1-eat a horse, 2-open book, 3-go back to the drawing board, 4-wrap my head around
Collocations: 1-d, 2-b, 3-f, 4-e, 5-a, 6-c
[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Westboro-Baptist-Church
[2] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19434472.2023.2192771
[3] https://blog.udemy.com/metaphor-list/