This ESL lesson is great for more advanced students that are particularly interested in politics and cryptocurrencies. It develops reading, vocabulary building, and speaking skills in English.
One of my C1 adult students who I teach online has a clear interest in politics and thoroughly enjoys deriding politicians. As any teacher worth their salt knows, any area of student passion is a great resource to get them speaking in English. I created this lesson especially for him, but it can be used for any student who is this way inclined, or students who are interested in the world of cryptocurrency. It is based on this article and features a vocabulary matching task and plenty of thought-provoking discussion questions.
How do you run ESL Lesson: Trump’s Cryptocurrency?
This lesson can be done both on and offline. I ran it originally as an online lesson for one student, but it can easily be adapted for the classroom and for multiple students.
If online, use Zoom Breakout Rooms or a similar tool for pair discussions. Let your students know in advance that you may pop in during their discussions, but that they should carry on as if you are not ‘present’. If you turn off your microphone and video, they may not even notice (try to be as inconspicuous as possible)! For any online whiteboard needs, I always use this collaborative online whiteboard.
In a classroom setting, print the materials in advance and use a projector for the slideshow. If your classroom doesn’t have a projector or smartboard, board the discussion questions in advance or as you go.
Here’s an overview of the lesson: Trump’s cryptocurrency
- Warm-up discussion questions. Introducing the topic of Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency
- Diving into the topic of cryptocurrency (research and discussion task)
- Pre-reading discussion
- Reading of authentic material: Trump’s meme coin sparks more than 700 copycats posing as official crypto
- Post-reading discussion
- Focus on vocabulary matching task: students match bolded phrases from the text with their definitions
- Discussion using the vocabulary
The vocabulary focus for this ESL lesson is on the following words and phrases: ahead of the game (adj.), make a killing (v), spark a slide (v), take to the cleaners (v), open the floodgates (v), precipitous (adj.), grift (v), dalliance (n).
Example of a discussion question from the lesson using the phrase ‘ahead of the game’.
For a full lesson plan with timings, tips, and explanations download the materials below.
Which ESL students is Trump’s Cryptocurrency best suited to?
Adults and older teenagers. Language learners who participate in this lesson should have at least some understanding of what cryptocurrencies are, which naturally aligns to students that are older (teenagers aged between 16-17, or adult learners).
This lesson was designed for a C1 student, but it is also suitable for upper-intermediate students (B2) or more advanced students (C2).
Cryptocurrency and U.S. politics are topics which could engage adult language learners or older teenagers. The more invested in a topic the language learner is, the more likely they are to speak and gain confidence in English!
How long does this ESL lesson take?
This really depends on your students and how invested they are in this topic. If the discussion takes an interesting turn, just run with it – that’s when confidence is built!. In my TEFL qualification course, we were taught to try and stick to the timings in our lesson plans as much as possible. However, I have learned to let the students lead the discussion until it feels like they have said all they want to say, particularly with individual students. Of course, it’s important to actually get to the grammar and vocabulary points the lesson is designed to teach, but leave some room for flexibility! If your student is so invested in cryptocurrency or U.S politics that you can hardly get a word in edgewise (which is great!), consider stretching it out over two lessons using some of the ideas below. With that being said, 45-60 minutes is a good time frame to work with.
How can this ESL lesson be adapted?
The article this lesson is based on will not always be relevant and up-to-date (which is always something to consider when using news articles as authentic materials in your lessons). However, this transience also presents an opportunity. Challenge your students to find an up-to-date article (or provide it yourself) on cryptocurrencies in general or specifically Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency. Students could use platforms like coinbase.com to discuss the peaks and dips in valuation of OFFICIAL TRUMP over time, and other cryptocurrencies.
ESL discussion questions could include:
- (Before reading the second article) How do you think the $TRUMP cryptocurrency has performed since the publication of this article? What factors may have influenced its performance in the meantime?
- (After reading the second article) What has changed in the time between the two articles? What do you think has caused this?
The adaptation outlined above can also be used for lessons which are longer (such as 1.5 hour lessons).
The Takeaway
This is a great and rather niche lesson for upper-intermediate and advanced ESL students who love talking about U.S politics and cryptocurrencies. It’s packed with thought-provoking discussion questions which feature vocabulary that is useful in both business English and social settings.
Download ESL Lesson: Trump’s Cryptocurrency
What was your experience with this lesson? If you have any thoughts, feedback, or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below!