Critical Thinking
- 21 hours ago
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ESL Lesson Plan Critical Thinking B1 is built around riddles and real-life scenarios that challenge students to question assumptions before jumping to conclusions. Students learn to tell facts from opinions, practise expressing their own views using the ORE structure (Opinion, Reason, Example), and build the language needed to agree or disagree respectfully. The unit closes with moral dilemma discussions and a "Spot the Fake" activity that reinforces the critical thinking skills covered from the start.
📄B1 ⏱️150 min 📁48 slides
Skills and Outcomes
Learn what critical thinking is and why it matters.
Use riddles to explore different aspects of critical thinking.
Practise distinguishing facts from opinions.
Use the ORE structure (Opinion, Reason, Example) to express and support opinions.
Learn phrases for agreeing and disagreeing respectfully.
Discuss moral dilemmas and defend a position with reasoning.
Lesson Plan
Intro: Don't Jump to Conclusions
Students work through three riddles with misleading information, warming up their critical thinking before the lesson begins.
Part 1: Fact or Opinion
Learners study the difference between a fact and an opinion, then sort eight statements into each category.
Part 2: Expressing Opinions
Students learn opinion phrases and the ORE structure for supporting their views.
Part 3: Agreeing and Disagreeing
Learners study phrases for agreeing and disagreeing respectfully, then apply the ORE + Agree/Disagree structure to five opinion prompts.
Part 4: Moral Dilemmas
Students discuss three dilemmas (truth vs. lie, time vs. money, speaking up vs. staying quiet), explaining and defending their choices.
Part 5: Spot the Fake
Students revisit the riddle format from the intro with three new misleading riddles.
Part 6: Reflection
Students self-assess their progress on building an ORE answer, disagreeing politely, explaining a difficult choice, and spotting misleading information.