Students get more motivated and interested when they are exposed to a wider learning context where the same topic is discussed in many formats allowing the learners to get the best out of it. Many schools and ELT teachers often organize themed weeks during which a certain topic is presented in various contexts. Themed weeks concentrate on one topic throughout a week and involve various activities that help to cover that topic. Themed weeks can be designed in the following format: 

  • input session/ lead-in into the topic which aims at introducing the topic through different activities/games;
  • language-based activities aim at equipping students with necessary vocabulary or grammar patterns, functional language to be able to communicate on the topic;
  • Real-life experience/scenario which will expose the topic fully. 

To illustrate the point, I will present the procedure of a couple of themed weeks, which I have organized with my students several times. 

Topic 1- Animals

Day 1 Input session 

Stick animals on the wall and ask them to categorize them into two groups wild and domestic, speak about their difference and make a small survey on the students’ favorite animals. 

Day 2 Language-based activities

Learn/refresh the learners’ knowledge of animal names. The teacher distributes cards with animals to each group and asks to write down their names on the cards. With a more advanced class, you can provide them with animal idioms and ask to come up with a group story using at least three idioms in it. As homework, each student is assigned to research and prepare a short report on a certain animal (the teacher assigns which animals they must present). 

Day 3 Real-life experience

The class arrives at the zoo. Students get handouts on functional language at the zoo (how to buy tickets, how to ask for a direction, etc.). One student buys the tickets and asks for directions to one of the animals. The student who is assigned to present that animal takes up the role of the guide and speaks about it. Learners ask questions, get answers, and move to the next animal. It is so invigorating to see how engaged my students were when we took a trip to the zoo, and they were only speaking in English.

Topic 2- Movies

Day 1 Input Session

Show movie fragments of different genres. Students guess the genre, and open class makes a poll on their favorite genre. They may have readings on different movie genres, movie history for the overall information, and topic-based vocabulary. 

As an end-up activity, students vote on which movie they would like to watch in the cinema by browsing the ongoing movie list. 

Day 2 Language-based activities

Prepare a vocabulary list for movies. The teacher provides students with a movie plot and divides the class into groups. Each group shoots a movie based on the given plot but of a different genre. 

As homework, the teacher provides students with the key vocabulary used in the movie they are going to watch either in a cinema or in the classroom. 

Day 3  Real-life experience

The teacher takes students to the cinema, and they watch the movie. The teacher provides them with questions on the movie plot, characters. They organize a follow-up discussion. As homework, students write another ending for the movie and share their versions during the upcoming lesson. 

The above-mentioned lesson plans concentrated on some general topics which you can find in any coursebook and can develop them into a full-scale weekly topic. Another option of having themed weeks is organizing them on some holidays, events, famous local celebrations in the form of school performance, which can be shown every day in the school performance hall for a whole week.

To sum up, themed weeks are a great way of enriching students’ knowledge on various topics and make them think out of the box, be more creative, have a nice educational shift in their learning routine. 

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