• to introduce vocabulary related to the topic of energy sources
• to be able to describe the basic principles of a power source
• to revise certain grammar structures
• to improve speaking and reading skills
• to introduce debating phrases that are used to express opinions  
• to improve debating and collaboration skills
• to be able to use argumentation
• to be able to express opinions politely

• Students can name various energy sources.
• Students can name various objects related to the topic of energy sources. 
• Students can explain the difference between fusion and fission.
• Students can write a paragraph describing the basic principle of a power source.
• Students can use debating phrases to express their opinions politely. 
• Students can present arguments.

Zoom, wordwall.net, padlet.com, Google Docs

• The scenario is designed for 8-16 students.
• The class requires a min. of B1 level of English proficiency. 
• The students should be familiar with English grammar structures that are used to describe the principles of a machine/mechanism (zero conditional, the passive voice, and the present participle). 
• It is not recommended to conduct the lesson with new classes. The scenario includes a lot of debating which works better when students already know each other. 
• The lesson plan has been designed for an online synchronous class, but can be utilized for a face-to-face lesson as well, provided that all students have mobile phones with a functioning internet connection. 

In this lesson, the students are provided with basic vocabulary related to the topic of energy sources. They also write a short paragraph which describes the basic principle of a hydroelectric plant and/or a nuclear power plant. (It should be emphasized that the writing exercise focuses on the revision of zero conditional, passive voice, and present participle.) The students are also engaged in a debate which mainly deals with choosing the best future energy source for Europe. During the debate, the students practise expressing arguments, improve their level of politeness, and hone their collaborative skills. 

STEP I
The students are provided with a list of energy sources (attachment 1) and, if necessary, ask the teacher and/or their peers to explain unknown vocabulary. It should be emphasized that the explanations involve describing the vocabulary in English, not translating. 

Suggestion: It is recommended to ask the students to explain the difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission.

STEP II
The students explain the meaning of the word “renewable” and then discuss which of the energy sources are regarded as renewable.

STEP III
The students are divided into groups of 3 or 4 and discuss the following questions: 

• Which energy source is the most efficient / the least efficient? Why
• What energy sources are used in your country?
• What’s the energy source of the future? Why?
• Do you consider nuclear power safe? Why?
• Would you have solar panels installed on your house? Why (not)? 

The students are reminded to carefully listen to their peers and take notes, because they will be asked to present their peers’ opinions to the rest of the class.

STEP IV
When the discussions have ended, the teacher asks a few students to present their peers’ opinions to the rest of the students. 

STEP V
The students complete the matching activity, which focuses on the vocabulary regarding various objects and equipment related to energy sources (attachment 2).

STEP VI
Jigsaw presenting (toolkit)

In class, we divide the students into an even number of pairs or groups of 3. Half of the groups are given a diagram with a nuclear power plant (attachment 3) and the second half receives a diagram presenting a hydroelectric plant (attachment 4).

The teacher asks the students what English grammar structures are often used to describe the principles of a machine/mechanism and elicit the following answers: the passive voice, zero conditional, and the present participle. If necessary, it is recommended to quickly revise these grammar structures.

After revising the grammar, the groups are asked to use their diagrams (and the Internet, if necessary) to prepare short presentations describing the basic principles of their power plant. The teacher emphasizes that the presentations need to include passive voice structures, at least one zero conditional sentence, and at least one present participle structure.

When the presentations are ready, each pair/group that has been working on the nuclear power plant is asked to join one pair/group that has been focusing on the hydroelectric plant. As the class is divided into an even number of pairs/groups, none of the groups should remain without a partner. 

When all the pairs/groups are seated, they present the principles of their power plant to each other. Before they begin, the teacher reminds the students that each pair/group should be listening carefully to their partners, because they might be later asked to report on their partners’ work. 

After all the presentations are given, the teacher asks two pairs/groups to report on what they have learnt from their partners. Their task is to describe the principle of their partners’ power plant using the knowledge they have gained while listening to their partners’ presentation. 

STEP VII
Let’s pre-debate (toolkit)

Each student joins a shared Padlet (attachment 5) which is divided into 4 sections: solar power, wind power, nuclear power, and hydropower. 

Using their phones, each student adds posts (as many as they want) and lists the pros and cons of each energy source. 

When the brainstorming is over, the students are divided into 4 groups representing the 4 energy sources. (The energy sources are assigned randomly.) 

The students are given the following task: Your group strongly believes that your type of power plant is the best solution for Europe. Prepare a list of its pros to support your opinion and arguments that could disprove its cons. The students use the arguments collected on Padlet and texts describing their energy sources (attachments 6-9). (The texts are shared with the students using GoogleDoc.)

When all the teams have prepared their arguments, the teacher forms new groups comprising representatives supporting all 4 energy sources. The best option is to create groups of 4 with one student representing each energy source. That way each group should include 4 different opinions.

STEP VIII
Before the class the teacher prepares a list of useful debating phrases (attachment 10). 

After the groups have been formed, the students are asked to go to: https://wordwall.net/resource/28360277 . The teacher explains that the phrases listed on wordwall.net are used while debating to present arguments in a polite manner. It needs to be stressed that all vocabulary issues ought to be resolved at this point.

STEP IX
When all the teams are ready, the debate can begin. The students’ task is to persuade the others that their source of power is the best solution for Europe in the future. While debating, they use the listed on wordwall.net. Whenever a student uses a phrase, they flip it using the website. When the debate has ended, the student who used the highest number of phrases wins. phrases.

STEP X
The students ought to agree on one specific solution. It should be emphasized however that it doesn’t necessarily mean choosing one energy source and eliminating the rest. Their solution can also be a combination of different energy sources. When the solution has been reached, they need to present their common ground and explain the reasons for it to the rest of the class.

STEP XI
The students then choose the best solution and the teacher checks who used the highest number of debating phrases.