Warm-Up (10 minutes)

• Activity: “Controversial Questions”
  • Display thought-provoking questions (e.g., “Should social media platforms regulate free speech?” or “Is technology improving or harming education?”).
  • Students work in pairs to briefly share their opinions and justify their views.
  • Select a few pairs to share ideas with the class.

Vocabulary Development (15 minutes)

• Focus: Advanced discourse markers, persuasive language, and opinion-related expressions (e.g., “I firmly believe…,” “One could argue that…,” “To illustrate this point…”).
• Activity:
  • Provide students with a handout listing useful phrases and categorizing them (e.g., agreeing, disagreeing, contrasting, emphasizing).
  • Practice: Students rewrite simple sentences using more advanced expressions (e.g., “I think technology is good” → “It is undeniable that technology has significantly improved our lives in many ways.”).

Reading Comprehension (20 minutes)

• Activity: Analyzing an Opinion Article
  1. Distribute an article (e.g., “The Future of AI in the Teaching Industry: Revolution or Replacement?“).
  2. Students read individually and annotate key arguments, supporting evidence, and rhetorical devices.
  3. Discussion:
     • “What is the author’s main argument?”
     • “What evidence did the author provide to support their point?”
     • “Do you agree with the author? Why or why not?”

Listening Activity (15 minutes)

• Activity: Evaluating a Debate or Panel Discussion
  1. Play an audio clip (e.g., a debate about the impact of globalization).
  2. Students take notes on key arguments, counterarguments, and persuasive techniques used by the speakers.
  3. Discussion:
     • “What were the strongest arguments presented?”
     • “Were there any weaknesses or gaps in reasoning?”

Speaking Practice (20 minutes)

• Activity: Mini-Debates
  1. Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a controversial topic (e.g., “Should university education be free for everyone?”).
  2. Each group prepares arguments for or against the topic.
  3. Groups debate, focusing on using advanced vocabulary and structures introduced earlier.
  4. Feedback: The teacher provides feedback on fluency, use of discourse markers, and argumentation skills.

• Wrap-Up Discussion:
  • “What is one new skill or phrase you learned today?”
  • “How can you apply these skills in real-world conversations or writing?”