This free EFL/ESL Lesson Plan is is the first of two lesson plans about finding apartments. This lesson teaches students apartment-related vocabulary and allows them to practise talking about apartments. The lesson includes a detailed lesson plan, worksheet, PPT and 3 authentic samples of the apartment ads.

Lesson Objectives (free EFL/ESL Lesson Plan)

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Explain the meaning of utilities, amenities, and appliances by providing examples of each.
• Understand the meaning of apartment vocabulary such as (un)furnished, efficiency apartment, washer and dryer in unit, laundry in building, deposit required, available immediately, air conditioning/central air conditioning, furnished, and utilities included, as used in the US.
• Recognize the meaning of abbreviations (Avail, AC/ CAC, Furn, Dpst Req, Utilities Incld., Lndry in bldg., Avail. Immed., W/D in-unit, Eff. Apt).
• Read apartment ads and choose their preferred apartment by assessing the rent, available amenities, and cost of utilities.
• Describe the features of their apartments using terms such as (un)furnished, efficiency apartment, washer and dryer in unit, laundry in building, deposit required, available immediately, air conditioning/central air conditioning, furnished, utilities included

Lesson Materials: Worksheet, PPT, Apartment advertisements 1, Apartment advertisements 2, Apartment ad 3

Procedure

[5mins] Warm up discussion ((Pair work)

Objective: This activity will prepare students for lesson about apartments by drawing their attention to the common ways people find apartments in US, and the criteria they use to determine suitable apartments.

Instructions: Ask students to discuss the following questions in their pair groups:

1. How did you find your current apartment?
2. How do people find apartments in the US?
3. What apartment features are important to consider when you are looking an apartment?

Teacher instructions: Listen to students’ discussions and note down any important issues that come up. In the debrief, tell students that it is common to find apartments through websites and apartment advertisements, so it is important to understand the language used in the advertisements.

[6mins] Apartment Vocabulary – Picture matching activity (Pair work)

Objective: Students will learn the meaning of amenities and appliances through examples and pictures.

Instructions: Write a word that best describes each of the following pictures. Use words from the list provided.

Teacher instructions: Listen/look at students answers during the discussion. Address any issues that come up during the debrief.

[5mins] Follow up discussion about amenities and appliances (Pair work)

Objective:  This activity will check students’ understanding of the terms amenities and appliances. Students will apply their knowledge by providing other examples amenities and appliances.

Instructions: Now work in your pairs to answer the following questions:

Teacher instructions: If necessary, clarify the difference between amenities and appliances during the debrief.

[5mins] Discussion about utilities (pairs)

Objective: This activity will help students recognize common apartment utilities, and understand that some utilities may/may not be included in rent.

Instructions: Ask students to work in pairs to answer the question:

Discussion question: Some utilities are usually included in rent. If some utilities are not included in rent, then you have to pay for them separately. Which of the following utilities are included in your rent?

• Electricity
• Heating
• Cooking gas
• Garbage collection
• Water
• Internet
• Cable TV

Teacher instructions: Monitor students’ discussion and address any issues that come up during the debrief.

[5mins] Common apartment abbreviations (Pair work)

Objective: In this activity students will learn the meaning of common abbreviations used in apartment advertisements.

Instructions: Work in pairs to match the following short forms with their meaning.

 Efficiency apartment, Washer and Dryer in unit, Laundry in building, Two and a half baths, Deposit Required, Available immediately, Two bedrooms, available,  Air conditioning/Central Air Conditioning, Furnished, Utilities included

Teacher instructions: Tell students that apartment flyers and advertisements may use the short form of words to describe apartment features, so it is important to understand the meaning of common short forms such as the ones below. Ask students to match the words below with their short form. Monitor students’ discussion and address any issues that come up during the debrief.

[7mins] Apartment Discussion – (Pair work)

Objective: Students will practice describing the features they like in an apartment using the language they have learned.

Instructions: Discuss the following questions in pairs:

1. What features of your apartment do you like?
2. What features of your apartment don’t you like?
3. Describe the kind of apartment you would like to move to – if that were possible.

[10mins] Apartment advertisements (Pair work)

Objective: In this activity, student will apply their knowledge of utilities, amenities and appliances to determine which apartment advertisement offers the best deal.

Instructions:  Use information from the 3 advertisement to answer the following questions:

• In which apartment would you have to pay for parking?
• In which apartment would you have to share laundry room with other tenants?
• Which apartment allows tenants to have pets?
• In which apartment would you have to bring your own furniture?
• Which of these apartments do you like? Why?

Teacher instructions: Monitor students’ discussion and address any issues that come up during the debrief. (free EFL/ESL Lesson Plan)

[7mins] Role-play: Dialogue about apartments (Pair work)

In pairs students will role play a dialogue between two friends. One friend is looking for an apartment and would like to hear suggestions from his/her friend. The two friends will talk about why the first friend wants to move, and the kind of apartment he/she is looking for. The objective of this activity is to give students opportunity to use the apartment vocabulary they have learned in a conversation.

Teacher Instructions: So, we have learned that when looking for apartment it is important to consider features of the apartment such as the size, utilities, amenities and appliances. We are going to practice speaking about the kind of apartment we want by describing the features that are important to us. (Listen to the dialogues and take note of important language issues)

Student Instructions: In this activity you will pretend to be two friends talking about apartments. In your conversation, be sure to describe:

• The size of the apartment
• The utilities included/not included
• Amenities and appliances

Friend A

You are looking for an apartment to move to because you do not like your current apartment. Tell your friend why you want to move and what kind of apartment you are looking for.

Friend B

Ask your friend why he/she is moving and the kind of apartment he/she is looking for. Then, tell him/her about the kind of apartment you live in and offer any helpful suggestions e.g. ask if he/she would like you to check if your landlord has any free apartments?

**If you used my EFL/ESL Lesson Plan in your class be sure to let me know how it went by leaving a comment. Also, checkout other interesting articles on our website