This engaging unit from SuperEnglishESL.com introduces students to the incredible world of insects. Each lesson explores different aspects of insect life, from their body structures and behaviors to their social organization and survival skills. Students will expand their vocabulary, improve their grammar, and develop speaking confidence through interactive discussions, role-playing, and reading activities.
Perfect for online 1:1 lessons, group classes, or classroom instruction, this unit offers structured, downloadable worksheets, engaging exercises, and fun activities to make learning about insects enjoyable and educational.
Students will learn what defines an insect, its body parts, and the characteristics that set insects apart from other animals.
✔️ Warm-up: “Articulate” game—students describe words related to insects for others to guess
✔️ Reading & Discussion: Introduction to insects, their body parts, and the role of exoskeletons
✔️ Vocabulary Focus: invertebrate, exoskeleton, metamorphosis, benefit
✔️ Grammar & Sentence Structures: “Be supposed to” + infinitive (e.g., The weatherman said it is supposed to snow all week.)
✔️ Pronunciation/Phonics: Prefixes “im-” and “in-” (e.g., impossible, inactive)
✔️ Interactive Elements: Role-playing dialogue about observing insects
✔️ Real-Life Applications: Discussing the importance of insects in nature and how they help humans
This lesson focuses on bees, their social structure, pollination, and how they make honey.
✔️ Warm-up: “Would You Rather?” discussion about food choices
✔️ Reading & Discussion: The life of bees, their colonies, the role of the queen, worker, and drone bees
✔️ Vocabulary Focus: colony, nectar, pollen, swarm
✔️ Grammar & Sentence Structures: “Be supposed to” in expectations and obligations (e.g., She is supposed to do her homework before dinner.)
✔️ Pronunciation/Phonics: More “im-” and “in-” words (e.g., immature, inadequate)
✔️ Interactive Elements: Role-playing a dialogue about observing a bee swarm
✔️ Real-Life Applications: Understanding how bees help pollinate crops and produce honey
Students will explore the social life of ants, their colony structure, and their teamwork skills.
✔️ Warm-up: Name a word from a category using a given letter
✔️ Reading & Discussion: The hierarchy in ant colonies, soldier ants, and their strength
✔️ Vocabulary Focus: mate, wound, soldier, mound
✔️ Grammar & Sentence Structures: “Not supposed to” for prohibitions (e.g., We are not supposed to run in the hallways.)
✔️ Pronunciation/Phonics: Expanding on “im-” and “in-” words
✔️ Interactive Elements: Role-playing dialogue about ant colonies
✔️ Real-Life Applications: Discussing teamwork and organization in nature
This lesson introduces students to the predatory skills, camouflage, and hunting techniques of the praying mantis.
✔️ Warm-up: “Which one is different?” critical thinking exercise
✔️ Reading & Discussion: How praying mantises hunt, their camouflage, and their cannibalistic tendencies
✔️ Vocabulary Focus: ambush, camouflage, cannibal, nibble
✔️ Grammar & Sentence Structures: Past “Be supposed to” (e.g., I was supposed to clean my room, but I forgot.)
✔️ Pronunciation/Phonics: Review of “im-” and “in-” words
✔️ Interactive Elements: Role-playing a conversation about keeping a praying mantis as a pet
✔️ Real-Life Applications: Learning about predator-prey relationships and camouflage in nature
The final lesson serves as a review and assessment of the unit, covering all vocabulary, grammar, and real-life applications of insects.
✔️ Warm-up: Fun riddles and critical thinking questions
✔️ Assessment Tasks:
✅ ESL learners at A2+ – B1 levels (pre-intermediate to intermediate)
✅ Kids and Teens in online 1:1 lessons, group classes, or traditional classrooms
✅ Teachers looking for structured, engaging, and interactive lessons about insects
📄 Lesson previews & worksheets
🎲 Games & vocabulary activities
📚 Reading passages & discussion questions
🔊 Pronunciation & sentence-building exercises
📌 Encourage students to observe insects in their environment and share their findings.
📌 Use real-life videos of bees, ants, and mantises to spark discussion.
📌 Have students act out insect behaviors like swarming, hunting, or pollinating.
✅ ESL insects lesson plans
✅ ESL vocabulary for bugs and insects
✅ ESL intermediate reading lessons on insects
✅ Pollination ESL worksheets
✅ ESL grammar lesson ‘Be supposed to’
✅ ESL science-themed lesson plans
✅ ESL speaking activities about animals