Lesson plan

Creativity and innovation

Aims
• Encourage students to think about their own creativity and how they could develop it further
• Expand students’ vocabulary and ability to avoid repetition using a range of synonyms
• Provide reading and speaking practice around the topic of creativity and innovation

Age/level
Teenagers B2

Time
50–60 minutes

Materials
Worksheet (2 pages)

Introduction
This lesson was devised to mark World Creativity and Innovation Day on 21 April. However, it could be
used at any time of year, as this is not specifically mentioned.
The lesson begins by looking at what is involved in being creative, trying to expand this beyond the usual
areas of art or creative writing.
The students then do a reading activity where they match the headings to each section. They then identify
the synonyms which will have enabled them to do this task and focus on the idea of avoiding repetition.
They read the text again and discuss which ideas they personally find most useful.
The lesson finishes with a creativity task, followed up by a final discussion.

Procedure
1. Lead-in • Ex 1: Put students into pairs to discuss the question.
(10 minutes) • Brief feedback as a class – establish that there are lots of different ways of being
creative. For example, a footballer can be creative in thinking of new ways to play
the game (or possibly some of them might be creative in pretending to be injured!).
• Ex 2: Ask students to discuss the questions. Then brief feedback as a class.

2. Reading • Ex 3: Tell students that they are going to read a text which offers some different
(5–10 minutes) ways to become more creative. They should read the text and write the missing

www.teachingenglish.org.uk
© The British Council, 2019 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
 Lesson plan
heading for each section. It is a good idea to get them to actually write the headings,
rather than the numbers, as this will make the next exercise more straightforward.
Check that students understand the meanings of the headings before they start.
• Let students check their answers together, then check as a class.

Answers:
A Get your legs moving
B Daydream
C Think outside the box
D Have a good laugh
E Noise

3. Vocabulary • Ex 4: Ask students to look at the text more carefully and find and underline words
focus and phrases which have a similar meaning to the title of each section. If necessary,
(15–20 minutes) give them an example to start them off. Let them check in pairs, then discuss their
answers as a class. Check that all the students understand the meaning of each
word or expression and can pronounce any trickier words, e.g. stroll, wander.
Answers:
A: Get your legs moving
go for a stroll (a stroll is a relatively slow walk for pleasure)
get out and about
go for a walk
stretch your legs
B: Daydream
stare into space
have a wandering mind
(Possibly: not pay attention, though this has a more negative connotation)
C: Think outside the box
challenge things you’ve always done
think differently
D: Have a good laugh
have a chuckle (a chuckle is quite a small laugh)
laugh out loud
E: Noise
chatter (the noise of people talking)
hubbub (a noise caused by a crowd of people talking loudly)

• Ask students why the author uses these synonyms and elicit that it is to avoid too
much repetition.
• Ask students to think of at least one more way of expressing the ideas in the titles.
Possible answers:
A have a wander / go for a ramble
B be lost in a fantasy / be lost in thought / be building castles in the air
C find a new way of doing something / think laterally
D shake with laughter / be doubled up with laughter (both quite strong)
E racket (a loud ongoing noise) / babble(a low noise of people talking)

www.teachingenglish.org.uk
© The British Council, 2019 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
 Lesson plan
4. Speaking • Ex 5: Ask students to read the article again and discuss which suggestions might be
(10 minutes) most useful for them (or if they already do any of these things).
• Brief feedback as a class.

5. Creativity task • Ex 6: Tell students that they are going to try a task to help develop creativity. Time
(10 minutes) them for three minutes while they doodle on the squares.
• Ex 7: Stop them after the three minutes and ask them to discuss the questions. Note
that doodling is another suggested way to develop creativity, as well as the task
being a test of creativity.

Contributed by
Rachael Roberts

www.teachingenglish.org.uk
© The British Council, 2019 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.