Lesson Overview

Let’s get critical in this lesson plan that asks a question everyone should be thinking about: Are influencers lying to you? Don’t worry — it’s not just conspiracy theories. Students will explore how social media really works, from sponsored posts to carefully edited “real life” moments.

We start by looking at how influencers build trust online and why that trust can sometimes be misleading. Students analyse real-style posts, question what is genuine, and uncover the hidden world behind likes, ads, and algorithms.

The lesson develops key critical thinking and speaking skills as students discuss questions like: Can you trust what you see online?, Where is the line between content and advertising?, and Why do we believe influencers so easily?

Vocabulary is built around social media, advertising, and persuasion, while speaking tasks encourage students to challenge opinions and justify their ideas. By the end, learners will be more aware of how influence really works in the digital age. Activities:

1. Warm Up: Captions
2. Key Words
3. Article: Influencers Are Lying to You
4. Audio: Influencers Are Not Lying to You
5. Are Influencers Lying to You? 
6. Case Studies: Problems
7. Influencers: Debate
8. Discussion. 

Homework

There is an excellent homework task to supplement this awesome B2 ESL lesson plan. Students are challenged to analyse an interesting article which is linked to the topic of the lesson, before being asked to write answers to challenging questions. Activities:

1. Article: The Problem with Influencers. 
2. Writing task.