Lesson Overview

This C1/C2 ESL lesson explores the topic “Why Does Slang Die?”, helping students analyse how and why informal language rises, spreads, and disappears in modern English.

Learners examine real-world examples of slang trends and language change, including the role of social media, youth culture, media exposure, and in-group identity in shaping how words are used. 

Students are introduced to and practise key vocabulary related to language change and communication, such as in-group, overexposure, trend, lifecycle, mainstream, identity, usage, and evolution.

Through a variety of tasks including discussions, prediction activities, opinion statements, and analysis of slang “lifecycles,” students develop their ability to explain abstract ideas, support arguments with examples, and evaluate different factors that influence language change. 

1. Warm Up: Slang
2. Video: Comprehension 
3. Slang: Lifecycle
4. Discussion
5. Debate
6. UK Slang
7. US Slang
8. Name game. 

Homework

There is an excellent homework task to supplement this awesome C1/C2 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. Activity layout:

1. Article analysis. 
2. Writing task.