A Theme Page about friends and friendships for elementary and intermediate level students (A2-B1)
Related Pages: Friends and Friendship 7-9, Love & Romance, 8-9 Valentine’s Day, 1-6, Valentine’s Day, 7-9
Warm-up
Desert Critters on Vimeohttps://vimeo.com/164132084A Desert Fox finds his everyday life ruined when he gets tailed by a younger puppy that just wants to be his friend!
We’re Going to be Friends – YouTube (2:21)https://youtu.be/az8UDe6UQGQInfantile drawings set to The White Stripes, We’re Going to be Friends (yr 5-7) Another version for older students
Video Lesson – Friendship Soup Recipe – YouTube (3:12)https://youtu.be/H7w7yXkJTu0What is the recipe for friendship? In this video, kids describe the ingredients that go into making friends (yr 6-7)
Auld Lang Syne – from ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ – YouTubehttps://youtu.be/Z3sXVxqDbFkRemember no man is a failure who has friends. (yr 8-B1)
Songs
Toy Story – You’ve got a friend in me – YouTube (2:10)https://youtu.be/zIYOJ_hSs0o“You’ve got a friend in me” music from Disney toy story, with lyrics
Marshmello & Anne-Marie – FRIENDS – YouTube (3:51)https://youtu.be/jzD_yyEcp0MFRIENDS (Music Video) *OFFICIAL FRIENDZONE ANTHEM*
Song Worksheet: You’ve Got a Friend by Carole King (WITH VIDEO)https://busyteacher.org/4013-youve-got-a-friend.htmlThis is a beautiful song which enables us to discuss friendship. I used this worksheet for a conversation class, my students just loved it!
Sylvain Kustyan – Friends – Friendship – YouTube (3:28)https://youtu.be/ktl9yaBPGyUThis song is an invitation to dreams, sharing and friendship! Don’t hesitate to leave comments!
Vocabulary
Friendships – Vocab | Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Labhttps://www.esl-lab.com/vocabulary-lessons/friendships/Making friends is important to personal happiness. Listen and learn. (yr 6-9)
10 Idioms About Friendship and Relationships [Infographic]http://www.myenglishteacher.eu/blog/10-idioms-about-friendship-and-relationships-infographic/“Make friends”, “Build bridges”, “Man’s best friend”. Learn new idioms about friendship. Discover new phrases and build your English vocabulary. (yr 6-9)
Expressions Related to Friendship Nessa Palmer ESL TOP TEN – YouTube (9:33)https://youtu.be/msn2WEpQq7EHave you told your best friend how awesome they are today? I’m sure your BFF would love to hear from you. Expand your everyday English vocabulary by learning some new phrases about friendship. (yr 7-9)
Lesson Plans
Friendship | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBChttps://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/friendshipIn this lesson pupils celebrate friendship. First, learners are introduced to the topic of friendship through simple drawings. Then they join in a teacher-led discussion about what makes a good friend. (yr 5-7)
Lesson 38: She’s My Best Friend!https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-lesson-38-shes-my-best-friend/3591967.htmlIn this lesson, Anna’s best friend from her hometown, Penelope, visits Washington, D.C. Anna tells Penelope about her friends and her job. Is Penelope going to make a change in her life? (yr 6-7)
A friend in need | LearnEnglish Teens – British Councilhttps://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/speaking/intermediate-b1-speaking/friend-needGemma knows she has done something stupid. Luckily, Makayla is there to listen and offer advice. (yr 7-9)
Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Friendshttps://breakingnewsenglish.com/0506/050617-friends-e.htmlA new health report says that having good friends in your old age helps you live longer. – Reading comprehension in two levels (yr 7-9)
Conversations and Making Friends | College of Continuing & Professional Studieshttps://ccaps.umn.edu/esl-resources/students/speaking/conversationsIf you want to make American friends, you may need to take the first step. Research shows that US students often don’t initiate relationships with international students (yr 8-B1)
Inseparable | Film Englishhttp://film-english.com/2013/08/14/inseparable/This EFL lesson plan is designed around a short film called Inseparable by Nick White and the theme of relationships. (yr 8-B1)
Friendship & vulnerability | TED-Edhttps://ed.ted.com/featured/HKwNQiHjWe often think that the best way to have friends is to be deeply impressive and accomplished. The School of Life explains how the route to true friendship always flows through vulnerability. (yr 8-B1)
Reading



7 Things You Should Stop Expecting from Othershttps://www.marcandangel.com/2013/09/29/7-things-you-should-stop-expecting-from-others/The biggest disappointments in our lives are often the result of misplaced expectations. This is especially true when it comes to our relationships and interactions with others. (yr 9-B1)
Listening
Enemy Pie, read by Camryn Manheim – YouTube (9:49)https://youtu.be/b_I9NgXKtC8It was the perfect summer. – How to make a friend of your enemy. (yr 5-6)
Pre-Intermediate Listening | Best Friends | esl-lounge Studenthttps://www.esl-lounge.com/student/listening/2L6-best-friends.phpBest Friends. Laura asks Mike some questions about friendship to complete a survey. – Check the ads before showing to students (yr 5-7)
Friends and friendship – Interactive worksheethttps://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)/Past_Perfect/Friends_and_friendship_fn22113scPast Perfect interactive and downloadable worksheet. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf.
New Friends | Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Labhttps://www.esl-lab.com/easy/new-friends/Everyone needs new, long-lasting friends. Listen and learn. (yr 7-8)
Best Friend | ESL Videohttps://eslvideo.com/quiz.php?id=33024In a near future, a lonely man is addicted to a product called ‘’Best Friend” which offers him perfect virtual friends. (yr 8-B1)
Quiz
Besties, Buds, BFFs … Friends!https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/2977108.htmlWe often say, “You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends.” This expression means that our friends are the people we choose to have in our lives. (yr 8-B1)
Viewing
CGI Animated Shorts: “Playmate” – YouTubehttps://youtu.be/2fR9HqilmKMNo matter how old you are, a toy is a kid’s best friend – Watch – discuss – write
English – Friends (A1-A2 – with subtitles) – YouTube (2:25)https://youtu.be/-hClrIVv4eIHow many friends do you have? What do you do together? We talk about friendship with some young native speakers. (yr 5-7)
How the Internet Is Changing Friendship – The Atlantichttps://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/529632/how-the-internet-is-changing-friendship/There are different categories for friendship in social science, but the boundaries are becoming more fluid as Facebook allows us to keep in touch with people we might otherwise not. (yr 8-B1)
Why men and women can’t be friends –[Multimedia-English videos]https://multimedia-english.com/videos/esl/why-men-and-women-cant-be-friends-3690Here we are at the Utah State University library for some interviewing to ask people if they believe that men and women can be just friends, so let’s go inside and see what we can find. (yr 8-B1)
100 Year Old Best Friends –[Multimedia-English videos]https://multimedia-english.com/videos/esl/100-year-old-best-friends-5176So funny. Watch these two 100-year-old best friends on TV giving their opinion about some modern issues in pop culture. (yr 8-B1)
Speaking
ESL Discussions: Conversation Questions: Speaking Lesson: FRIENDShttps://esldiscussions.com/f/friends.htmlESL Discussions: Free worksheet and online activity on Friends.
Friends Conversation Questions | EnglishPost.orghttps://englishpost.org/friends-conversation-questionss/Do you want to maximize speaking time in the classroom? If so, let’s chat about friends with these Friends Conversation Questions.
Friends Conversation Questions – PRINT DISCUSShttps://printdiscuss.com/friends-conversation-questions/Are you a good friend? Is it possible for men and women to be friends? Do you have any friends who are much older or younger than you?
More Questions
Writing
Free ESL Interview English Lesson – How would your best friend describe you?https://www.talkenglish.com/lessondetails.aspx?ALID=295“How would your best friend describe you?”This answer can be short. Use keywords that show how you are a good fit for this position.
Worksheets
A Good Friend vs A Bad Friend ESL Exercise Worksheethttps://www.englishwsheets.com/friends-1.htmlA Good Friend vs A Bad Friend ESL Exercise WorksheetWhat does a good friend and a bad friend do? A fun ESL categorizing exercise worksheet for kids to study and learn the qualities of a good friend and a bad friend. Read the sentences below and write them in the correct chart.
More Materials
FRIENDSHIP Resources « Chestnut ESL/EFLhttps://eslchestnut.com/2011/07/16/friendship-2/Conversation Questions: Socializing & Friendship (SOURCE: eslpartyland.com ) CONVERSATION QUESTIONS (SOURCE: iteslj.org) CONVERSATION LESSON: BEST FRIEND- FRIEND FROM HELL (SOURCE:esl.about.com…
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