Autumn Expressions

Start with the word circle activity. Students pick ten words from a list that describe autumn in their city. This is quick and visual, and it shows you what autumn vocabulary students already have. Some words like “pumpkin” and “Halloween” will get circled by everyone, while others like “puddle,” “muddy,” and “fog” depend on where students live. After sharing choices, introduce “sweater weather” with the multiple-choice question and the short dialogue example. This first phrase sets the tone for the rest of the lesson because it shows students that autumn expressions are casual, warm, and used in real conversations.

The ten phrases are taught across three slides, three at a time plus one final group. Each slide shows the phrases with a quick visual and a gap-fill sentence. “Cozy up,” “pumpkin spice everything,” and “crisp fall air” come first. Then “autumn vibes,” “harvest season,” and “fall into fall.” Then “Indian summer,” “cuddle weather,” and “the days are getting shorter.” Go through each set, complete the gaps together, and give a couple of extra examples for any phrase that confuses students. “Indian summer” usually needs the most explanation because it describes warm weather in late autumn, which feels contradictory. “Fall into fall” is a play on words that B1 students enjoy once they get it.

The matching exercise checks understanding of all ten phrases at once. After matching, the picture description speaking task gives students four autumn images to describe using the new vocabulary. Then move to the error correction exercise. Ten sentences each contain one wrong word, like “crisp ball air” instead of “crisp fall air” or “cuddle feather” instead of “cuddle weather.” These are close enough to the real phrases that students need to read carefully. Some are funny, which helps the activity feel playful rather than like a test.

The discussion questions get students talking about personal autumn experiences: favorite memories, hot drinks, rainy day activities, and pumpkin carving. The “would you rather” questions add a creative twist, like choosing between unlimited hot chocolate or unlimited apple cider. End with the emoji storytelling activity. Three sets of emojis appear on screen, each one getting longer. Students build a short story from the emojis and try to include as many autumn phrases as they can. The first set has just three emojis, the last has eight. This is always a highlight because the stories get creative and students naturally compete to use the most vocabulary. It’s a great way to close a lesson that should leave everyone in an autumn mood.