Climbing Mount Everest
This B2 ESL lesson is about climbing Mount Everest. It begins with a picture description activity of Everest Base Camp, followed by a short reading where students learn interesting facts about the mountain. Students will explore useful vocabulary and practice reading comprehension. The highlight of the lesson is three short audio clips featuring a mountain guide answering frequently asked questions about climbing Everest. After each clip, students complete listening tasks and reflect on what they’ve learned. They’ll also discuss what questions they would ask someone who has climbed the mountain. This is a great class for intermediate learners who enjoy adventurous topics and want to learn more about mountain climbing.
| Level | Vocabulary | Listening time | Lesson Time |
| B2 / Upper-Intermediate | 10 words | 3 min | 60 min |
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Vocabulary
- altitude
- summit
- gear
- oxygen tanks
- base camp
- altitude sickness
- training
- monsoon
- avalanche
- courage
Contents
- Lead-in
- Reading
- Vocabulary match
- Reading
- Questions
- Listening
- Writing
- Extra
Lead-in, Reading
This B2-level ESL lesson is all about climbing Mount Everest. It starts with a lead-in activity where students look at a photo of Everest Base Camp and describe what they see using as many words as possible. Then, they’ll read several interesting facts about Mount Everest—but one of them is false! Students will need to guess which one isn’t true, sparking curiosity and discussion.
Vocabulary match, Reading, Questions
After that, students will read a short paragraph about climbing Mount Everest. Before the reading, they’ll complete a vocabulary-matching activity with 10 useful words and definitions to support their understanding. Once they’ve matched the words, they’ll read the text and answer comprehension questions, followed by a few open-ended questions that invite personal opinions and experiences.
Listening
The listening section features several short audio clips about climbing Mount Everest. In each clip, a mountain guide answers frequently asked questions—such as “How fit do you need to be to climb Everest?”, “When is the best time to go?”, and “How cold does it get?” Before listening, students can try to predict the answers. After each clip, they’ll complete a task and then share their thoughts and opinions based on what they heard.
Writing, Extra
The final activity is a writing task. Students imagine they could talk to someone who has climbed Mount Everest and think of interesting questions they would like to ask. These questions can then be discussed in pairs or small groups, along with possible answers. As an optional follow-up, the movie ‘Everest’ is recommended. It’s a great listening practice activity for students who are especially interested in the topic.
