Old Stuff, New Life
This B1 lesson explores Sweden’s first second-hand mall where nothing sold is new through reading and video about reusing, recycling, and upcycling. Students learn vocabulary like “refurbish,” “upcycle,” and “sustainable living,” then discuss environmental impact and creative ways to give items new life. The activities include matching definitions, true/false/not mentioned exercises, sentence ordering, and pair work transforming old objects into useful products.
Lesson overview
- Practice sustainability vocabulary including repair methods, waste reduction, and environmental concepts
- Read about a Swedish mall that keeps items from landfills through workshops and creative transformation
- Build sentence construction skills by ordering scrambled words about the mall’s operations
- Develop creative thinking by designing new purposes for old items like single socks and empty coffee tins
Student's Version (Light/Dark)
Teacher's Version (Answer Keys)
Printable Classroom Version (A4)
| Level | Vocabulary | Video Length | Lesson Time |
| B1 / Intermediate | 12 words | 1:09 min | 60 min |
Vocabulary
- second hand
- reuse
- recycle
- upcycle
- sort
- refurbish
- repair
- transform
- outdated
- landfill
- workshop
- sustainable living
Contents
- Lead-in
- Vocabulary
- Speaking
- Reading
- Questions
- Video
- Discussion
- Practice
- Verbs
- Quote
- Pair-work
- Homework
Start by asking what students would do with eight unwanted items: keep, throw away, give away, donate, or sell. Students explain choices for items like brand-new unworn T-shirts, old cameras, or slightly damaged bags. Lead-in questions explore buying habits, second-hand experiences, and whether recycling is easy in their city.
The vocabulary section teaches twelve sustainability terms through matching. Make sure students understand differences between “reuse” (use again), “recycle” (make new material), and “upcycle” (transform into something better). “Refurbish” means updating old items to look or work better, while “repair” just fixes what’s broken. The speaking activity shows three images. Students describe what they see and guess what happens to old things there.
The reading explains Sweden’s second-hand mall where people bring clothes, electronics, toys, furniture, and home items. Workers sort everything, sending best items to shops that repair, refurbish, or transform them. Unsellable items go to a recycling center, so nothing reaches landfills. The mall made one million euros and runs workshops teaching sustainable living. Students answer five comprehension questions about what people bring, what workers do, and why the mall is special.
The video runs 1:09 minutes showing the mall’s operations. Students complete true/false/not mentioned statements testing details like whether the mall is in Stockholm’s center, if they sell food, or if tourists visit. Discussion questions explore why people throw away so much, whether reused items match new ones in quality, and what workshops might teach.
The practice section provides eight scrambled sentences. Students reorder words to create correct statements about the mall using vocabulary like “sorted,” “refurbished,” “landfill,” “transform,” and “upcycle.” The verb differentiation exercise explains repair versus refurbish versus upcycle, then gives scenarios where students identify which verb applies. They add three more examples. Pair work shows five old items: single sock, scratched suitcase, old curtains, empty coffee tins, and old crate. Students brainstorm 2-3 new uses for each and choose the best idea to explain.
For homework, students talk about a website or local place where people give old things new life, describing what items appear there, why it’s useful, and whether they use it, speaking for two minutes using lesson vocabulary.
