Movies, Books and the Arts: ESL Worksheets and Lessons
113 worksheets, 39 lessons, 15 vocabulary decks and 6 shadowing scripts · Free time & culture
Start here — 25 free samples
Free to try: open, print and play them — no account needed.
Movies, books & the arts worksheets
113 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
Movies, books & the arts lessons
39 ready lessons for the four skills: teach on the board, set online or print.
Movies, books & the arts vocabulary
15 word decks with meanings, examples and pronunciation: flip, quiz, print as flashcards or play as a game.
Movies, books & the arts shadowing
Listen, repeat, record and compare: short scripts for pronunciation and fluency.
About Movies, books & the arts
Movies, books and the arts give learners something rich to talk about and a natural reason to express opinions. They also offer plenty of authentic material, from trailers and book covers to reviews and interviews.
Kids and A1 learners talk about favorite stories, cartoons and drawing, using like and simple adjectives. A2 learners describe movie and book genres (comedy, horror, science fiction) and say what a story is about using present simple. B1 learners write and read reviews, summarize plots and recommend movies and books. B2 to C2 learners discuss adaptations, censorship, public funding for the arts and what makes art valuable, using evaluative language such as thought-provoking and overrated.
This page gathers printable worksheets, ready-to-teach lessons and vocabulary flashcard decks on movies, books and the arts.
Teaching tips: Movies, books & the arts
- Show a movie trailer with the sound off and ask learners to predict the genre and plot before watching again with sound.
- Teach learners to summarize plots in the present simple, which is the natural tense for describing stories.
- Use a gallery walk with art prints around the room and have learners write a reaction to each one.
- Give B1 and B2 learners a review structure (introduction, plot, opinion, recommendation), as reviews are a common exam writing task.
Questions teachers ask
Which tense should learners use to summarize a movie's plot?
The present simple is standard in English for describing plots (the hero travels to...), with present perfect and past forms for earlier events.
Are reviews tested in Cambridge exams?
Yes. The review is one of the writing task types in B2 First and C1 Advanced, and movie and book topics appear in speaking at many levels.
How can I use art with lower-level learners?
Describing paintings with there is/there are, colors and prepositions is ideal at A1 and A2, and it needs no complex reading.