Countries around the world are banning phones in schools, from France and the Netherlands to South Korea and Chile. But does it work? Students read about the trend and a big new study, then talk about their own phone habits. This A2 version uses short, simple sentences and everyday vocabulary about rules and school.
Level: A2 · Time: 45 to 90 minutes. Pick the activities that suit your class. They work in almost any order.
Lesson Activities
- Warmer: What’s in the Drawer? – picture reveal (answer: a teacher’s desk drawer full of confiscated phones). Ask where it is, whose phones they are and why they are there.
- Phone Bans: Key Words (A2) – pre-teach 10 words (ban, allowed, distraction, concentrate, bullying, attendance…).
- Phone Bans in Schools (A2) – with word bank – reading with 10 gaps.
- Phone Bans: For or Against? – sort 12 arguments into for and against a ban, then pick the strongest one on each side. Great warm-up for the discussion.
- Phone Bans: Discussion (A2) – 10 questions, from phone habits to school rules.
- Where Should Phones Be Banned? – opinion ranking, from classrooms to the dinner table. Compare and justify.
Teacher Tips
- Short on time? Do the key words, the reading and five discussion cards.
- Language focus: allowed to / not allowed to and can / can’t for rules. Ask: What were you allowed to do at school?
- Follow-up: students write five rules for phones in their home, school or office.
Want a harder version? Try the B2 lesson.