C1 · Tor Vergata Italy
Ecotourism Debate
90-min Lesson
WP2
University of Rome Tor Vergata · C1 Activity 4 · TBL · CLIL · PBL · SDG 14 · SDG 15
🗣 Language
Advanced environmental vocabulary · Rhetorical structures · Persuasive speaking · Note-taking · Collaborative writing
🌴 Content
Ecotourism definitions · Pros & cons · Conservation · Greenwashing · Local community impact · Sustainable travel
🤝 Skills
Reading · Listening · Speaking · Writing · Critical thinking · Peer assessment · Questionnaire design
📚 Lead-in: What is Ecotourism? (10 min)
Method: Communicative warm-up · BrainstormingC1: Activate prior knowledge · Environmental literacy
Cambridge Dictionary definition: "the business of organizing holidays to places of natural beauty in a way that helps local people and does not damage the environment." — Click words below that you associate with ecotourism, then share your initial position.
🌴 ECOTOURISM WORD WEB — What Comes to Mind?
Click every word you associate with ecotourism · Discuss: which are positive? Which raise questions?
YOUR INITIAL STANCE — before reading or watching anything:
Click a stance above — we will compare views after the debate!
💬 Brainstorm Discussion — C1 Activating Questions
🌴
"Have you or anyone you know experienced ecotourism?"
C1: Share experiences from Italy, Europe, or beyond. Consider: was it genuinely eco, or was it a marketing label? "In my experience, the distinction between genuine ecotourism and standard green-labelled tourism is often difficult to discern in practice."
🌞
"Is all 'eco' tourism actually eco? How could you tell the difference?"
C1: "Evidence suggests that a significant proportion of what is marketed as ecotourism fails to meet the core criteria of community benefit and environmental protection. On the other hand, certification schemes — such as the GSTC Criteria — provide a framework for distinguishing credible ecotourism from greenwashing."
👨🏫 Teacher
Show the Cambridge Dictionary definition projected. Add striking images of eco-destinations: Amazon canopy tours, Costa Rica rainforest lodges, Mediterranean marine reserves, Italian nature parks. Prompt quickly with 2–3 questions before moving to the article. Keep the initial poll visible throughout the lesson to compare with the post-debate vote.
Show the Cambridge Dictionary definition projected. Add striking images of eco-destinations: Amazon canopy tours, Costa Rica rainforest lodges, Mediterranean marine reserves, Italian nature parks. Prompt quickly with 2–3 questions before moving to the article. Keep the initial poll visible throughout the lesson to compare with the post-debate vote.
📄 Pre-Task Input: Article & Video (20 min)
Method: CLIL reading + listeningC1: Guided note-taking · Argument extraction · Critical analysis
Task: Skim the article extracts for 3 arguments FOR and 3 AGAINST ecotourism. Then watch the BBC video twice: first for gist, second for specific examples. Take notes below. Click any suggested argument to add it to your notes.
📄 NOTE-TAKING SCAFFOLD — Article & Video
Read the article · Watch the BBC video · Use the tabs to take notes · Click suggestions to add them!
🌟 Arguments FOR Ecotourism (article)
⚠️ Arguments AGAINST Ecotourism (article)
🎬 BBC Learning English Video
BBC Learning English: Ecotourism: good or bad?
📹 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_LkRYYefv0
📄 First viewing: gist — What is the overall tone? Is it mainly positive or critical?
📄 Second viewing: detail — Note specific examples, case studies, and any data cited.
📄 First viewing: gist — What is the overall tone? Is it mainly positive or critical?
📄 Second viewing: detail — Note specific examples, case studies, and any data cited.
📄 Earth.org Article
Earth.org — What is Ecotourism and Why is it Important?
Skim for 3 FOR and 3 AGAINST arguments. Underline key evaluative language and rhetorical structures.
Skim for 3 FOR and 3 AGAINST arguments. Underline key evaluative language and rhetorical structures.
👨🏫 Teacher
Distribute printed extracts from the Earth.org article before opening this tab. After skimming (5 min), play the BBC video once for gist — ask briefly: "What is the main message?" Play again for detail with the note-taking scaffold open. For students with special needs: provide full video transcript. Use Think-Pair-Share after the second viewing.
Distribute printed extracts from the Earth.org article before opening this tab. After skimming (5 min), play the BBC video once for gist — ask briefly: "What is the main message?" Play again for detail with the note-taking scaffold open. For students with special needs: provide full video transcript. Use Think-Pair-Share after the second viewing.
📊 Debate Preparation — PRO vs. CONTRA (15 min)
Method: TBL · Cooperative workC1: Structured arguments · Anticipate counterarguments
Groups organise notes into structured debate points, prepare an opening statement, and anticipate the strongest counterarguments. Add your own arguments using the input fields. Click any argument to remove it.
🌟 PRO Ecotourism
⚠️ CONTRA Ecotourism
✍️ Rhetorical Structures — C1 Debate Language
Opening an Argument
In my view, ecotourism...
Evidence suggests that...
There is compelling evidence to show...
It is widely accepted that...
Evidence suggests that...
There is compelling evidence to show...
It is widely accepted that...
Introducing Counter-Arguments
On the other hand...
One might argue, however, that...
While this may be true, it should be noted...
The counter-argument holds that...
One might argue, however, that...
While this may be true, it should be noted...
The counter-argument holds that...
Conceding & Responding
That is a valid point; nevertheless...
I concede that..., but the evidence shows...
While this is partially accurate, it overlooks...
This argument, though compelling, fails to account for...
I concede that..., but the evidence shows...
While this is partially accurate, it overlooks...
This argument, though compelling, fails to account for...
Concluding
To summarise our position...
In conclusion, the weight of evidence suggests...
We therefore maintain that...
The most logical conclusion to be drawn from this is...
In conclusion, the weight of evidence suggests...
We therefore maintain that...
The most logical conclusion to be drawn from this is...
🎭 Structured Debate — 25 Minutes
Method: Structured debate · Persuasive speakingC1: Rhetorical strategies · Rebuttal · Synthesis
Teacher moderates. Use the round selector and speaker timer. All students must contribute — speaking, note-taking, or asking questions. Observer/judge roles available for students who prefer not to speak.
🎭 DEBATE ARENA — SPEAKER TIMER
Select a round · Start the timer · Each speaker has 2 minutes
2:00
Select a round above to see the instructions for that stage.
🏆 PEER VOTE — Most Convincing Speaker / Group
Listen to all speakers — then vote!
👨🏫 Teacher
Observation focus: fluency, accuracy, use of rhetorical devices (in my view / evidence suggests / on the other hand), and ability to respond to counterarguments without simply repeating the original claim. Note 2–3 effective language moments to highlight in the reflection stage. Use the 5-min timer for opening statements; 2-min timer for rebuttals.
Observation focus: fluency, accuracy, use of rhetorical devices (in my view / evidence suggests / on the other hand), and ability to respond to counterarguments without simply repeating the original claim. Note 2–3 effective language moments to highlight in the reflection stage. Use the 5-min timer for opening statements; 2-min timer for rebuttals.
📋 Collaborative Questionnaire Design (10 min + Homework)
Method: Project-Based Learning · Collaborative writingC1: Survey design · Formulating precise questions · Community engagement
Design a questionnaire on ecotourism for distribution in your school or local community. Begin here in class, then continue collaboratively in Google Docs after the lesson. The final questionnaire becomes a real community survey in the next class.
📋 ECOTOURISM QUESTIONNAIRE BUILDER
Choose a question type · Write your question · Click Add · Build your community survey!
Your questionnaire questions appear here — click any question to remove it.
📋 Good Questionnaire Design — C1 Academic Standards
✓ Effective Questions
Clear, unambiguous language
One idea per question
Neutral phrasing (avoid bias)
Appropriate question type for the data needed
One idea per question
Neutral phrasing (avoid bias)
Appropriate question type for the data needed
❌ Common Mistakes
Double-barrelled questions ("Do you agree that ecotourism is good AND necessary?")
Leading questions ("Don't you think ecotourism is better?")
Unclear scale labels
Leading questions ("Don't you think ecotourism is better?")
Unclear scale labels
🔗 Collaborative Homework — Google Docs
Each group contributes 3–5 questions to a shared Google Doc folder. Comment on other groups' questions for clarity and neutrality. The teacher consolidates the best questions into a final survey for the next lesson. Final version will be distributed in school or the local community, and responses analysed in a future lesson (data literacy cross-curricular link).
💡 Post-Task Reflection & Metacognition (10 min)
Method: Peer assessment · Metacognitive reflectionC1: Evaluate rhetorical effectiveness · Language awareness
Students justify their vote and reflect on what made arguments persuasive. Teacher highlights effective rhetorical and linguistic strategies used during the debate. Has your stance changed from the initial poll?
🎭
"What rhetorical strategy was most persuasive in today's debate?"
C1: "In my view, the most persuasive strategy was the use of specific case studies with quantified evidence, rather than general claims. Evidence suggests that arguments grounded in data — such as citing a specific eco-lodge's community impact — are more difficult to rebut than abstract positions. On the other hand, emotional appeals to conservation values also proved effective in engaging the audience's attention."
🌞
"Did you change your mind? Why, or why not?"
C1: "While my initial position was broadly pro-ecotourism, the debate exposed a nuance I had not fully considered: that the environmental benefit of ecotourism is often conditional on certification and governance, and that in their absence, 'eco' labels can mask practices that are indistinguishable from conventional mass tourism. I would therefore revise my position to: conditional support for ecotourism, subject to verified community benefit and environmental standards."
📊
"What language would you use differently if you debated this again?"
C1: "I would be more systematic in using discourse markers to signal the structure of my argument — particularly transitional phrases like 'furthermore' and 'this brings me to my second point.' I would also aim to anticipate counterarguments more explicitly in my opening statement, which prevents opponents from simply taking the ground you have left unoccupied."
🌎
"How does ecotourism connect to the European Green Deal and your local community?"
C1: "The European Green Deal's Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies both recognise nature-based tourism as a potential tool for rural economic resilience. In my local context, the Italian Apennines and coastal marine protected areas represent exactly the kind of landscape where well-governed ecotourism could fund conservation while supporting local economies. The questionnaire we design may generate real data on community attitudes that could inform this debate."
🔗 Resources & Useful Links
🌐 Cambridge Dictionary — Ecotourism
🌐 Earth.org — What is Ecotourism and Why is it Important?
🌐 BBC Learning English — Ecotourism: good or bad?
🌐 Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria
🌐 UN SDG 14 — Life Below Water
🌐 UN SDG 15 — Life on Land
🌐 European Green Deal