Urgency Culture
ESL Lesson PlansUrgency Culture

Urgency Culture

This ESL lesson plan for adults at the C1 level engages students with the topic of urgency culture through thought-provoking reading, vocabulary-building activities, and discussion exercises. The 90-minute session includes a warm-up dialogue, group brainstorming on multitasking, and an article analysis with vocabulary practice. Students develop comprehension and critical thinking skills while exploring the effects of modern busyness on personal and professional life. Perfect for fostering active discussion and reflection in a collaborative classroom setting.

Skills

  • Can understand in detail a wide range of lengthy, complex texts likely to be encountered in social, professional or academic life, identifying finer points of detail including attitudes and implied as well as stated opinions.
Online Interactive
Based on CEFR
Fully Customizable
1

Read the dialogue. Discuss the following questions in pairs. Share your answers to the last question with the rest of the group.

Sean: Hey, Jack. Busy lately? Jack: Yeah, man. Crazy busy. What about you? Sean: Ugh, don't even get me started. I have so much on my plate that I feel like I never really finish anything. Just jumping from one thing to another. And then I realize it's already 6 pm and I haven't eaten yet. Jack: Oh trust me, same here. I actually have lunch meetings every day this week. Can't even take a break to eat. Sean: It's insane how we're expected to multitask all the time. Like eating while working or responding to emails while watching TV. We can't even have a peaceful meal without doing something else at the same time. Jack: Exactly. The other day, I was having dinner with my family and caught myself checking work emails under the table. They must have thought I was texting someone! Sean: Haha, I know what you mean. My kids can be talking to me, watching a video on TikTok, doing their homework, and texting their friends at the same time. Jack: That’s crazy! My brain would blow up already. I don’t know how to survive with this pace of life. Sean: Me neither.
01:01
1
What are some of the challenges Sean and Jack face in their daily lives due to being constantly busy?
2
How do Sean and Jack describe their experiences with multitasking and the inability to have a peaceful meal without doing something else simultaneously?
3
Do you think technology has made it harder for people to focus on one task at a time?
4
What do you think contributes to the feeling of always needing to be busy and productive?
2

Based on the prompts, brainstorm the advantages and disadvantages of multitasking, then complete the statements with the suggested ideas.

3

Read the article and guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context. Check your guesses in the glossary.

4

Glossary

5

Choose the correct answer to each question about the article.

6

Fill in the gaps in the sentences with the words in bold from the glossary.

7

Work in small groups

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