Bad Habits (Upper-Intermediate Lesson Plan)

INTERMEDIATE Lesson Plan on Bad Habits

Warm-up Questions

1. What are some things that you like to do every day?
2. What are some things that you should do every day that you don’t always?
3. What’s the best way to break a bad habit?
4. Predicting: You are about to read an article about bad habits. With a partner, try to guess what bad habits will be listed in the article.

Reading Passage: Bad Habits to Break to Improve Our Lives

1. When things don’t happen as we planned them to, we make excuses. We find convenient ways to justify why we couldn’t or wouldn’t do something. Stubbornly, we put off our plans and believe that tomorrow is more convenient than today. These excuses waste time and prevent us from making progress.
2. Interconnectivity distracts us from doing tasks efficiently. The internet is full of shallow content designed to grab our attention. After losing our attention, research by professor Gloria Mark says it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to completely return to a task. To focus on our work, we need to put away our devices. Also, people may say they are great at multitasking, but research shows that 98% of us cannot do it well.
3. We often believe that saying ‘No’ is impolite or unfriendly, so we say ‘Yes’ to everything. This can negatively affect our own personal time and happiness.
4. With the rise of social media, it has become much easier to compare ourselves to others. We often compare ourselves to images of other people’s lives that may not reflect reality. This can make us discontent.
5. Our minds are full of useless comments and judgements. When we let these inner voices control our lives, we overlook the beauty of the present moment.

[Sources: https://medium.com/personal-growth/bad-habits-you-must-break-immediately-to-build-a-successful-life-in-2018-ca7268ebc236, https://curtismchale.ca/2016/06/30/shallow-thinking-harms-productivity-learning/, some original content]

Comprehension & Follow-up Questions

1)     Recall & Retell: In your own words, tell the main ideas of the passage to a partner.

2)     What does research state about multitasking?

3)     According to the reading, how can social media make us unhappy?

4)     True or False: The article states that we need to listen to our inner voices more.

5)     Review the list. In the margin beside each point, write “That’s me / Somewhat me / Not me” based on how much the bad habit relates to your life. Afterward, discuss your answers with a partner or classmates.

6)     Do you agree with the points of the article? What points do you think are missing from the list?

Vocabulary: Match the words with their meaning based on how they were used in the article.

Pronunciation: Pronounce the above phrases with your teacher, stressing the underlined syllable.

Replace the underlined phrase with one of the vocabulary items above. Then ask the questions to a partner.

1. What have you been delaying that you ought to do?
2. Some days we wake up happy; other days we feel unhappy. What determines this?
3. In what areas of your life are you making forward movement?
4. Does focusing on goals make us lose focus from happiness?
5. What is the most expensive thing you ever bought? How did you give a good reason for buying it?

Speaking Activity: Roleplay

Task 1: Review the below list of bad habits. Select one or two that apply to you. Feel free to add your own:

social media addiction / eating unhealthily / being antisocial

substance use (vaping, alcohol, etc.) / overspending / negative self-talk / …

Task 2: With a partner, take turns roleplaying a visit to a counselor. The client’s task is to discuss their bad habit(s). The counselor’s task is to listen, ask clarifying questions, and finally provide advice. Use the below expressions in your conversation if possible:

• Let’s break this down step by step.
• Let’s explore the sources of your discontent…
• Let’s discuss how we can make some meaningful progress.

Speaking Activity: Five Good Habits (Group Work)

The article does not mention good habits. Consider the following categories: academic success, career success, physical and mental health, happiness in life

Option 1: Each group should pick one category above and spend five minutes creating a list of five good habits together. When finished, present your list to the class. –or—

Option 2: Each group can create a general list of five good habits related to any category. When finished, students present their list to the class.

Famous Quotations about Habits: Discuss the below quotes. When finished, add your own quote.

• “Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.” – Aristotle
• “Some rules are nothing but old habits that people are afraid to change.” – Therese Fowler
• “Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worse habit you could possibly have.” – Dale Carnegie
• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Will Durant
• ____________________________________________________________________________ .

Vocabulary: Insert one of the vocabulary items from the box below into a blank.

justify / discontent / shallow / progress / put off / reflect / stubbornly / multitasking / overlook / distract

Quick Collocation Review

Final Discussion Questions

• The article suggests that smartphones reduce productivity. Is this true?
• What are some ways that we can use to ‘say no’ politely?
• Does social media really make us discontent? Do you get benefits from its use?
• Many good and bad habits are about increasing our productivity. Is productivity the most important goal for people?
• Cultural Relativism: How does our culture influence our beliefs of good or bad habits? If you have experience living in another culture, what ‘good’ or ‘bad’ behaviours are viewed differently there?
• Has this lesson motivated you to change anything about your life?

This lesson plan was created by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). It was updated in March, 2025. Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. ChatGPT was used to generate answer keys and some famous quotations. For questions, contact the author.

Comprehension Question Answer Key

1. …
2. It says that most people cannot do it well.
3. It can distract us from our tasks. Once distracted, it takes about 23 minutes to focus again.
4. False – it suggests these voices stop us from functioning well.
5. The cycle refers to a cycle of procrastination and excuses that prevent us from completing our task/goal.
6. Here the author refers to the falsity of people’s public or social media profiles that do not really show who they truly are.
7. …
8. …

Vocabulary: 1-h, 2-c, 3-g, 4-j, 5-d, 6-a, 7-b, 8-i, 9-f, 10-e

Collocations 1-a, 2-f, 3-c, 4-d, 5-b, 6-e