Lesson Topics: coolness, goodness, marketing
Skill Focus: Reading, Speaking, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours
Lesson Plan Download: cool-traits-study-upper-intermediate-072025.docx
- The lesson begins with warm-up questions about the differences between being good and being cool.
- The reading passage, at 276 words, summarizes a new study on the common traits of people labelled 'cool' in 12 countries on six continents. The study contrasts these 'cool' traits with 'good' traits to contend that coolness is a distinct concept that is recognized universally. The passage also touches on the perception of coolness on social media. Note that several of the six traits are C2-level words, so they are not part of the vocabulary focus in the lesson. Each C2-level word has been described in B2/C1-level language.
- The passage is followed by comprehension and follow-up questions.
- Next, students match vocabulary from the passage to definitions. They then form discussion questions with the target vocabulary.
- The lesson has one debate prompt about whether coolness is a quality that can be learned.
- The first speaking activity is an extended role-play in which students try to make an older political candidate sound cool to a young generation of voters. Acting as part of the candidate's media team, students prepare him for an interview with a Gen-Z podcaster. Then, students assume the role of the candidate and try to answer the interview questions.
- Next, students review a list of 15 items/people and discuss whether they think they are cool or not.
- As an additional speaking activity, students work with a branding expert and try to pair brands with celebrities.
- As the lesson draws to a close, students review two famous quotations, two vocabulary review activities, and the lesson's collocations.
- The lesson closes with some final discussion questions.
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2/C1) Lesson on a Study about Cool People
- Do you think you are cool? Why or why not?
- In this lesson, you will read about a study that tries to define what makes a person cool and what makes a person good. Before reading, think of someone you know who is cool and someone who is good. Then try to complete the table
| Cool people are… | Uncool people are… | Good people are | Bad people are… |
3) Based on these descriptions, how does being cool differ from being good?
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This lesson plan was created by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). 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
- …
- …
- A cool person might be more independent, open to new ideas, and willing to challenge the status quo, while a good person might be more traditional, calm, and focused on following rules.
- Cool people benefit society by pushing boundaries and encouraging innovation and creativity, especially in economies that value new ideas. Example: ...
- Coolness on social media is more about the visual image being shown. Once something becomes too popular (mainstream), it loses its cool status.
Vocabulary: 1-k, 2-h, 3-f, 4-e, 5-b, 6-j, 7-d, 8-g, 9-i, 10-c, 11-a
Collocation: 1-b, 2-a, 3-f, 4-e, 5-c, 6-d
[1] Sources: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-xge0001799.pdf, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jul/05/you-know-it-when-you-see-it-experts-size-up-scientists-attempt-to-define-cool
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jul/05/you-know-it-when-you-see-it-experts-size-up-scientists-attempt-to-define-cool