Lesson Topics: social mobility, social class
Skill Focus: Listening, Speaking, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 2 hours
Lesson Plan Download: social-mobility-habitus-advanced-lesson-112025.docx
- The lesson begins with warm-up questions about class and social mobility.
- Next, students watch a 3-minute video (TikTok or Instagram link provided) by Jay Choyces. In it, he summarizes Pierre Bourdieu's theory of Habitus, the idea that the groups we are raised in result in ingrained behavioral patterns that influence our social mobility. The video's author also provides an example of habitus from his own life. Note that the video's pace is fast in typical TikTok style.
- The video is followed by comprehension questions.
- For vocabulary, students match 11 terms from the video to definitions and then use them to create discussion questions to ask a partner.
- The lesson has one debate topic about social mobility.
- Next, students try to classify certain behaviors and possessions into social categories -- lower, middle, or upper-class.
- Because the video contains many informal idioms and expressions, the lesson has a bonus section asking students to identify informal idioms and then match them to definitions. Later, throughout the roleplays, students are encouraged to use these expressions along with the lesson's regular vocabulary.
- The lesson has two roleplay scenarios. The first is set between a married couple who are debating whether to send their daughter to public or private school. The second is between a couple who are struggling with class-based challenges in their relationship.
- After famous quotations, students review the lesson's collocations and vocabulary.
- Finally, the lesson ends with some final discussion questions.
ADVANCED (C1/C2) Lesson on Habitus
Warm-up Questions
- Describe a time when you felt out of place in a social setting. Why did you feel that way?
- Are you from the lower, middle, or upper-class? Why do you say so?
- What helps people move up in society: money, education, or appearance, something else?
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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
- It explains habitus—how class is formed by unconscious social behaviors and why success involves more than money or education.
- Because it works in hidden, subtle ways; people don’t see it happening but still feel its effects.
- He views elite schools as a way to control socialization, not just learning—showing how class habits are passed on.
- It shows how familiarity in manners and behavior can make someone accepted by an elite group despite race or background.
- Habitus can’t be taught quickly; it develops naturally through long exposure to certain environments.
- Don’t look for shortcuts—spend time in new settings to slowly build genuine confidence and social ease.
Vocabulary answer key: 1-j, 2-c, 3-e, 4-i, 5-a, 6-g, 7-k, 8-f, 9-d, 10-b, 11-h
Informal language: (Answer key: 1–hate to break it to you, 2–clock, 3–can’t put your finger on, 4–Mind you, 5–the thing is, 6–better off, 7–my DMs were blowing up, 8–this is just all to say)
Collocations: 1-a, 2-h, 3-b, 4-I, 5-f, 6-g, 7-c, 8-d, 9-e