Popularity in High School (Advanced Lesson Plan)

ESL/EFL Level: C1/C2 (Advanced)
Lesson Topics: high school popularity, Gen-Z slang
Skill Focus: Listening, Speaking, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours
Lesson Plan Download: high-school-popularity-rizz-advanced-012025.docx
Teacher Warning: This lesson is based on a funny YouTube video about high school popularity by ItsCbdBro. The lesson targets teenagers and it contains some informal and offensive phrases that aren't suitable for all audiences, e.g. "big booty Latinas" and "If you show up, so do the hoes." Also, at around 2:19, there's an animated character with red eyes, suggesting marijuana use. Please watch the video first before using it with your class (always do this).
Lesson Overview

  • After warm-up questions, students preview 13 vocabulary items from the upcoming video and match them to their corresponding definitions. Note that the video contains some Gen-Z slang terms like 'rizz' and 'sigma'.
  • Next, students watch the 4:29-minute YouTube video entitled "The 5 Levels of Popularity in High School." The video is narrated in AmE and the speech is a little fast. As the title suggests, the video explains the hierarchy in high school, from being a total geek to a sigma chad.
  • The video is followed by comprehension and a vocabulary-matching activity. After vocabulary matching, students form discussion questions with the target vocabulary.
  • There are three debate topics: one about the importance of popularity in high school, another about the nature of social hierarchies, and finally one about whether becoming popular is something that can be learned.
  • The next speaking activity has students build a popularity guide for a new foreign student in the school who needs to up his social game.
  • The lesson's roleplay has a married couple discuss a lack of growth from a husband and former high school chad (popular kid) who is clinging to his past.
  • Next, the lesson presents a few famous quotations on high school and popularity.
  • The lesson ends with a review of vocabulary and the video's collocations before presenting some final discussion questions.

AI-generated image of popular kid in high school

ADVANCED (C1/C2) Lesson on the Popularity in High School

Warm-up-Questions

  1. Did you look forward to or are you looking forward to high school? Why or why not?
  2. What different groups of students exist in high schools in your country? E.g. athletes, nerds, etc.
  3. Why is high school so tough for some people?

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Vocabulary Previewing: Match the bolded phrases from the today’s video to their definitions below.

  • We all know there is an invisible hierarchy in high school that…
  • no amount of rizz will get you that one super-hot Latina model chick you've stalked on Instagram...
  • What it does mean, though, is that your social game is zero…
  • the only interactions you have in school are either with a teacher or with other total geeks.
  • The people who are on this level usually project a false reality in their heads…
  • they see themselves as the secret sigmas who don't socialize with anyone…
  • you have merged into a friend group, whether intentionally or not.
  • your purpose is to be an NPC to make the party appear more lively.
  • it doesn't mean your rizz is up to par.
  • the sigma acts oblivious to the hierarchy
  • Whereas the Chad must adhere to the social structure…

1.     ____________ (v): to become part of a group or something larger

2.     ____________ (idiom): a term describing someone unimportant; a non-player character

3.     ____________ (v): to stick to or follow

4.     ____________ (n): charisma (ka-rizz-ma) or charm, especially for attracting someone romantically

5.     ____________ (phr): your ability to behave well and build relationships in social situations

6.     ____________ (adj): not aware of something, often important or obvious

7.     ____________ (adv): done on purpose

8.     ____________ (n): a system in which people are ranked at different levels of importance

9.     ____________ (v): to follow someone obsessively, often without their permission

10.  ____________ (n): the exchanges/communication between people

11.  ____________ (idiom): meeting the expected standard or level

12.  ____________ (n): independent, confident people who often exist outside usual social hierarchies

13.  ____________ (phr): to believe in an imaginary version of how things are

Note: rizz, sigma, and NPC are Gen-Z slang.

Video: Watch the below video entitled The 5 Levels Of Popularity In High School. As you watch, take note of the five popularity levels and some of the characteristics of people at each level.

Level 1:

Level 2:

Level 3:

Level 4:

Level 5

Level Infinity:

Comprehension & Follow-up Questions

1)     Recall & Retell: Retell the video’s main ideas to a partner using your own words.2)     Which of the video’s levels were you in (or will you be in) in high school?3)     In your opinion, is the video accurate?

4)     According to the narrator, how do most geeks see themselves?

5)     What comment does the narrator clarify is a joke to YouTube? Why is this necessary?

6)     What roles do Goofy Goobers play at parties? How can they reach the next level?

7)     Why does the Chad not confront the Sigma Chad?

8)     The video closes by asking people to check out another video to “know how to become a true Sigma chad.” Is being a Sigma Chad something that can be learned?

9)     How does the narrator use humor in the video? Do you think this is effective for explaining the topic?

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

hierarchy / rizz / stalked / your social game / interactions / project a false reality / sigmas / merged  intentionally / NPC / up to par / oblivious / adhere

  1. Have you ever felt like a(n) unimportant character in a social situation? When?
  2. Is your social game meeting the expected standard? How can you improve it?
  3. Where is the line between checking out people’s social media profiles and following them obsessively?
  4. On a scale of 1-10, where would you rate your charisma?
  5. The phrase “Fake it until you make it” implies believing in an imaginary version of how things are. Does faking it work?
  6. Do you think people lose their individuality when they become part of into a group?
  7. The video focuses on boys. For girls, do the same social systems of rank exist? Explain.

Speaking Activity: Debate (Pick a topic)

  • Being popular in high school doesn’t matter.
  • Social hierarchies are not natural; they are created by society.
  • Being popular is something that can be learned.

Speaking Activity: The New Kid

Situation: A new kid has arrived at your school from a foreign country. They have no idea how to fit in and become popular.

Task: With a partner, create a guide to help the new kid improve their social game. Consider slang, fashion, behavior (do’s and don’ts). When ready, present your ideas to your teacher, who will play the new kid.

Speaking Activity: Roleplay (pick a role)

Situation: Five years ago, Sherry married Chad right after high school.

Sherry: You’re frustrated with Chad. He’s stuck in his high school glory days. You’ve grown up, but he hasn’t. You’re concerned about his lack of ambition. Your talking points:

  • He doesn’t have a career and spends most of his time reminiscing about high school sports.
  • His hobbies are the same—drinking beer, hanging out with the same old friends.

If Chad isn’t willing to commit to changing, tell him that you will divorce him. d

Possible Expression: "It’s time to stop living in the past and start planning for the future."

Chad: You were the king of high school. You married Sherry, the hottest girl in school. You are living the dream.Possible expression: Remember high school? You totally got rizzed by the Rizzler. (meaning: I totally charmed you.)
(Optional) Counselor: You are a relationship counselor. Listen to the couple’s conversation and provide advice where needed.

Famous Quotations about Insurance

  • “When I look back at all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.” – Paul Simon
  • “High school is about finding who you are, because that’s more important than trying to be someone else.” – Nick Jonas
  • "The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently." – Friedrich Nietzsche

Vocabulary: Insert one of the below vocabulary items into the appropriate blank.

friction / oblivious / social game / stalk / merge / NPC / hierarchy / adhere / intentionally

rizz / interaction / project a false reality / up to par / sigmas

1.     We all know there is an invisible ________ in high school that…

2.     no amount of ________ will get you that one super-hot Latina model chick you've ________ on Instagram...

3.     What it does mean, though, is that your ________ is zero…

4.     the only ________ you have in school are either with a teacher or with other total geeks.

5.     The people who are on this level usually ___________ in their heads…

6.     they see themselves as the secret ________ who don't socialize with anyone…

7.     you have ________ into a friend group, whether ________ or not.

8.     your purpose is to be an ________ to make the party appear more lively.

9.     it doesn't mean your rizz is ________.

10.  the sigma acts ________ to the hierarchy

11.  Whereas the Chad must ________ to the social structure…

Collocation Review

1.     understanding your place2.     one tick away from

3.     your quality of life improves

4.     you are also the foundation of a great high school

5.     someone who challenges your

6.     he is still just another

a)     dramaticallyb)     function

c)     in the pyramid

d)     pawn in the endless game

e)     undisputable game

f)      shooting up the school

Final Discussion Questions

  1. How does popularity in high school affect success in life? Are they related?
  2. In life, are social skills more important than academic skills?
  3. How does high school in your home country differ from how it’s portrayed on American TV?

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

  1. ...
  2. ...
  3. ...
  4. They see themselves as "secret sigmas" who don’t socialize because they don’t want to, rather than acknowledging their lack of social skills.
  5. The comment about a student being "one tick away from shooting up the school." It’s clarified to avoid being taken seriously and to prevent YouTube from penalizing the video.
  6. They are "filler characters" who make parties appear more lively. To reach the next level, they need to do something cool to stand out, like performing a backflip.
  7. The Chad fears that challenging the Sigma Chad could harm his own popularity because the Sigma is naturally respected and not bound by the hierarchy.
  8. ...
  9. ...

Vocabulary: 1-merged, 2-NPC, 3-adhere, 4-rizz, 5-your social game, 6-oblivious, 7-intentionally, 8-hierarchy, 9-stalked, 10-interactions, 11-up to par, 12-sigmas, 13-project a false reality

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

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