Suffering & Epicureanism (Upper-Intermediate Lesson)

ESL/EFL Level: B2/C1 (Upper-Intermediate)
Lesson Topics: pleasure, suffering, happiness
Skill Focus: Listening, Speaking, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours
Lesson Plan Download: epicurean-suffering-upper-intermediate-012025.docx
Lesson Overview:

  • After warm-up questions, students watch a 3:03-minute video by BigThink entitled, "Why your Epicurean approach will never make you truly happy." The video is narrated in an American accent. It describes the value of suffering for personal growth and contentment. The narrator criticizes overprotective policies like those found in the education system that shield students from suffering and negative feedback.
  • The passage is followed by comprehension and a vocabulary-matching activity. After vocabulary matching, students form discussion questions with the target vocabulary.
  • There are two debate topics. One questions whether most people can obtain meaningful happiness and the other whether money can buy happiness.
  • The lesson has two roleplays. The first requires a friend to break up with her best friend so she can become happier. The second scenario has three roles. It describes the real case of Lynden Dorval, a Canadian teacher who was fired from a high school for giving his students a zero despite the school having a policy prohibiting it. One student plays the principal, another Lynden, and then finally a student president shares her opinion on the case.
  • As a final activity, students prepare a short speech to give to a high school class on strategies to find happiness.
  • Next, the lesson presents several famous quotations on suffering and pleasure.
  • The lesson ends with a review of vocabulary before presenting some final discussion questions.

An AI-generated image showing riches such as gold and champagne

UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2/C1) Lesson on Suffering & Epicureanism

Warm-up-Questions

  • What does happiness mean to you? Can you describe a moment when you felt truly happy?
  • Do you like studying philosophy? If so, what kind or what thinkers do you find interesting?
  • Do you believe that suffering helps people growth? If so, provide an example from your own experience.

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Comprehension Question Answer Key

  1. ...
  2. Mother Nature’s primary concern: Survival and the continuation of our genes by ensuring we get calories, mates, and stay safe.
  3. Definition of Epicureanism: Epicureanism focuses on avoiding sources of suffering to achieve happiness, contrasting with the common misconception that it’s about indulging in luxury or constant pleasure.
  4. Critique of the education system: Brooks suggests that we overprotect students by shielding them from disagreements or objectionable ideas, thereby denying them opportunities to experience and grow from negative emotions.
  5. ...

Vocabulary: 1-emotions, 2-threats, 3-philosopher, 4-eliminate, 5-friction, 6-suffering, 7-sources, 8-deny, 9-conflict, 10-contrast, 11-genes

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

[1] https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/edmonton-teacher-fired-for-breaking-no-zero-grading-policy-wins-appeal-1.1984000

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