Why we should feel sorry for high achievers

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – Learn words about success and achievement including “undertake,” “acclaim,” and “self-suspicion” while exploring what drives high performers in this C2 lesson plan.
• – Watch videos about achievement psychology and discuss the downsides of perfectionism for adult English lessons.
• – Share personal perspectives on success through meaningful conversations and quote analysis using these English teaching materials.

In this C2 lesson plan, students will develop a clear understanding of what it means to be a high achiever. They will also be able to discuss the downside of being a high achiever.

Warm-up

The lesson starts with a quote about success by Michael Jordan. The student reads it, discusses its meaning, and shares their thoughts on success.

Video: Why we should feel sorry for high achievers

The student watches the video Why we should feel sorry for high achievers, and completes a list of high achievers’ common characteristics. They also discuss the downsides of being a high achiever. New words are extracted from the video for the student to match them with their meanings and practice using them in sentences (undertake, acclaim, self-suspicion, etc.).

The student learns about famous people’s successes and failures by matching their pictures with the examples.

Finally, they share their opinion about high achievers and why they think we should feel sorry for them.