Will robots replace us?

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – explore the social impact of automation and robotics through thought-provoking scenarios and critical analysis;
• – practice comprehension and critical thinking skills, categorization activities, reading comprehension, and discussion abilities;
• – watch a video about Atlas robot demonstrations and analyze how robotics can impact people’s lives through various interactive exercises.

In this Upper-Intermediate lesson plan students will explore the social impact of automation and robotics through a variety of comprehension and critical thinking exercises.

Warm-up
The session kicks off with a choice activity where students relate to thought-provoking quotes.

Video
Participants will watch a video named “Pick, Carry, Place, Repeat | Inside the Lab with Atlas.” Post-viewing, students pick which topics were mentioned in the video.

Exercises
In this part of the lesson, students will reveal the cards and look at the pictures and ask themselves how they feel about certain situations involving robots. In the second exercise, they group impacts of automation into the correct categories.

Reading
Students will read a piece discussing the risk of humanoids for humanity, followed by a Q&A session.

Discussion
To wrap up, students will discuss how robotics can impact people’s lives using words from a word cloud.