Bridging the generational divide

Richard | Feb 15, 2026Feb 12, 2026

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this ESL lesson on ageism are to:

• talk about age, work and generational stereotypes;
• practise expressions for workplace attitudes and experiences;
• watch a video excerpt on different generations working together.

In this lesson, students explore proverbs and sayings, examine some facts about age and work and compare them to how it is in their country. They learn phrases for attitudes and experiences at work (e.g. feel misjudged by, feel entitled to, favour stability), share their opinions and discuss workplace stereotypes related to age. Students watch part of a video (00:54–03:55) about different generations, reflect on generational misunderstandings and talk about ageism in the workplace. 

WARM-UP AND USEFUL PHRASES

This ESL lesson on ageism starts with a warm-up. Students read statements related to age and different generations (e.g. An old broom knows the dirty corners best.). They explain what they think each one means. Then, students share the one they like most and why. Moving on, students examine some facts about age and work from the US and UK. They say whether they find them surprising and compare them to how it is in their country. Following that, students match the halves of sentences about perceptions of different generations at work. They then explain what some useful phrases (e.g. make a difference, taking on, adjust to) mean. Following that, students look at the sentences from the previous task again. They say whether they believe they are more about younger or older workers and justify their choices. Next, students discuss questions about workplace stereotypes about age. 

VIDEO AND DISCUSSION

At this point in this ESL lesson on ageism, students watch the first part of a video about different generations. They summarize what the organization in the video does and how they do it. Then, students predict answers to questions about misunderstandings between generations. Next, they watch the next part of the video and check their answers. Following that, students discuss questions about age stereotypes and ageism at work. Afterwards, they practise the target phrases from the lesson and complete words in statements about age bias at work. After that, students discuss each statement and say whether they think it is an example of ageism or not. Finally, they examine different items (e.g. age discrimination policies, ageist job adverts, ageist language) and discuss what they know about each. Students give examples from their own experience or from people they know.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This ESL lesson on ageism also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students unscramble target words from the lesson. They then match statements with their responses. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.

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