The four burners theory

Title separator

Vocabulary - life balance

talk about life balance

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • learn and practise the vocabulary related to priorities and life balance,
  • understand and extract information from a video.

Students talk about life balance and issues related to it. They also learn useful phrases like ‘keep up with’ and ‘at full blast’. Students watch a vlog about the four burners theory and discuss putting the theory into practice. 

B2 / Upper Intermediate60 minStandard LessonUnlimited Plan

WARM-UP & VOCABULARY

In this ESL lesson students talk about life balance from the start. In a warm-up activity, they answer the questions and describe their life balance. After that, students work with vocabulary related to balance and priorities. First, students match the sentence halves. Then, they find the phrases in the sentences with particular meanings (e.g. struggle with, take up, fall apart, etc.). To practise the phrases further, students discuss the statements and say if they find them relatable. They have one more discussion activity in which they talk about different stages of life. 

VIDEO & DISCUSSION

In this part of the lesson, students watch the video and talk about life balance even more. First, they read a short paragraph about the four burners theory and complete the gaps with missing words. Then, students watch the first part of the video and check their answers. Students watch the second part of the video and answer the questions about the theory. After watching the video, students express their opinions about the theory and share their own experiences. At the end of this lesson, students look at different ideas on how to make their lives more balanced and discuss them. 

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students practise the vocabulary from the lesson by correcting mistakes. They also complete the statements with their ideas. 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.

WORKSHEETS

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. [email protected]

    I won’t actually have a chance to use this lesson with the group until later this evening, but I can just look at the content, presentation of the content, density of the text, and video to believe that it will very likely succeed. Thank you for your help!

    1. Iulia

      Hi:)
      We’d be happy to hear how it went!

      1. [email protected]

        It went very well with the Friday group that I had mentioned. They are a very lively and diverse group. Then, on Sunday, I used it with an engineer who is rather serious and slightly less willing, which I had already sensed beforehand. Even so, I wanted to use this lesson again and presented it with a smile to this individual, and I would say, all things considered, he too played along with it pretty well. Thanks again! It is a teacher-friendly lesson in my opinion.

        1. Iulia

          Haha, it’s great to hear that even a less talkative student could enjoy it:) Thanks for the feedback!

  2. Mary Lima

    What a wonderful lesson! I’ve used it this week and my students found it very interesting.

    1. Justa

      That’s awesome 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment!

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
will and would for present and past habits
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min

They just won’t stop playing!

Grammar Lifestyle

Talk about toys from a critical perspective in this lesson! Students review will and would for present and past habits, practise phrases for consumer behaviour and watch a video about the popular toy Labubu.

talking about spending and saving money
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min

No-spend trend

Lifestyle

Chat about spending habits and purchase choices with this lesson! Students practise money-related phrases, watch a video about a no-spend trend and share their experiences and opinions.

have/get something done
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

I will get it checked!

Grammar Lifestyle

Discuss everyday problems and ways to get them fixed! In this lesson, students practise the structure have/get something done. They watch a video about a repair café, describe photos and share their own experiences.

talking about tattoos
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

What does your tattoo mean?

Lifestyle

Engage in talking about tattoos with this lesson! Students discuss why people get tattoos, watch part of a video where an artist shows his tattoos and share their opinions. They can also do a vocabulary activity to review useful phrases.

ESL lesson on social events
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Host with the most

Lifestyle

Talk about parties with this ESL lesson on social events! Students share their preferences and thoughts, practise useful phrases for social events and watch part of a video on hosting a party. They also role-play party situations.

speaking lesson on AI partners
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

In love with AI

Lifestyle Technology

Journey through the realm of relationships with AI! Students share their thoughts, discuss how humans interact with AI and watch a video on AI as romantic partners. They also debate AI’s impact on human connection.

ESL lesson on gossip
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

Have you heard the gossip?

Lifestyle

Talk about gossip with this engaging lesson! Students listen to a podcast on why people gossip, practise phrases related to gossip and share their views. They also role-play conversations involving gossip.

talking about accommodation
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Stay or skip? Talking about accommodation

Lifestyle

Discuss accommodation and travel experiences with this lesson! Students practise adjectives, watch a video about an Airbnb feature and share their perspectives. They also read and write reviews of different accommodation.

talking about bucket lists
B1 / Intermediate | B2 / Upper Intermediate
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

What would you put on your bucket list?

Lifestyle

Engage in talking about bucket lists with this lesson! Students discuss goals and ambitions, watch a video about a traveller visiting multiple places in a week and talk about their thoughts and experiences.

Show more lessons

Questions

Title separator

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there's no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won't be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).
Read more FAQ
Title separator

ESL Brains

Forgot password?
or continue with
Title separator
Title separator