Do you stick to your resolutions?

Abi | Dec 10, 2025Dec 09, 2025

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• engage in talking about resolutions and how to stick to objectives;
• practise phrasal verbs connected to working toward achieving goals;
• watch a video on strategies to keep your New Year’s resolutions.

In this lesson, students explore resolutions, discuss setting and keeping goals and watch a video on tips to keep New Year’s resolutions. They share their opinions and experiences, work with phrasal verbs related to achieving goals (e.g. get round to, pay off, stick to) and make resolutions specific by adding details. Students also talk about excuses for not sticking to resolutions and offer advice for overcoming personal challenges. 

WARM-UP AND VIDEO

This lesson focuses on talking about resolutions and starts with a warm-up. Students read the definition of ‘resolution’. They then look at photos of different situations (e.g. a person making a salad) and decide what each resolution might be about. Afterwards, students discuss questions where they reflect on making and sticking to resolutions. Moving on, they look at pairs of options (e.g. setting one or two goals, setting several goals) and say which one is best to make resolutions work. Following that, students watch a video on tips to keep New Year’s resolutions and check their ideas. Next, they watch the video again and complete the gaps in sentences. After that, students answer questions about the video and New Year goal-setting. 

PHRASAL VERBS AND DISCUSSION

In this part of the lesson, students read resolutions starting with ‘I want to…’ (e.g. I want to take up a new hobby). They match phrasal verbs that describe progress and goals (e.g. carry out, map out, cut down on) with their definitions. Moving on, students engage in talking about resolutions by choosing four from the previous exercise and making them more specific with added details. Afterwards, they choose the correct phrasal verb in sentences about struggling with goals and habits (e.g. I want to take up/carry out yoga, but I’ve been really busy lately). Then, students read the sentences from the previous task again and think of other common excuses people make in each case. Finally, they read comments on everyday personal challenges and respond with advice, using the target phrasal verbs from the lesson.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students complete the gaps in marketing slogans. They then decide what kind of business or company could use each slogan. 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

3

0