The ticking of the clock

Abi | Dec 13, 2024Mar 27, 2025

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• learn and practise advanced vocabulary for discussing time;
• discuss the perception of time in different situations;
• watch a video titled ‘Life lessons from a 7-thousand-mile bike ride’.

With this lesson, students explore advanced expressions related to time (e.g. beat the clock, in retrospect, time on my hands, etc.), discuss scenarios related to time (e.g. something people often realize only in retrospect) and reflect on their own experiences and preferences. They also watch a video about a man who’s been travelling by bike for a year, talk about perceptions of time and work on collocations (e.g. perpetual cycle, eternal life, finite resources, etc.). 

WARM-UP AND VIDEO

This lesson starts with a warm-up. Students read quotes about familiarity and comfort. They discuss what each quote means, choose the one that resonates most with them and explain why. After that, students practise advanced vocabulary for discussing time. They read statements and complete phrases (e.g. beat the clock, in retrospect, time on my hands, etc.) with the correct form of words. Then, students think of examples for time-related situations (e.g. a sign that it’s time to call it a day). Afterward, they read statements about personal preferences regarding travel and time. Students say if they are true for them and give more details. Following that, they watch a video about a year-long bike journey. First, students read statements and guess the correct endings. Then, they watch the video and check their answers. Next, students discuss questions about routines, curiosity, and perceptions of time.

DISCUSSION AND COLLOCATIONS

At this point in the lesson, students discuss how some activities (e.g. sitting in traffic, commuting back home, being on holiday, etc.) might influence their perception of time, making it feel like it slows down or speeds up. They also say why they think that might happen in each situation. Then, students practise more advanced vocabulary for discussing time. They read sentences about time, as understood from different perspectives, and explain what some words mean (e.g. finite, fleeting, linger, etc.). Afterwards, students use the words to complete sets of collocations (e.g. fleeting glimpses/visits/moments, memories/thoughts/smells linger, etc.). Then, they choose collocations and create sentences using their own ideas. Following that, students read the different perspectives on time from the previous task and discuss them, considering when each mindset is most effective, the outlook they value or follow most and the difficulties in maintaining them.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students read about some sleep issues and complete gaps using the target vocabulary from the lesson. Then, they choose one of the issues and give advice on what could help. 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

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