6 Struggles of Highly Intelligent People

This lesson is built around six short but powerful audio files, each diving into the unique struggles of highly intelligent people—awkwardness, indecisiveness, social barriers, and the trade-offs of a sharp mind. Designed for C1 students, it goes beyond passive listening by sparking deep discussions, critical thinking, and debate-driven activities like silent arguments and thought-provoking follow-ups. Expect your students to grapple with big questions: Can intelligence be a curse? Do smart people struggle more with emotions? Is the “awkward nerd” stereotype rooted in truth? Every activity is crafted to maximize speaking, challenge perspectives, and push students to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively. This isn’t just a listening lesson—it’s an intellectual workout that will get your students truly engaged.

Quote, Lead-in

This lesson kicks off with a thought-provoking quote: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss…” Students must complete the quote with their own thoughts before discussing its meaning as a class. On the next page, they’ll find five discussion questions. Feel free to go through as many as you think are necessary for your lesson.

Vocabulary preview, Definitions

Students begin with a set of 12 words. They’ll mark the ones they’re already familiar with and provide brief explanations. Then, on the next page, they’ll encounter definitions for all the words. Your role is to clarify any unfamiliar terms, offering examples where needed.

Listening, Comments

This section features six short audio clips about the struggles of being highly intelligent. Students will listen to each clip and complete a variety of tasks, including:

• Answering comprehension questions
• Completing a table
• Filling in blanks
• Expanding on ideas
• Rephrasing and making sentences more concise
• Summarizing key points using specific keywords

After listening, students will engage with a set of provocative and thought-provoking comments. They’ll read and discuss these, sharing their own perspectives.

Matching, Speaking

Students will complete a matching activity where they pair the first half of a sentence with the correct second half. Key vocabulary is highlighted throughout. To wrap up the lesson, students will brainstorm three additional struggles faced by highly intelligent people. They can work individually, in pairs, or in small groups—whichever suits your lesson best.

Silent debate

For the last activity, students will form groups and choose a statement. They’ll have two minutes to write their arguments silently—no speaking allowed. Once the writing phase is over, they’ll take turns rebutting each other’s points, building a structured debate in written form. Feel free to adapt each activity to fit your teaching style and classroom dynamics!