Back in Time: Reunions
This B2 lesson looks at reunions through real personal stories. Students work with vocabulary around social dynamics, bullying, and personal change while practicing reading and discussion. The stories are a good jumping-off point for talking about identity, regret, and how relationships shift over time.
Lesson overview
- Practice advanced vocabulary for describing social experiences and emotions
- Develop reading comprehension through six authentic reunion stories
- Explore themes of bullying, social dynamics, and personal growth
- Build speaking confidence through storytelling and role-play activities
Student's Version (Light/Dark)
Teacher's Version (Answer Keys)
Printable Classroom Version (A4)
| Level | Vocabulary | Lesson Time |
| B2 / Upper-Intermediate | 12 words | 60-80 min |
Vocabulary
- Unremarkable
- Stand out
- Haunt
- Torture
- Clique
- Social pariah
- Defensive
- In retrospect
- Miss out on
- Show up
- Freaky
- Turn up
Contents
- Lead-in
- Vocabulary preview
- Vocabulary
- Reading 1
- Reading 2
- Reading 3
- Reading 4
- Reading 5
- Reading 6
- Vocabulary practice
- Storytelling
- Role-plays
- Idioms
Start with the lead-in questions on page 2 about maintaining friendships and reunion experiences. Give students 5-7 minutes for pair discussions before quick whole-class feedback.
Move to the vocabulary preview where students identify familiar words and explain them to partners. Pre-teach any unknown terms before reading. The vocabulary focuses on social dynamics and emotional experiences, which come up repeatedly in the reading texts.
The reading section is the main part of the lesson. Have students take turns reading the six reunion stories aloud, pausing after each to discuss the follow-up questions. This keeps everyone engaged and lets you check comprehension as you go. Encourage students to share similar experiences from their own lives.
After reading, complete the vocabulary practice on pages 13-14. These multiple-choice activities provide controlled practice before freer production. The storytelling activity on page 15 lets students practice narrative skills using the lesson vocabulary. Give them time to prepare mentally before sharing.
Finish with role-plays that use reunion vocabulary in different contexts. Students work in pairs to create realistic conversations between people reconnecting after time apart. This pulls together the lesson while building conversational fluency.
