Finding Direction in Your 20s
This B2 lesson helps students talk about feeling uncertain in their twenties and the pressure to have life figured out. They learn vocabulary for emotions and life choices, watch a video about navigating your twenties, and discuss topics like social media comparison and procrastination. Most students connect with this one right away because the theme is so relatable.
Lesson overview
- Learn twelve vocabulary words related to life direction, emotions, and decision-making
- Watch a five-minute video about feeling lost in your twenties and discuss key quotes
- Practice replacing everyday words with target vocabulary in context sentences
- Share personal experiences and advice about handling uncertainty and setting goals
Student's Version (Light/Dark)
Teacher's Version (Answer Keys)
Printable Classroom Version (A4)
| Level | Vocabulary | Lesson Time |
| B2 / Upper-Intermediate | 12 words | 60 min |
Vocabulary
- uncertainty
- societal expectations
- long-lasting consequences
- have it all figured out
- intimidated
- sense of belonging
- roller coaster of emotions
- embrace
- pursue
- go all in
- take it slow
- wander around
Contents
- Lead-in
- Agree or disagree
- Discussion
- Vocabulary
- Video
- Discussion
- Practice
- Listening
- Speaking
- Comments
- Books
- Transcript
The lead-in question asks whether your twenties really are the best years of your life. Let students think for a minute before sharing. Follow up with the agree or disagree statements about career paths, passion versus stability, and faking confidence. These tend to split the room, which is exactly what you want. The discussion question about someone who seems to have it all figured out usually gets honest responses too.
Before the video, work through all twelve vocabulary words across the two matching slides. Words like “uncertainty,” “long-lasting consequences,” and “societal expectations” appear on the first page, while “roller coaster of emotions,” “go all in,” and “wander around” come on the second. Have students match definitions first, then use each word in a quick sentence. Pay attention to “intimidated” and “embrace” since B2 students sometimes confuse their exact meanings. Once the vocabulary feels solid, play the video. At five minutes long, you might want to pause halfway and check understanding before continuing.
After the video, go through the five discussion prompts with quotes pulled directly from it. These cover social media pressure, procrastination, and staying hopeful during hard times. Students usually have a lot to say here, so budget at least ten minutes. Then move to the vocabulary replacement exercise where students swap bolded words in twelve sentences with the target vocabulary. This is trickier than it looks because some words fit more than one gap, so encourage students to read the full sentence carefully.
End with the listening activity and speaking task. Students listen to an audio extract and note the speaker’s suggestions for handling feeling lost. After comparing notes, they expand on those ideas with their own experiences and examples. This final activity ties everything together and gives students a chance to use the new vocabulary in a personal, meaningful way. If time allows, the YouTube comments section on the last slide makes for a casual closing discussion.
