Retiring in Your 60s: Impossible Expectation?
This advanced lesson explores changing retirement expectations and whether retiring in your 60s is still realistic. Students at the C1 level will examine financial realities, demographic shifts, and evolving retirement norms through an 883-word article and discussion activities.
Lesson overview
- Explore retirement age terminology and contemporary retirement challenges
- Practice advanced vocabulary related to financial planning and aging
- Develop critical thinking through economic calculations and comparisons
- Discuss policy implications of rising life expectancy and retirement costs
Student's Version (Light/Dark)
Teacher's Version (Answer Keys)
Printable Classroom Version (A4)
| Level | Vocabulary | Reading Time | Lesson Time |
| C1 / Advanced | 10 words | 883 words / 5 min | 60-80 min |
Vocabulary
- sensible
- fray
- usher
- eligible
- stipend
- remainder
- amass
- financial cushion
- divert
- scratch the surface
Contents
- Lead-in
- Question
- Words related to age
- Vocabulary preview
- Vocabulary
- Article
- Key statements
- Matching
- Editing
- Discussion
Start with the lead-in questions on page 2. These get students thinking about retirement before they dive into the reading. A quick pair discussion here works well. The sexagenarian quiz on page 3 is a bit of fun that also introduces age-related vocabulary they’ll see later in the article.
Pages 5 and 6 cover the vocabulary preview. Let students flag words they already know, then zero in on the ten target terms. Teaching these upfront makes the reading easier, and students will recognize them when they pop up in context. Quick concept-check questions work better than long explanations.
The article is 883 words. Students should read it on their own first, then tackle the comprehension activities on pages 8 through 11. The statements activity tests basic understanding. The editing exercises give grammar and spelling practice using sentences from the text. The matching activity on page 11 lets students use the new vocabulary in a controlled way before they have to produce it freely.
Page 12 has a pair work challenge: students calculate how much retirement savings they’d need in their own city. Give them the full three minutes. This works better when students actually do the math rather than just talk about the idea in the abstract. Finish up with the “X is the new Y” discussion on page 13, which ties back to the article’s main point about how retirement expectations are changing.
