Lesson

How to Succeed? Get More Sleep. – A TED ESL Lesson

This is another TED ESL lesson, utilizing the wonderful free resources available from TED to teach students English. This video features Arianna Huffington talking about feminism, sleep, and work. There’s plenty for your students to discuss, and the vocabulary she uses is very basic – although she does talk quite fast.

Before starting the lesson, read the following comic and consider what it means:

To begin with, discuss the following with a partner:

Discuss

What are some common problems in the work place?
What prevents people from achieving success?
What can people do to be more productive?
How does stress impact the economy?

Before watching the video, here are the most difficult words Arianna uses:

Vocabulary

Deprived Exhaustion

Feminist Brag

One-upmanship Hyper-connected

Crisis/crises Faint

Now watch the video and take notes:

Comprehension Questions

What made her rediscover the value of sleep?
What is unfortunate for men?
Why are leaders making terrible decisions?
Why would Lehman Brothers benefit from having more women?
What are the benefits of sleep, according to Arianna Huffington?

Having watched the video, discuss the issues with a partner:

Final Discussion

Do you agree with Ariana Huffington? Why? Why not?
Does sleep-deprivation affect you or other students?
How many hours of sleep per night do people need?
Why is sleep so important to productivity?

David S Wills

I am a writer, editor, and educator. I have written various books on mid-20th century American writers and a few on grammar and IELTS preparation. I have been in the education field since 2008 and have worked in various countries. I started this website to share some ideas and resources to help my fellow teachers.