This lesson is part of the pack: Pushing the Limits: Risk & Human Potential. Teach it as a complete experience.
WHAT'S INSIDE
- Real-World Context: Explore the psychology and impact of risk-taking through extreme athletes, entrepreneurs, and real-life moral dilemmas.
- Vocabulary in Context: Master high-impact idioms and expressions for describing danger and decision-making, such as living on the edge, throwing caution to the wind, double-edged sword, and slippery slope, etc.
- Watching & Reflection: Analyse the story of Dean Karnazes, an ultra-marathoner who "runs through extremes," to understand the physical and mental drive behind defying the odds and pushing the human body to its breaking point.
- Critical Thinking & Reflection: Evaluate the concept of the moral crossroads—investigating where the line is drawn between heroic sacrifice (e.g., firefighters, war reporters) and reckless thrill-seeking.
- Fluency Building: Navigate "The Risk Lab," a series of high-stakes real-life dilemmas involving career gambles, financial "startup roulette," and ethical protests to practice taking the plunge or playing it safe.
- Personal Connection: Reflect on personal stories of "throwing caution to the wind", future high-stakes decisions, and the courage required to face a challenge.
Related Lessons
Explore how different generations view work, effort, and loyalty in today’s workplace. Engage with authentic videos and comments about Gen Z and changing work expectations. Practise idiomatic expressions. Through discussions, debates, and roleplays, learners critically explore whether younger employees are “entitled” or simply reacting to a changing labour market shaped by layoffs, insecurity, and shifting values.
FREE
Explore a controversial UK public health law and what it reveals about freedom, responsibility, and government control. Students watch a BBC News report on the new smoking ban, analyse its aims and implications, and debate whether such policies protect society or go too far. Along the way, they master advanced vocabulary (crack down on, turn a blind eye to, take a toll on, etc.) before putting it all into action in a dynamic roleplay and debate.
FREE
Explore the hidden dynamics behind cross-gender friendships through thought-provoking discussion and debate on attraction, stereotypes, and social context. Read and analyse an article from The Economist featuring real-world research, and examine how workplaces and cultural norms shape cross-gender relationships. Engage in structured debates using competing perspectives supported by evidence from the text.