ESL WORKSHEET - Relationship and Behavior

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

LOVE AT FIRST BYTE*

LinguaHouse
Feb. 2, 2024

Level: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Type of English: General English
Tags: Relationships; People and Places; Society and Change; Behavior, Feelings and Emotions; Describing Relationships; Using Computers and The Internet; Describing Trends; Developing an Argument
Publication date: 02/02/2024

* This lesson has been updated.

In this updated lesson plan, students consider issues related to online dating. The lesson includes vocabulary development, listening and speaking activities and also features an optional extension activity about using apps to find friends. Note that discussions will be general rather than personal (by Stephanie Hirschman).

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audios (Am/Br English).

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Speaker 1
(Male): My name is George and I’m forty-eight years old. I decided to try online dating because after my divorce a few years ago, I really wanted to find someone special to spend time with. The problem was that I live in a small town and my job keeps me really busy, so opportunities for dating were quite limited. I’ve had a pretty good experience overall, but it wasn’t easy at first. I was surprised that I had so few hits on my profile, but I’ve since heard from other older guys that this is pretty normal. I think this might be because middle-aged men are sometimes seen as creepy or even as possible scammers. I get the first part, but don’t ask me why older people would be more likely to use online dating to deceive other people. Anyway, after a few months, I met “the one” and we fell in love. We’re engaged now and planning our wedding next year.
Speaker 2
(Female): I’m Tabitha and I’m in my mid-twenties. I’ve recently started online dating and, to be honest, I’m only looking for a casual relationship at the moment. I don’t really expect to meet “my other half” at this point in my life. This is all new for me – when I was at university, I found I was meeting new people all the time, but now that I’m living on my own and working, it’s much more difficult. I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of attention I got when I first posted my profile - it was like, everybody noticed a new person on the app, and they all wanted to check me out. I started chatting with a couple of people online, but I was a bit annoyed when it all came to nothing – most of them ghosted me after a couple of days. Now I know what to expect and I have a much more relaxed attitude. We’ll see how it all turns out – I know lots of people find their “significant other” online eventually.
Speaker 3
(Female): You can call me Lolly and I’m thirty. My interest in online dating is totally professional – I’m an app developer working on a new website for singles. Our product is a bit different from some of the other apps on the market because we believe that matching similar people is a waste of time. Just because you like the same music or TV shows as someone else doesn’t make you compatible. In fact, it could be much more interesting to spend time with someone totally different to you – you know what they say, “Opposites attract.” The other thing we’re trying to do is provide coaching for our members so that they can present their best selves online. Most people need some help in writing their profile and choosing a photo and we suggest ways that they can use artificial intelligence to help them. Of course, we know that AI has a bad reputation, but if it’s used sensibly and openly, it has a lot to offer. It’s not all bots and scams. Anyway, I don’t have time for a partner right now, but maybe I’ll put myself on the app one day.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/love-at-first-byte. Accessed on February 6, 2024. © 2008–2024 LinguaHouse.com. All rights reserved.