ESL WORKSHEET - Laziness and intelligence

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

SMART BUT LAZY

LinguaHouse

Feb. 10, 2025

Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2-C1)
Type of language: General English
Tags: Describing Feelings and Behavior; Psychology; Paraphrasing and Explaining; Analyzing Case Studies; Article Based; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old
Publication date: 02/10/2025

This updated lesson takes a look into the concept that laziness and intelligence are related. Students will first read an article that traces the link between the two characteristics and then students will listen to someone talking about a selection of clever inventions that are perfect for people who are a little bit lazy. Throughout the lesson, students will be introduced to new and interesting vocabulary and there will be opportunities for them to personalize the new expressions in discussion activities. (by Peter Clarkin)

• 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/listen to the audio 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 audio in British English.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Host: Hello everyone and welcome to Intelligent Inventions. On today’s episode we are going to look at some inventions that while totally brilliant might have also made us become a little bit lazier at the same time.
As renowned author Agatha Christie once put forward it is perhaps not "necessity" that is the mother of all invention, but in fact invention arises "from idleness, possibly also from laziness". So, time to find out and look at three wonderful examples of inspired intelligence.
The motorized ice-cream cone may sound like a bit of a mouthful, but it is one that will let you enjoy some delicious mint-choc chip with the minimum of effort. As the name suggests, the plastic cone has a little motor in it which turns the ice cream around while you lick, allowing you to just kickback and embrace your idleness.
Do you ever find yourself chilling out on the sofa, binging through another Netflix boxset when you suddenly hear a rumble from deep down in your stomach? Turns out you are hungry, but you are a lazy layabout and therefore don’t have the energy to make anything, so what are you going to do? How about a Candwich? That’s right you heard me correctly, a Candwich. As the name suggests, a Candwich is a sandwich in a can and perfect for when you can’t be bothered to walk from the living room to the kitchen.
Chances are that after your Candwich you will be feeling a bit thirsty, a little bit parched, but thankfully this time you have thought ahead and you have got your bottles of beer ready, the problem is that you forgot the bottle opener. That is when you realize that you need to get yourself a Bottle Opener Remote Control, an idea so smart that it managed to take two essential items and mold them together into a gadget that you can never live without.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/smart-but-lazy. Accessed on March 5, 2025. LinguaHouse.com © 2008–2025. All rights reserved.