The Sober Curious Lifestyle

Start class with the agree or disagree statements on page one. Give students two minutes to read all five silently, then have them move around the room and defend their opinion to at least three classmates before opening it up as a full group. This warm-up gets C1 students using hedging language and softening phrases right away, and it previews the core tension in the lesson, whether the shift away from drinking is a real cultural reset or just another wellness trend.

Move into the stats activity next. Students guess the missing numbers with a partner before you reveal the real figures. The gap between guesses and reality, nobody guesses 208 percent growth in non-alcoholic drink sales, usually sparks genuine reaction, which is exactly what you want before the vocabulary work. Go through the ten target words and phrases, checking meaning against the definitions page rather than translation. Words like permission slip and mocktail come up constantly in this kind of discussion, so spend real time here.

Play the video once for general understanding, with students focused on the walk back question on the video page. Play it again if your group needs a second listen. The summary activity works well in pairs, using the keyword prompts to rebuild the speaker’s argument from memory rather than notes.

For the second half, pick two of the three role plays based on your group’s personality. The pitch meeting suits confident speakers who like a challenge, while the family dinner role play works better for students who enjoy personal, emotional language. Close with the questions page as a full class discussion, or assign a few as homework writing prompts if class time runs short.