Adult ESL Lesson: Problems, Advice, and Suggestions (Intermediate)

This intermediate adult ESL lesson features warm-up questions and a reading passage, followed by a critical thinking activity and discussion questions.

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Problems, Advice, and Suggestions

• • What personal problems do you have right now?
  • What problems have you had in the past?
  • Have you ever asked anyone for advice about your personal problems? Who did you ask? What did they suggest?
  • Has anyone ever asked you for advice about a personal problem?
  • What was their problem? What did you suggest?

Read about eight people and their personal problems:

1. 1. John can’t sleep at night. He has tried to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, but he can’t. He often has trouble sleeping at night. When he finally can sleep, it is usually very late, so he feels tired the next day.

2. 2. Susan doesn’t have enough free time to be with her boyfriend. She and her boyfriend both work at the hospital. The problem is, they both work different shifts at different times. This makes it hard for them to find time to be together.

3. 3. Gary wants a promotion and a raise at work. Gary has worked at the same company for ten years. He likes his job but he feels he is ready for more responsibility.

4. 4. Barbara wants to get better grades in school. She gets B’s right now in most of her classes at high school. She would like to get A’s.

5. 5. Peter wants to learn how to drive. All his friends learned how to drive at driving school. Now, they all have their driver’s license and he feels a little jealous.

6. 6. Kathy wants more privacy at home. She lives with her parents and her younger brother and sister. She has to share a bedroom with her sister and she feels like she doesn’t have enough privacy.

7. 7. Michael wants to quit smoking. He is thirty-two years old and has smoked for fifteen years. He usually only smokes when he goes out with his friends and after he has dinner. He likes to have a cigarette at these times.

8. 8. Jerry wants to lose weight. He is one hundred eighty centimeters tall. He weighs one hundred and ten kilograms. He would like to weigh ninety kilograms.

Who has which problem? Write their name next to their problem:

School grades:
Overweight:
Driving:
Smoking:
Schedule problems:
Work:
Privacy:
Insomnia:

Can you think of some advice for these people? How can they solve their problems? Write your suggestions and advice below:

Advice for John:

Advice for Susan:

Advice for Gary:

Advice for Barbara:

Advice for Peter:

Advice for Kathy:

Advice for Michael:

Advice for Jerry:

Discussion Questions:

1. 1. How much sleep do you usually get each night?
   2. Do you ever have trouble sleeping? What do you do about it?
   3. Do you have enough free time?
   4. How do you usually spend your free time?
   5. What indoor activities do you like to do?
   6. What outdoor activities do you like to do?
   7. Did you ever get a promotion or a raise at work?
   8. Would you like to have more or less responsibility in your life? Why?
   9. How were your grades in school? Do you like to take tests? Why?
   10. Which subjects were your favorites? Why?
   11. Which subjects didn’t you like? Why?

12. 12. Do you know how to drive? How did you learn?
    13. Do you like driving? Why?
    14. Do you have enough privacy?
    15. Did you ever have to share a bedroom?
    16. Do you know anyone who smokes? How do you feel about smoking?
    17. Why do people smoke? Why is it hard for smokers to quit?
    18. How much do you weigh? How tall are you? Are you overweight, underweight, or are you just right?