In this lesson, students begin by exploring word formation, categorizing words that take the suffixes -ness, -less, and the combined -lessness, before using them to complete personal reflection questions (e.g., priceless, fearless, speechless). The lesson then introduces the core psychological concept of learned helplessness. Students sequence and analyze the stages of Martin Seligman and Steven F. Maier's classic experiment, distinguishing between the control group, the escapable shock group, and the inescapable shock group to understand how a cognitive expectation of unavoidable failure develops. Next, students engage with a linguistic puzzle by identifying anagrams (e.g., listen to silent) and exploring Vladimir Nabokov's creative use of anagrams as character names in his novel Lolita. Finally, learners watch a video of Charisse Nixon's classroom anagram experiment, observing how students react when given unsolvable puzzles, and discuss how this induced helplessness manifests in real-world social environments like dating, peer pressure, and childhood victimization.
PDF handout, video links, full downloadable package (RAR). Everything you need to run this lesson is ready to download — zero preparation required.
This lesson plan is designed for online ESL tutors working with adult learners at B1-C1 level. It uses a conversation-driven approach with authentic materials to keep adult students genuinely engaged throughout the session.
Looking for more ESL lesson plans for adult learners? Browse our full library of 55+ conversation-driven plans.
Browse All Lesson Plans →