PREVIEW ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.

Giving Birth In Your 20s Vs. Your 30s (B2)

Work with a partner, group, or your teacher. Do the activities below together.

PART 1 Discuss the questions below about giving birth and having children.

1 What factors are important to consider when deciding whether

to have a child?

2 What are the advantages and disadvantages of having children?

3 How does life change after becoming a parent?

Discuss whether you agree (A), disagree (D), or partially (P) agree / disagree with the
PART 2
statement below about having children. Explain why.

A D P
It’s better to have a child in your 30s instead of your 20s.

PART 3 Choose the correct gerunds that fit each definition. One is not used!

Miscarrying Ovulating Raising Fertilizing Conceiving

1 a child refers to the process of parenting, providing

for, and taking care of a child throughout his/her childhood.

2 is when a woman loses a child during pregnancy.

3 refers to a couple successfully forming a baby together.

4 refers to a woman producing an egg from one of her ovaries

during her menstrual cycle.

If you know any of the words below, define them out loud. If you don’t know them,
PART 4
translate them to your native language, and then define them out loud.

WORDS TRANSLATIONS

1 ovary (n.)
2 fertility (n.)
3 menopause (n.)
GIVING BIRTH IN YOUR Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
20s vs. YOUR 30s Giving Birth In Your 20s Vs. Your 30s (B2)

PREVIEW DISCUSSION: Read the discussion topic

below and discuss it with your partner or teacher.

Think about the country / area where you live.

What would you say is the average age people
are having children?

VIEWING ACTIVITY
Tick () whether each statement from the video below applies to women who have
PART 1
kids in their 20s or 30s.

20s 30s
1 Women are generally more fertile with higher chances of conceiving.

2 Women are generally more likely to live longer.

3 Women have a lower chance of miscarrying.

4 Women have better health, higher energy, and better fitness.

5 Women earn a lower income over their lifetime.

6 Women are more likely to have twins.

PART 2 Discuss / Write answers to the questions according to the information in the video.

0:01 1 What is the new trend American moms are starting?

2:19 2 What benefit is there for children who are born to mothers in their 30s?

2:40 3 What do older women have higher levels of? What does this do?
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
Giving Birth In Your 20s Vs. Your 30s (B2)

PART 1 Discuss the questions below.

1 Why do you think women in some countries are starting to have

children at older ages today compared with the past?

2 What do you think about the idea of having twins?

3 What do you think about the idea of having kids at age 40+?

PART 2 Choose the correct gerunds that fit the sentences below. One is not used!

raising fertilizing conceiving miscarrying ovulating

1 The average cost of a child in the USA is $230,000.

2 Between the ages of 20 and 24, women have an 86% chance of

after trying for a year. Women in this age group also have a lower chance of
.

3 Old women produce high levels of a hormone called FSH near menopause,
which can lead to . This means that women in their 30s have a
higher chance of having twins.

PART 3 Read the quote from the video out loud and then discuss the questions below.

“
Whether having twins is a benefit, that’s up to you. But one thing’s for sure,
whether you have kids at 21 or 35, you will never be the same again.”

1 What part of speech is whether in the sentences above?

2 What do you think the function/usage of whether is in the sentences above?
Can you notice any difference in usage in the first and second sentence?
 POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
Giving Birth In Your 20s Vs. Your 30s (B2)

PART 1 Study the example and usage of the conjunction whether.

When talking about twins at the end of the video, the narrator says...

“ Whether having twins is a benefit, that’s up to you. But one thing’s for sure,
whether you have kids at 21 or 35, you will never be the same again.”

In the first sentence, whether is used to state two opposite conditions and then the factor it
depends on. You could also say: Whether having twins is a benefit or not depends on you. In the
second sentence from the video, whether is used a little differently. It is used to make a state-
ment that is true no matter which of the two alternatives you’re considering.

Whether having a child is scary often depends on how prepared you are.
NEXT EXAMPLES
Whether you have a son or a daughter, parenting will never be easy.

Match the first clause of each sentence from the box that fits the context. One is not
PART 2
used!

a. having a job during pregnancy is practical d. children grow up to have good morals
b. having one or two children is more practical e. giving birth to a boy or a girl is harder
c. children grow up to be physically fit f. giving birth after the age of 40 is possible

1 ____ Whether depends on the children’s diet and exercise habits.

2 ____ Whether depends on how the parents teach and raise them.
3 ____ Whether depends on the woman’s work circumstances.
4 ____ Whether depends on the parents’ financial situation.
5 ____ Whether depends on the woman’s fertility health.

PART 3 Write two different alternatives that could fit the context of each sentence below.

EX Whether you have a son or a daughter , parenting will never be easy.

1 Whether you , you will eventually have an argument

with your sibling.

2 Whether you , you can raise good children. Money is

important but it isn’t everything.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 3 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
Giving Birth In Your 20s Vs. Your 30s (B2)

Q & A TASK:

Work with your partner/teacher. Take one of the roles below. Take turns asking each other
your questions below. Answer each question starting with the conjunction whether.
Student A starts.

EX
Q Do you think that having twins is a benefit?
A Whether having twins is a benefit, that’s up to you.

STUDENT A

1 Do you think that it’s easier to have a son or a daughter?

2 Do you think that having a child is scary?
3 Do you think that having one or two children is more practical?

STUDENT B

1 Do you think having a job during pregnancy is practical?

2 Do you think that giving birth after the age of 40 is possible?
3 Do you think you’re more likely to have an argument with a brother or a
sister?

SPEAKING TASK:

Discuss the topics with your teacher or partner. In your discussion, explain your ideas in
detail. Try to answer at least one of the questions using the conjunction whether.

1 Do you think living in an apartment or a big house is

better for a young child?

2 Do you think raising a child in a big city or in the country-

side is better for a child?

3 Do you think that sending a child to public school or home-

schooling the child is better for the child’s education?
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
Giving Birth In Your 20s Vs. Your 30s (B2)

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART 1 Questions. Answer the questions below about the video.

1 What are the differences between having children in your 20s versus your 30s?
2 What benefit is there for children who are born to mothers in their 30s?
3 What do older women have higher levels of? What does this hormone do?

Vocabulary: Define each vocabulary term below. Then write / say a sentence out loud
PART 2
using each word. Make your sentence somehow connected to giving birth.

1. fertility

2. menopause

PART 3 Vocabulary: Write the gerunds that fit the sentences from the video below.

1 The average cost of a child in the USA is $230,000.

2 Between the ages of 20 and 24, women have an 86% chance of

after trying for a year. Women in this age group also have a lower chance of
.

3 Old women produce high levels of a hormone called FSH near menopause,
which can lead to . This means that women in their 30s have a
higher chance of having twins.

PART 4 Grammar: Write the missing clauses that fit the sentences from the video below.

Whether , that’s up to you. But one thing’s for sure,

whether , you will never be the same again.

Grammar: Write two of your own sentences on the topic of having children,
PART 5
parenting, giving birth, or pregnancy using the conjunction whether.

1.

2.