SHOULD YOU

TAKE A GAP
YEAR?
A few days before the class, assign the pre-class online activities.
Link: Should you take a gap year?: Pre-class activities

A gap year is a break before or after university during which students

engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as
travel or some type of regular work.

1.>Lead-in Ask and answer the questions with a partner.

1. Do students in your country go directly to university or college after

school or do they have a break first?
2. Do you think taking a year off is a relatively new trend?
3. In which countries is taking a gap year popular?

2. Vocabulary Match the gap-year experiences to the correct photo.

volunteer do an internship
work as an au-pair backpack abroad

1.volunteer 2.backpack abroad 3.do an internship 4.work as an au-

pair
How can each of these experiences be beneficial for a young person?
What can they learn and what skills can they develop?
Which type of experience might be the most beneficial for their future
career?

3. Speaking Imagine you need to plan your gap year. Decide:

1. What kind of experience you would like to do? (Why?)

2. In which country would you like to do it? (Why?)
3. What would you like to visit?
4. How are you going to fund your stay?
4. Pre-listening Choose the correct meaning of the expressions in bold.

1.One way to get outside of your comfort zone is to expand it by trying

new things.
to get outside of your comfort zone means:
A) do something new and maybe difficult
B) do something you have done many times before

2.It's up to you whether to volunteer, do an internship, or travel.

It's up to you means:
A) it is not your choice
B) it depends on you

3.He knew he didn't want to become a lawyer like his parents and was
brave enough to be different and swim against the stream.
to swim against the stream means:
A) to do something different than what's commonly accepted
B) to accept an opportunity

4.After studying and taking exams for years, it's nice to take a breather
for a while.
to take a breather means:
A) to breathe slowly and deeply
B) to have a rest

5.My uncle offered me a trip to Europe, so I seized the opportunity.

to seize the opportunity means:
A) to stop what you are doing
B) to take advantage of a chance

6.Learning a language abroad is a great way to boost your resume.

to boost your resume means:
A) to make your CV better
B) to make your CV longer

7.I've been very productive lately and it's important not to lose
momentum now when the deadline is getting closer.
to lose momentum means:
A) to move faster
B) to move more slowly

Bonus:
YOLO = you only live once; used to express the view that one should
make the most of the present moment without worrying about the future.

FOMO = fear of missing out; refers to the feeling that others are having
more fun, living better lives, or experiencing better things than you are.
 Complete the sentences below with 1 word from ex. 4
5. Practice Then discuss with a partner how true the statements are for
you/how much you agree with the statements.
Give reasons and examples.

I love to get 1. out of my comfort zone and try new and adventurous
things.

Taking a gap year before going to university is a great way for students
to 2. boost their resume and make it much easier for them to find a
good job after graduation.

A gap year might make you lose 3. momentum and make it more
difficult to go back to school.

If I could go back in time and take a gap year, I would definitely 4. seize
the opportunity.

If you depend on your parents financially, it's not 5. up to you whether

or not you can take a gap year or not

You are going to watch a video "You should take a gap year in
6. Listening: A 2022 and here is why". Watch the first part of the video (0:00-
1:02) and answer the questions:

1. Who is this video for? for people who are unsure about
Video:
what to do after finishing high-school
2. What is the definition of a gap year? a period of time taken
between high-school and university
3. What do people do during a gap year? some form of
travelling or other work

Listening: B Watch the second part of the video (1:02-3:51) and write down at
least 5 benefits of taking a gap year:
1.learning what you want to get out of life
2.learning more about yourself and what you are capable of
3.meeting new people
4.learning a new language
5.getting out of your comfort zone
6.earn a lot of money
7.grow up and become more mature
8.boost your resume
9.step away from the expectations of family, friends and society
 Watch the third part of the video (3:52-5:30).
Listening: C
Write down at least 3 cons of taking a gap year:
1.you may forget certain study habits
2.you are a year behind your peers
3.you are going to have FOMO
4.<you might lose interest in going to college
5.it can be expensive
What is the speaker's final advice?
a gap year right now is kind of perfect

Complete the extracts from the video with the correct

7. Extension
prepositions. Then watch the video again and check your
activity
answers.

away in down up out in on to

I ended 1. up changing degrees in my second year and I managed

2. to graduate.

You won't be happy being surrounded by people who are only

doing something because they don't want to let someone 3. down.

It is a nice breather to figure your life 4. out and what you want to
get out of life. It is a chance to grow up and become more mature.

Figure out who you are and step 5. away from the expectations of
your parents, your friends and even society.

Bear 6. in mind that a lot of students don't necessarily finish their

degrees in the allotted time.

You might ultimately lose interest 7. in going to college.

It can be expensive depending 8. on which gap year option you

take.

8. Speaking Role play. Work in pairs. Role-play the situation below.

Student A: You are about to Student B: You are a parent of a

finish high-school. You want to
do a gap year. Think about what
you want to take and try to
convince your parents it is a
good idea.
teenager, You believe a gap year
is a waste of time. Try to
convince your child a gap year is
not a good idea.
9. Reflection What would you like to take from this lesson?
and feedback Complete the table below. After that your teacher will give
you some feedback.

A) New vocabulary: B) Pronunciation: C) Error correction:

write 5 (or more!) write the words from write the mistakes your
words or expressions this lesson that you teacher corrected
from this lesson you find difficult to (e.g. expressions you
would like to pronounce. translate from your
remember and use in language that are actually
the future. different in English;
prepositions etc.)

1. ..................................
2. ..................................
3. ...................................
4. ....................................
5. ....................................

Research one of the topics below.

10.1.Homework
Pre- Report your findings to your teacher in the next class.
listening.
1. Ways to fund a gap year
2. Ways a gap year can help your future career
3. Gap year programs

11. Keep Keep learning outside of the classroom!

1. Pre-
learning! To reinforce and enrich the vocabulary from this class, check the
listening. "additional resources" section (videos and articles) here:

LINK TO ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES