Spiders? Heights? Things that go “bump” in the night? This lesson is all about fear and those things that make our hearts skip a beat. Students take part in plenty of engaging discussion activities and fun tasks while they learn and practice phrases and idioms related to being afraid. Students also watch a video with facts about fear. The lesson activities and worksheets have been developed for adults and teenagers.

Lesson Objectives

To develop speaking and listening skills

To identify and extract main ideas through listening

To apply the target expressions and idioms to new situations

Video

Do you like being scared? You may not, but some people like being afraid. That’s right! Watch this video and learn what drives people to watch horror movies or take a ride on a rollercoaster.

Video Transcript

Vocabulary and Pronunciation

fight or flight [phrase]: the instinctive physiological response to a threatening situation, which readies one either to resist forcibly or to run away

kick into action [idiomatic phrase]: to start doing something quickly and effectively, especially something that you have been trained to do

crave [verb]: to want or yearn for greatly

carrot-and-stick [adjective]: characterized by the use of both reward and punishment to get cooperation

nurture [noun]: the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something

scared stiff [idiom]: very afraid or frightened

fearless [adjective]: brave; free from fear

instinctual survival response [noun phrase]: the process of a person or animal preventing itself from being harmed or killed; basic behavior in most living things

adrenaline rush [noun]: a physical feeling of intense excitement and stimulation caused by the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands

bury [verb]: to put or hide underground or to completely cover; to cause to disappear or become inconspicuous

put on a brave face [idiom]: to try to appear brave or calm

jumpy [adjective]: (of a person) anxious and uneasy; nervous

inherently [adverb]: in a permanent, essential, or characteristic way

innate [adjective]: inborn; natural

red alert [noun]: a warning that there is great danger

hair-raising [adjective]: causing terror, excitement, or astonishment

MORE LESSONS