Collocations: Dealing with Problems & Change

What is this lesson about? This problems & change ESL collocations lesson plan helps B1–B2 learners build practical language for discussing challenges, setbacks, and resilience. Students learn collocations such as face a challenge, find a solution, bounce back from failure, and take control through definition work, gap-fills, transformations, and speaking activities.

What language will students learn? Learners study eight essential collocations:

• Face a challenge

• Overcome a problem

• Deal with uncertainty

• Bounce back from failure

• Accept responsibility

• Learn from mistakes

• Find a solution

• Take control
  

How do students practise? The lesson develops comprehension and fluency step by step:

• Warm-up discussion questions about real-life challenges and change.

• Definition matching to clarify key problem-related terms.

• Collocation matching to build accurate usage.

• Sentence gap-fills and transformations for fluency practice.

• Tense challenge for grammar integration.

• Speaking tasks to personalise collocations through reflection and storytelling.
  

Why is this lesson useful? By the end of the lesson, learners can:

• Use natural collocations to describe stress, setbacks, and recovery.

• Build confidence in expressing resilience and problem-solving skills.

• Combine grammar, vocabulary, and fluency in one integrated flow.

• Share personal stories about overcoming adversity in English.
  

Who is it for? This lesson is designed for intermediate adult learners (B1–B2). It’s ideal for classes focused on wellbeing, personal growth, and resilience, whether online or in-person.