Discover why asking simple questions can be a strategic advantage and learn the language of effective business communication.
Main objectives of this material
- Develop advanced vocabulary related to honesty, deception and moral reasoning, including twelve expressions such as a moral grey area, a necessary evil, wilful ignorance, be economical with the truth, the lesser of two evils, a slippery slope, turn a blind eye and come clean, met in the reading text, a twelve-item matching task, four discussion questions, a first-letter retrieval exercise and the lesson glossary.
- Strengthen critical reading and discussion skills by analysing the opinion piece The Truth Is Overrated, which argues that the average adult tells a white lie once or twice a day and that truth is a value rather than the value, then ranking six everyday lies from most to least acceptable, resolving three moral dilemmas (a friend's secret, a colleague's error, a father's prognosis) and defending six deliberately unpopular statements for 90 seconds each.
- Learn and practise the language of challenging an argument using four debating moves - questioning the assumption (That assumes that...), exposing the consequence (If we follow that logic, then...), reframing (It's less a question of X than of Y) and conceding and pushing (Granted, ... but...) - to attack ideas rather than people and to revise a position out loud when the facts change.
What students are going to cover
In this lesson, students will explore whether telling the truth is always the right thing to do through the opinion piece The Truth Is Overrated, a 360-word text that defends small lies as the oil in the social machine. They build vocabulary related to honesty, deception and moral compromise through a twelve-item matching task, four comprehension questions and four discussion questions. They strengthen speaking and argumentation skills by ranking six everyday lies, debating three dilemmas and rewriting five blunt reactions with a four-move bank for challenging an argument politely. The lesson ends with The Moral Courtroom: students defend one of three case files (a doctor's diagnosis, a manager's reference, an engineer's silence) under cross-examination, then receive a sealed evidence card that forces them to reassess their position. Homework combines an eight-item retrieval exercise with a 180-220-word essay or a 90-second recorded closing statement; the package includes a teacher version with keys and sample answers, an interactive fillable worksheet and a 19-slide presentation. By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to describe a moral grey area precisely, challenge an argument without attacking the person, and defend and revise a position under pressure in fluent English.
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