Your cart is currently empty!
Back from Break — Share Your Story (A1–C2)
Break & Vacation Experiences — Interactive Lesson
Let’s share stories from your time away—places you went, people you met, surprises, and moments that stood out. You’ll practice telling engaging stories at your level and reflecting on what the experience taught you.
Lesson goals — by the end, you will be able to:
- describe where you went and what you did using clear time expressions and details;
- use natural phrases to talk about highlights, surprises, and challenges;
- read a short text about a break/trip (A1/A2/B1–B2+/C1–C2) and summarize key ideas;
- express opinions about travel, breaks, and cultural experiences;
- create a short postcard, review, narrative, or reflective essay.
Type directly into any box. Notes autosave on this device. Use Export to download your notes.
1) Questions of the Day click to open
Start your lesson with a fun and thoughtful discussion!
Click the main question to reveal it, then explore follow-up questions one by one. Each follow-up opens in its own box with space to write or reflect.
This section helps you practice expressing opinions, sharing examples, and building your speaking confidence before the main lesson begins.
Hint: New vs Familiar Q1
Full question: Do you like trying new things, or do you prefer to stick to familiar things?
Follow-up questions (open one by one):
1) What’s something new you tried recently?
2) What’s something familiar you love doing again and again?
3) Do you feel more nervous or excited when trying something new? Why?
4) Is it easier for you to try new things alone or with friends?
5) Have you ever tried something new and regretted it? What happened?
6) Do you think your comfort zone is bigger now than it was a few years ago?
7) What’s one new thing you still want to try this year?
8) Would you describe yourself more as a routine person or an adventure person?
Autosave:
Q1 key:
q1-*
Hint: Pressure vs Planning Q2
Full question: Do you prefer working under pressure, or taking your time to plan?
Follow-up questions:
1) What kind of tasks are easier for you — quick or slow ones?
2) How do you usually handle deadlines or pressure?
3) Can you remember a time you had to finish something quickly?
4) Do you think you perform better under pressure or in calm situations?
5) What helps you stay calm when you’re busy or stressed?
6) Has your attitude about stress or time pressure changed as you’ve grown older?
7) In your school life, do you think students are given enough time to do their best work?
8) Do you prefer to finish early or work close to the deadline? Why?
Autosave:
Q2 key:
q2-*
Hint: Small Wins Q3
Full question: What’s one small win from this week?
A small win is a simple success—something that made you feel good or proud. It doesn’t need to be big or important—just something that went well.
Examples:
- School: I finished my homework early.
- Work: I answered an email in English without help.
- Life: I cooked a healthy meal instead of eating out.
- Other: I went to the gym even though I was tired.
Follow-up questions:
1) What helped you do it? (Planning? Support? Luck?)
2) How did you feel afterward?
3) Is this something you want to do again next week?
4) What’s harder to notice — small wins or big ones?
5) Do you think it’s important to celebrate small wins?
6) Have you had a small win this month that you forgot to celebrate?
7) Do you think people your age focus more on wins or mistakes?
Autosave:
Q3 key:
q3-*
Your turn Q4
Optional follow-ups (open as needed):
1) Follow-up
2) Follow-up
3) Follow-up
Autosave:
Q4 key:
q4-*
2) What’s the question? form a matching question
Read the given answer, then write an appropriate question. Open Hint, Possible questions, or Model answers if you need help.
A1 Given answer: “I live near the central station.”
Use Where do you + live? Add “in the city” if needed.
- Where do you live?
- Which neighborhood do you live in?
- Do you live near downtown?
- I live five minutes from the station.
- I’m just north of the center, near the park.
A2 Given answer: “I take the metro to campus and it’s about 20 minutes.”
Transport + time: How do you get to …? / How long does it take?
- How do you get to campus?
- How long does it take by metro?
- I take the metro; it’s around twenty minutes door to door.
- Usually ~20 minutes, unless there’s a delay.
B1–B2+ Given answer: “I share a two-room flat; it’s a WG with two roommates.”
- Do you live alone or with roommates?
- What’s your housing situation like?
- I’m in a shared flat—three of us split the rent.
- I used to live alone, but I moved into a WG last year.
C1–C2 Given answer: “I’m transitioning from full-time study to a junior developer role.”
Push conversation forward: What kind of projects will you work on?
- What do you do at the moment?
- What are you moving into next?
- What sort of developer role?
- I’m joining a small team focused on web apps.
- I’ll be working across front-end and a bit of back-end.
Create Make your own “given answer”
3) Phrasebook natural travel talk
Click a phrase. Read the example, reveal the meaning, then discuss. Each area has an expandable notes box.
A1 We stayed at… / The best part was…
Example: We stayed at my aunt’s house near the lake. The best part was the bonfire at night.
Use simple past to say where you stayed and your top highlight.
Where did you stay? What was the best part?
A2 It lived up to the hype / It was overrated
Example: The waterfall lived up to the hype—it was even more beautiful than I expected.
Say if a famous place matched expectations (or not).
Name a place that was overrated or better than expected.
B1–B2+ go off the beaten path
Example: We skipped the main beach and went off the beaten path to a quiet cove the locals love.
Visit less-crowded, less-touristy places.
Share a time you avoided the crowds. Worth it?
C1–C2 recalibrate the itinerary
Example: When the storm cancelled our ferry, we recalibrated the itinerary and spent a day exploring neighborhood cafés.
Adjust plans strategically in response to constraints; higher-register alternative to “change plans”.
When did you have to make a strategic change mid-trip? What trade-offs did you accept?
C1–C2 to savor rather than sprint
Example: We chose to savor rather than sprint—one museum, one district, and a long dinner with friends.
Deliberately slow pacing to prioritize depth over quantity.
Where would a “savor” strategy create the best memories?
4) Vocabulary expand each word
Open a word. The sample sentence is always visible. Expand the panels for definition, tips, examples, and a discussion prompt. Each panel has a notes box.
A1relax
Sample sentence: On my first day off, I just relaxed at home and watched a movie.
To rest and feel calm; to do something easy and pleasant.
Common with “just” and time phrases: I finally relaxed, After lunch I relaxed.
- We relaxed by the river until sunset.
- I relax when I draw in my sketchbook.
- It took a day to relax after the long drive.
- Music helps me relax on planes.
- Let’s relax and not plan every minute.
Where do you relax best? Why?
A2itinerary
Sample sentence: We changed our itinerary when the museum was closed.
a plan or schedule for a trip
Collocations: tight/loose itinerary, draft an itinerary.
- Our itinerary includes a day trip to the island.
- Do you prefer a flexible itinerary?
- The tour sent a sample itinerary by email.
- We built the itinerary around train times.
- Rain forced us to rewrite the itinerary.
How detailed should an itinerary be?
B1–B2+detour
Sample sentence: A road detour led us to a hill with the best view of the city.
a different way to get somewhere, usually longer
Figurative: a career detour, a detour into history.
- We took a detour to avoid traffic.
- That documentary took a detour into local myths.
- A short detour brought us to a quiet beach.
- My career detour taught me patience.
- The tour made an unplanned detour for sunset photos.
When did a detour improve your plans?
C1–C2serendipity
Sample sentence: By pure serendipity, we arrived during a neighborhood festival.
the occurrence of valuable or pleasant events by chance
Adjective: serendipitous; Collocation: a serendipitous meeting.
- Serendipity led us to a family restaurant down a side street.
- Her internship came from a serendipitous chat on a train.
- The detour produced a serendipitous view of the valley.
- We met by serendipity, not by design.
- It was a serendipitous mix of timing and luck.
How can you design a trip to allow for serendipity?
5) Let’s Read pick your level
At the Lake A1
My family went to a small lake last weekend. We swam, ate sandwiches, and watched the sunset. I took many photos. At night, we made hot chocolate. It was simple, but I felt very happy.
City Weekend A2
We visited a city I had only seen in photos. On Saturday, we tried a famous market, but it was crowded and loud. Later we walked along the river and found a quiet café with homemade pie. The next day we visited a museum and a small bookstore. The best part wasn’t the famous places—it was the slow walk and the pie.
Unexpected Detour B1–B2+
Our train broke down an hour from the coast, which meant the beach day was probably over. People complained, but a local man suggested a short hike to a hill nearby. We followed him through olive trees to a view that stunned the whole group—sunlight on terracotta roofs, the sea flashing in the distance. We ate bread and tomatoes from a small shop and listened to his stories about growing up there. By the time a replacement bus arrived, no one wanted to leave. The plan failed, but the day didn’t.
Thresholds C1–C2
We didn’t plan for revelation; we planned for sun. Yet the forecast kept rewriting the script, until the trip became an exercise in humility. On the third day, rain turned the boulevard’s neon into watercolor, and we took shelter in a neighborhood library. A volunteer, amused by our soggy maps, drew a circle around streets tourists rarely notice: an immigrant bakery, a courtyard gallery, a municipal bath built a century ago. The hours that followed felt like a quiet education in belonging. Later, comparing photos, we realized the itinerary we abandoned had been the least interesting thing about the week.
Autosave:
6) Showcase (writing) A1 / A2 / B1–B2+ / C1–C2
A1Write a postcard
Use: Last week… We went to… I liked… The weather was… Next time I want…
A2Write a short trip review
Include: where/when, highlight, one problem, rating (★1–5), and a tip.
B1–B2+Write a travel narrative with sensory details
Use: at first, meanwhile, eventually, in the end, looking back.
C1–C2Write a reflective essay (op-ed style)
Argue an idea your break taught you (e.g., “planned spontaneity”). Use a hook, claim, 2–3 supports, counterpoint, and a resonant close.
7) What do you think? opinions
Choose a stance and explain why. Use examples from your break, projects, or daily life.
Statement A: Travel teaches more than school.
Statement B: The best breaks include time with zero screens.
Statement C: Taking photos can make you enjoy the moment less.
Statement D: Real rest requires saying “no” to good opportunities.
Statement E: Short, frequent breaks are better for learning than one long vacation.
Statement F: “Authentic travel” is overrated; curated experiences can teach just as much.
Make your own statement!
Make your own statement!
8) Discussion Questions start easy → deeper
Use these whether you traveled or not — vacations, projects, family commitments, volunteering, work, or a quiet reset all count.
What was the first thing you did on your break, and why?
Describe a scene using senses (what you saw, heard, smelled).
What local food or drink did you try—or cook at home—for the first time?
Who made your time off better (friend, family, stranger)? How?
What went wrong—and how did you adapt?
If you stayed home, what project or habit did you focus on?
Did you help someone (childcare, elder care, community)? What did you learn?
What skill did you practice (language, sport, music, tech)? How did you track progress?
Share a book, film, podcast, or game that shaped your thinking.
How did you balance rest and productivity?
What boundary did you set (with work, family, or yourself) and was it effective?
Describe a conversation that changed how you see something.
What did you remove from your routine that you don’t want back?
What value (e.g., curiosity, generosity, discipline) showed up most in your break?
What’s one decision you’d make differently next time—and why?
Share What You Learned — Join the Discussion
Students, teachers, and visitors: please add a comment sharing something you learned, created, practiced, or a question you still have. Your note helps everyone learn from each other.
If you’re not currently a student, you can still post your answers or any questions in the comments section on the page, and either myself or the community will respond.
If you’d like personalized lessons, feel free to sign up. I look forward to helping you reach your goals!
Leave a Reply