🌀 What’s on Your Dopamine Menu?
🎯 Goal of the lesson
To explore the concept of dopamine, its impact on our daily habits, and how to regulate our reward system for better mental well-being. Students will reflect on their personal habits, build topic-specific vocabulary, and engage in critical discussions through real-life video input.
⏰ Duration
60–75 minutes
👥 Target group
 Teens and adults
📦 What’s included in the lesson?
🗣️ Warm-up discussion:
Engaging questions about dopamine, instant gratification, and lifestyle trends like dopamine fasting.
✅ Vocabulary & concepts:
Key terms such as craving, reward pathway, overabundance, and dopaminergic stimulation explained and matched to definitions.
🎥 Two video tasks:
Dopamine Fasting – a short video analysis with fill-in-the-gap and true/false comprehension exercises.
The Dopamine Menu – a deeper dive into categorizing everyday activities by their dopamine impact, with follow-up reflection.
🧠 Idioms:
Students learn expressions like chase the high, burn out, a quick fix, and in the long run through matching and contextual practice.
🔁 Phrasal verbs and collocations:
Build natural-sounding vocabulary with phrases like recharge your batteries, boost your mood, cut down on stimulants, and more.
📝 Discussion questions
Critical thinking prompts on modern-day stimulation, lifestyle habits, and the science behind motivation.
✅ Answer key included
💬 Why teachers love it:
✔️ Ready-to-use, zero prep
✔️ Combines neuroscience and wellness themes in a practical, student-centered format
✔️ Stimulates deep discussion with real-world relevance
✔️ Great blend of vocabulary building and listening skills