Role Models & Ambitions

Goal: Use advanced expressions to discuss ambition, admiration, and personal values with confidence and fluency.

1. Warm-Up (3 min)

Questions (answer in full sentences):

• Who do you look up to most in your life? What qualities make them admirable?
  Sample answer: “I look up to my grandmother. She devoted herself to education at a time when women had very few opportunities.”

• What is an ambition you’ve already fulfilled or would like to fulfil in the future?
  Sample answer: “I’ve always wanted to work in the non-profit sector to raise awareness of social issues.”

🗣️ Mini follow-up:
Do you think having role models is necessary for success, or can people succeed entirely on their own?

2. Presentation (5 min)

Expressions & Examples:

• Campaign for/against (something) → actively support or oppose a cause

  “They campaigned for women’s rights in the early 20th century.”

• Come up against (a difficulty) → face a serious obstacle or resistance

  “He came up against strong opposition when he tried to reform the system.”

• Devote yourself to (something) → commit time, energy, and passion to something meaningful

  “She devoted herself to improving education in rural areas.”

• Fulfil an ambition → achieve a personal or professional goal you’ve worked hard for

  “After years of research, he finally fulfilled his ambition to publish his book.”

• Look up to (someone) → deeply respect and admire someone

  “Many young athletes look up to him for his discipline and perseverance.”

• Raise awareness of (something) → increase public understanding of a cause or problem

  “The organisation raises awareness of mental health issues among teenagers.”

• Role model → a person whose behaviour or achievements are admired and imitated

  “She’s a role model for aspiring female scientists.”

• Take on a challenge → accept a difficult or demanding task

  “He decided to take on the challenge of starting his own business abroad.”

• Think highly of (someone) → have a strong positive opinion of someone’s character or work

  “Her colleagues think highly of her professionalism.”

• Throw yourself into (something) → engage in something with great enthusiasm and energy

  “After graduation, she threw herself into environmental activism.”

💬 Mini task:
Say one or two sentences about someone you admire, using at least two of these expressions.

3. Controlled Practice (6 min)

Choose the correct phrase to complete each sentence:

1. After years of volunteering, she finally ____ her goal of opening her own charity.
   (a) fulfilled (b) came up against

2. The student ____ her studies completely and rarely took breaks.
   (a) devoted herself to (b) campaigned for

3. They’re ____ stricter environmental laws to reduce pollution.
   (a) taking on (b) campaigning for

4. When starting their company, they ____ a lot of financial difficulties.
   (a) came up against (b) raised awareness of

5. Everyone in the office ____ her dedication and leadership.
   (a) thinks highly of (b) looks up against

6. He loves a challenge — he’s always ready to ____ something new.
   (a) take on (b) throw himself

4. Interactive Practice (5 min)

Complete the sentences and expand with details:

1. I really ____ my mentor because…

2. They are ____ equal pay for men and women.

3. I once ____ a big challenge when…

4. She ____ herself to supporting refugees.

5. Our team ____ several problems during the project, but we kept going.

6. I admire people who can ____ their ambitions despite setbacks.

🗣️ Tip: Always justify your answer — say why, how, or what happened next.

5. Free Practice (5 min)

Discussion Questions:

• What personal qualities make someone a good role model?

• Do public figures have a responsibility to be role models?

• When people campaign for change, what kinds of challenges do they usually come up against?

• Have you ever thrown yourself into something new and surprising? What did you learn from it?

• Do you think ambition always leads to fulfilment? Why or why not?

🎯 Mini Challenge:
Describe a person you think highly of using at least four expressions from today’s lesson.

6. Extra Discussion (5 min)

Follow-up Conversation Practice:

1. Why do people devote themselves to causes that don’t bring financial rewards?

2. Can anyone become a role model, or is it something only a few people achieve?

3. Do you believe social media helps or harms efforts to raise awareness?

4. What ambitions do people in your country often try to fulfil?

5. When was the last time you came up against something difficult but kept going?

6. Do you think it’s possible to take on too many challenges? Why might that be dangerous?

🗣️ Encourage longer, opinion-based answers — expand with examples, reasons, or comparisons.

7. Wrap-Up & Review (1 min)

Quick recap:
Campaign for/against → support or oppose a cause
Come up against → face a difficulty
Devote yourself to → dedicate your time and effort
Fulfil an ambition → achieve an important goal
Look up to → admire someone
Raise awareness of → inform others about an issue
Role model → person admired for their behaviour or success
Take on a challenge → accept something difficult
Think highly of → respect or value someone
Throw yourself into → get fully involved with enthusiasm

🗣️ Self-check:
Can you talk about a role model you admire using at least five of today’s expressions naturally in conversation?

✅ Answer Key (Controlled Practice):
1 → (a) fulfilled
2 → (a) devoted herself to
3 → (b) campaigning for
4 → (a) came up against
5 → (a) thinks highly of
6 → (a) take on