English Drills
Home › Teacher lessons › Why We Dream

Why We Dream

A complete B2 classroom lesson built around an engaging topic. Use it as a 45–60 minute lesson, or choose individual sections for a shorter class.

B255–60 minutesMind & sciencePrintable
Teacher lesson: Look at the picture and title. What do you already know about this topic? Write two ideas, then compare with a partner. Work through the nine panels in order, or choose the sections that suit your class. Teacher answers and the listening script are stored separately.
Teacher AnswersOpen related EnglishDrills reading
1 Lesson Goals
Dreaming during sleep

By the end of this lesson, I will be able to:

  • understand the main ideas and key details in Why We Dream.
  • learn and use important vocabulary from the lesson.
  • use the lesson language in speaking or writing.
Start here: What do you already know about this topic? Tell a partner one idea.
2 Reading
Before you read:

Look at the picture and title. What do you already know about this topic? Write two ideas, then compare with a partner.

Dreaming is a common human experience, but scientists do not agree on one complete explanation for why it happens. Dreams can occur in different stages of sleep, although vivid dreaming is often associated with rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep. Some researchers suggest that dreaming may help the brain process memories or emotions. Others argue that dreams may be partly the result of the sleeping brain trying to make sense of spontaneous neural activity. Dreams can combine recent experiences with older memories in unusual ways. Research is difficult because dreams are private and are usually reported after a person wakes. As a result, scientists can measure brain activity during sleep, but they cannot directly observe a dream in the same way they can observe a physical event.
3 Vocabulary
Words: vivid · associated · spontaneous · neural · observe

Write a short meaning or synonym for each word.

vivid –

associated –

spontaneous –

neural –

observe –

4 Check Your Understanding

1. Do scientists agree on one explanation for dreams?

2. Which sleep stage is often linked with vivid dreaming?

3. Name one proposed function of dreaming.

4. Why is dream research difficult?

5. What can scientists measure during sleep?

5 Language Focus

Choose a hedging modal that keeps the claim cautious.

1. Dreaming help the brain process emotions.

2. REM sleep be linked with especially vivid dreams.

3. A dream combine recent and older memories.

4. Different theories explain different parts of dreaming.

6 Listen & Speak

Listen

Listen to your teacher. You will hear the text twice. Answer the questions.

1. Why might someone think they do not dream?

2. Does dream recall vary between people?

3. Can recall change from night to night?

4. What may make a dream easier to remember?

Speak

Discuss with a partner or small group.

• Why are people interested in dreams?
• What makes a scientific theory convincing?
• Should dream reports be treated as reliable evidence? Why or why not?

Why We Dream — Continued
7 Use Your English

Something New

Invent a harmless experiment about dreams. Present the question, method and measurement to a partner, who gives one suggestion.

Write

Write 140–170 words comparing two possible explanations for dreaming. Use cautious language such as may, might or could.

8 Puzzle or Game
Vocabulary Detective

Choose four words from the Vocabulary panel. Write a short clue for each word without writing the word itself. Swap with a partner and see how many you can guess.

Bonus: Use one of the words in a new sentence.

9 Success Criteria ✓

Tick each statement when you can do it.

  • I can explain the main idea of the lesson.
  • I can use at least three new words correctly.
  • I can complete the language task.
  • I can share an idea in spoken or written English.

One thing I am proud of today:

10 Show What You Can Do
Final challenge: Why We Dream

Plan: Note your strongest idea, 3 useful words or phrases, and one supporting detail from the lesson.

Respond: Write a short paragraph of 6–8 sentences, or prepare a 45-second spoken response, showing what you learned.

Reflect: Underline the part of your response that best shows your progress.