In October 2026, Tesla finally unveiled its new Roadster sports car, nearly nine years after it was first announced. At a launch event in Texas, the car used rocket-style thrusters to drive upside down, fly through the air and jump over other cars. But there is still no price, and production will not start until 2028. This B2 lesson uses the story to teach news vocabulary and to get students discussing hype, broken promises and the future of cars.
Level: B2 · Time: 45 to 90 minutes. Pick the activities that suit your class. They work in almost any order.
Lesson Activities
- Warmer: Where Is This Car? – Reveal the picture tile by tile. What can students see? Where is the car? Who is driving? (It’s a Tesla Roadster that SpaceX launched into space in 2018, with a dummy astronaut called “Starman” at the wheel.)
- Vocabulary: Pre-teach the Key Words – Match 10 words from the article to their meanings before reading (unveil, postpone, claim, spectacular, sceptical, obstacle…).
- Reading: Tesla’s Roadster Finally Takes Off – A news-style article with 11 gaps. Choose without a word bank or with a word bank for extra support.
- Vocabulary: Sort the Words – Sort 15 words and phrases into Speed, Money and Technology. Works well as a review after the reading.
- Discussion: Tesla, Hype and the Future of Cars – 12 discussion questions on broken promises, launch events, flying cars, luxury and electric cars.
- Speaking: Ranking – What matters most when you buy a car? Students rank nine factors, from price and safety to speed and the environment, then compare with a partner.
Teacher Tips
- For a shorter lesson, use the warmer, the cloze and the discussion cards.
- Ask students to find one claim in the article that Tesla has not proved yet, and discuss how journalists show doubt (claims, sceptical, a bit like cheating).
- Follow-up: students design their own car of the future and present it to the class.
Teaching a lower-level group? Try the A2 version of this lesson.