Generations

Warm Up

1. How old are your grandparents?

2. What was popular when you were in high school?

3. Do you talk to your parents often?
   

Reading

Boomers to Gen Z: Talking About Generations

"OK Boomer" is used on social media when a younger person wants to call someone from an older generation than them old-fashioned. But where does it come from and what do English speakers call other generations?

While there is no general agreement on when any generation begins or ends, Pew Research Center says baby boomers are those born between 1946 and 1964. After World War II, many countries had a big increase of children being born, known as a "baby boom." This is why people of this generation are called "baby boomers."

"Generation X," or just "Gen X," are those born from 1965 to 1980 and millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996. This generation came of age during the explosion of the internet, and had to adapt to things like social media while they were growing up and entering adulthood.

After millennials, "Generation Z", also called "Gen Z", are people born between 1997 and 2012. Unlike earlier generations, this group has never known a world without the internet, smartphones, and social media. They're also the generation that started saying "OK Boomer"; often using it for anyone aged over 30 that they don't agree with.

The oldest members of Gen Z members are now adults. The newest generation is Generation Alpha. They too will have their own opinions and new ideas, and might even say "OK Boomer" when they want to call a Gen Zer old-fashioned.

Reading Comprehension

1. How did the baby boomer generation get its name?

2. When were millennials born?

3. What generation started saying "OK Boomer"?
   

Discussion Questions

1. Which of the generations mentioned in the article had you heard of before?

2. How do you imagine your generation is viewed by younger generations?

3. What are your first memories of the internet and social media?

4. What would you say was the best thing about the age you grew up in?

5. If you could be born again at a different time, what period would you choose?

6. In what ways would you say your personality has changed as you grew older?

7. What were you like as a teenager? What were your hobbies and interests?

8. Are there any hobbies that you'd like to take up once you retire?

9. In your opinion, what's the best thing about getting older?

10. Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. — George Orwell. What are your thoughts on this?