This ESL worksheet focuses on developing resourcefulness through a variety of practical activities and discussions. Students will explore the concept of resourcefulness, learn new vocabulary, and apply strategies to overcome challenges in personal, academic, and professional contexts. The worksheet includes reading, vocabulary exercises, speaking and listening activities, and reflection tasks. Other lessons you might like are “Can limits boost creativity?“, “Innovation inspired by nature“, “Dealing with setbacks and failure“, “Phrasal verbs: new ideas“, “Idioms: innovation“, “Idioms: challenges“.

Activities Overview:

Speaking: Students work in pairs or small groups and brainstorm multiple uses for everyday objects to stimulate creative thinking.

Reading: Students read profiles of five individuals known for their resourcefulness, including William Kamkwamba, Sara Blakely, MacGyver and Bear Grylls. Texts demonstrate how limited resources can be transformed into innovative solutions.

Vocabulary: Matching exercises link key terms to their definitions. Fill-in-the-blank exercises reinforce understanding and application of expressions like “make do with,” “tap into,” and “think outside the box.”

Speaking: Pair and group discussions focus on different aspects of resourcefulness.

Listening: A video titled “Tap into Your Resourcefulness” provides six practical strategies for using available resources. Students summarize the tips and provide additional details during a second viewing.

Speaking: Students are presented with situations such as losing a key, handling a flat tire, or responding to a viral negative review. They discuss ways to leverage skills, connections, and creativity to solve these challenges. Finally, students discuss something they want to achieve and the existing limitations, and try to come up with resourceful ways to overcome the limitations.

For more speaking practice, you can use the printable conversation cards.