I love celebrity gossip magazines. I buy a couple of them each week. Last week my mother asked me if I could go a week without reading them. When I told her that I didn’t think I could, she said that she thought my interest in the lives of celebrities was
unhealthy. While I love and respect my mother, I disagree with her on this. I actually think reading these magazines is healthy as it provides me with a form of harmless entertainment, helps me to relax, and provides a topic to discuss with friends…
B. 1. Do you think reading about and discussing celebrity gossip is harmless fun? Or, do you think it is an unhealthy and/or harmful practice that should not be indulged in? Write a persuasive essay defending your position.
2. For each main point you make in your essay, be sure to include at least one example. Before you begin writing, organize your ideas in a chart.
3. Write your persuasive essay, trying to convince the reader that your view is correct.
Writing Corner
Reflect on persuasive essays that you have already written. How did you organize them?
1. Did you present your points/views in one block along with your arguments, or did you alternate, i.e. did you integrate supporting and opposing views? Was it successful?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. Which of the following methods do you think is more effective? Provide reasons and/or examples supporting your answer.
a. presenting your ideas/beliefs in an objective and impersonal manner
b. presenting your ideas/beliefs in a manner that addresses the reader directly, e.g. using direct questions, narration with I, the use of you, introducing arguments with phrases such as:
You might think…, You would be justified in thinking/considering…, etc.
c. a combination of a and b
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Main Idea Example
8QLW 0* 6$ 6% LQGG B8QLWB0*B6$B7*LQGG 30 30
4 They Said, We Said
54
11 Project
1. Work in pairs/groups. Think about or research a rumor that caused a lot of harm. Make notes about it in the chart.
2. Collect information and data from diff erent sources. Include confl icting opinions on the truth or validity of the story.
3. Use your notes to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for your class. Remember to include photos or pictures.
Source 1: ________ Source 2: ________ Source 3: ________
The rumor
When and how it started
Who was responsible
How it was spread
How it aff ected the life of a person / a group / an organization, etc.
How the person or group responded/dealt with it
Your view on what should/shouldn’t have been done
8QLW 0* 6$ 6% LQGG B8QLWB0*B6$B7*LQGG 30 30
Teacher’s Guide
4 They Said, We Said
54
11 Project
zOrganize students in groups. Tell them that they are going to make a PowerPoint presentation about a rumor.
zRead directions 1 and 2 with the class. Ask groups to brainstorm and exchange information about sources and stories that they have heard. Explain that they can use a rumor that was mentioned in the news or the Internet, or a rumor that they heard about from other people.
zAllow students to use a news item that was reported inaccurately if they wish instead of a rumor.
zHave groups use the chart to make notes on any information they can get from each other in each group. Tell them not to worry about blank boxes as they will have the opportunity to research and gather more information later.
zAllow time for groups to discuss and make notes. Call on individual students from each group to report in class.
zPoint out that they will have to use at least 3 sources to validate the information.
zLet students research and fi nd relevant information if there is access to the Internet or give them copies of material that you downloaded yourself, to help them. Alternatively, you may want to let them share out tasks among members of the group, research and collect information and do the presentation in the next lesson.
zHave students assign roles and tasks to members of their group. Explain that they have to think of what they need for their presentation. Use questions like these to help them:
What kind of information do we need? Can we get names of people, places, times?
Are we going to include any authentic material, for example, comments and quotes by diff erent people?
Which sources are we going to use? (Internet, books, menus, advertisements, leafl ets etc.) Are we going to interview anyone we know? Are we going to include part of the interview or a recording?
What kind of format are we going to use for our slides?
Who is going to:
Prepare the bullet points for the slides?
Choose or design the PowerPoint presentation format?
Find and scan photos?
Design the poster?
Write captions?
zLet groups organize themselves and get ready to rehearse. Make additional changes if necessary.
zCall on groups to present. Ask them to involve as many group members as possible.
zAsk the class to listen and choose the presentation that is the:
1. best researched and presented 2. most entertaining and humorous 3. most interesting
zAdd the presentations to the electronic version of the class portfolio.
Additional Activity
Have students think of a story to tell, interspersed with pieces of information or words that do not fi t. Call on them to tell the story in as credible and straight-faced a way as possible to try and conceal the wrong bits. Ask the rest of the class to listen carefully and spot problems, unrelated information, redundant words.
B8QLWB0*B6$B7*LQGG 30
Teacher’s Guide
4 They Said, We Said
55
12 Self Refl ection
zBrainstorm They Said, We Said. Write the title on the board and elicit as many ideas and words as possible from the class. Call on a volunteer to list the words on the board.
zHave students scan pages 44 and 45. Ask them to think about things they liked and things they disliked in this part of the unit. Use questions to help them remember. For example:
A gossip is one who talks to you about _________
_______________________________, a bore is one who ____________________________________;
and a brilliant conversationalist is one who _____
___________________________________
“The things most people _____________________
_____________ are usually none of their business.”
zGive students time to make notes about likes and dislikes and easy or diffi cult items in the section.
zBefore directing students to pages 46, 47, ask them some questions. For example:
Report the following:
He said, “ They never want to do overtime.”
________________________________________
She said, “You’ll miss the plane if you don’t hurry.”
________________________________________
The teacher said, “Don’t waste time looking for your pen, use this one.”
________________________________________
Mark said, “We spent an hour looking for a new fan but they were out of stock.”
________________________________________
zHave volunteers answer the questions. Elicit more questions and answers from pairs of students after you give them a couple of minutes to think.
zDiscuss the grammar of the unit with the class. Call on volunteers to say if they found it easy or diffi cult and give reasons.
zHave students make notes in the Self Refl ection chart.
Ask them to focus on likes, dislikes and easy or diffi cult items.
zDirect students to pages 48, 49. Call on volunteers to say what the conversation is about in this lesson and which expressions they remember.
zHave students say what they remember from this section and ask them to make notes in the chart.
zWrite the title of the reading on the board and brainstorm on language and information that
students remember. Call on volunteers to list as much as possible on the board.
zOrganize students in pairs and ask them to answer as quickly as they can to questions like these:
Why do people gossip? Why do young people gossip?
Is all gossip harmful?
zHave students complete their Self Refl ection charts as before about likes, dislikes and things they found easy or diffi cult.
zBefore directing students to 10 Writing ask them to say what they know/remember about why gossip is boring. Ask them if they have ever been the target of gossip and how they felt about it?
zHave students scan pages 52 and 53 and make notes as before.
zDirect students to 11 Project page and hold a discussion about what they found more or less useful and more or less interesting. Discuss what they did.
Elicit answers from the students and ask them if they think it was benefi cial. List some aspect of project work on the board. For example:
Personalization
zHave students refl ect on the work they did with their group and evaluate the activity. Identify the aspect that they think they fulfi lled.
zAllow time for students to make notes on the project section individually. Then have them check with a partner.
zHave students fi ll out the checklist alone and write their fi ve favorite words. Ask them to move around the classroom and compare their notes with as many of their classmates as possible.
zDiscuss areas that student feel they need more work on and make suggestions. Check to make sure that they have chosen the appropriate suggestion from the last column in order to deal with diffi culties.
Homework
Assign More! Unit 4 for additional grammar and vocabulary practice.
B8QLWB0*B6$B7*LQGG 30
55
12 Self Refl ection
My fi ve favorite new words from Unit 4:
If you’re still not sure about something from Unit 4:
• read through the unit again
• listen to the audio material
• study the grammar on page 46 again
• ask your teacher for help Unit 4 Checklist
I can do this very well.
I can do this quite well.
I need to study/
practice more.
discuss gossip and rumors tell a secret
promise to keep a secret
use noun clauses as reported speech versus quoted speech apply rules and exceptions to the sequence of tenses use noun clauses beginning with whether or if
Things that I found easy in Unit 4: Things that I found diffi cult in Unit 4:
Things that I liked about Unit 4: Things that I didn’t like very much:
8QLW 0* 6$ 6% LQGG B8QLWB0*B6$B7*LQGG 30 30
5 Express Yourself
56
1 Listen and Discuss
1. What languages do you speak?
2. Do you think English is a diffi cult language? Explain.
3. Why do you study English?