So for the final lesson this semester I have a project planned for each class. My second year students will be required to participate in a sort of informal debate about a topic. Since I am focusing on speculation and debate in this lesson I chose to utilize this lesson to begin the discussion around the project (I wanted to begin the discussion somewhere in October anyway and felt this was a natural progression for scaffolding this skill).
First date taught: 19 Oct 2022
3B – Rubbish!
Theme: Trash and Recycling; Introduction to Debates.
Vocab from book
synonyms for the word trash, and their differentiations here
landfill (n) – a place where waste is buried in the ground in large amounts
dumpster fire (noun phrase) – a chaotic or disastrously mishandled situation.
biodegradable (adj) – able to decay naturally and in a way that is not harmful
contentious (adj) – causing , involving, or likely to cause disagreement and argument
beggars can’t be choosers (idiom) – said when you recognize that you must accept an offer or a situation because it is the only one available to you
Cultural Note: the film “The gods must be crazy” – where a glass coke bottle is dropped out of an airplane over indigineous Africa and is dropped in the middle of a tribe of people who aren’t familiar with the “outside world”.
litter vs. recycling: affect on wildlife
trash island – Located halfway between California and Hawaii, it spans an area twice the size of Texas, where ocean plastic accumulates in a vortex of converging currents. see more information here.
garage sale / yard sale (noun phrase) – a sale of unwanted household goods held in the garage or front garden of someone’s house (North American English).
Have students watch this video and write down examples of each: pro and con.
either side of the fence (idiom) – to make a decision between two opposing points of view
Example: The election is next week, so you’ll have to come down on one side of the fence or the other by then.
aspect (n) [B2] – one part of a situation, problem, subject, etc.
strewn (v) – to spread things in an untidy way over a surface, or to be spread in an untidy way over a surface
sustainability (n) [C2] – the quality of causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time
ecotourism (n) – the business of organizing holidays to places of natural beauty in a way that helps local people and does not damage the environment
tiered system – Tier refers to a series of rows or layers or a level or grade in the hierarchy of an organization or system. A tier structure describes a system with distinct levels or layers. In the arrangement of a tier system, one level must be completed or accomplished before another commences.
at a loss… (idiom) – not knowing what to do
economic recession (n) [B2] – a period when the economy of a country is not successful and conditions for business are bad
tolerance (n) [C2] – willingness to accept behaviour and beliefs that are different from your own, although you might not agree with or approve of them
palate (n) – a person’s ability to taste and judge (particularly food and wine, but can also be used metaphorically)
appetite (n) [C1] – a desire or need for something, especially food
Another option for a video that discusses the pros and cons for plastic bag bans. However is not my first pick to introduce a debate.
Resources:
ISL Collective – Modals of Deduction and Speculation for Advanced Classes worksheet for teaching and use on powerpoint
Public Schools of Manitoba – Conducting a (Formal) Debate Informational only – useful in teaching expectations
ISL Collective – Debate Template Worksheet to hand out to each student
ESL Printables – Speculating on the Problem of Homeschooling (for group class work)
ISL Collective – Debate Language (to include in the powerpoint, and maybe include a handout)
ISL Collective – Modal Verbs in the Past Worksheet (supplemental)
Attribution: Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
English With Dixie 