You have a recording of a conversation which is part of a radio programme exploring changes and trends in society.You also have tapescript and this is given below. You would like to develop this theme further into a language skills lesson for an Upper-Intermediate class. Your lesson last for 90 minutes.
What suggestion can you make that the students get some practice in all four language skill using the conversation as the central theme of the lesson?
P= Presenter
CH= Catherine Holmes
P: I'm delighted to welcome our next guest today, the sociologist and broadcaster Catherine Holmes.Good morning.
CH: Morning.
P: She has just been putting the finishing touches to her new report which focuses on some of the social changes that the UK has undergone in the past twenty years. So, Catherine, perhaps you could briefly outline for us some of the main finding of your report.
CH:I'll try. Let's start with migration trends. Over the past twenty years the number of people emigrating from the UK to places like Australia and Canada has been on the increase-up by 2.3%. The age of the people leaving, on the other hand, is decreasing; the average age of UK migrants now stands at around 36.
p: I understand that you also did some research into the eating habits of the population.
CH: That's right. It seems from our finding that people are at last starting to eat more healthily, at least in some parts of the country. Sales of fruit vegetables, especially organic produce, are going up in the central regions of England and south of Scotland, while they are staying pretty static elsewhere. Consumption of fast food is falling a little, but the government, doctors and health advisers would all like to see this happen at a much faster rate. They are planning to launch a new campaign warning the general public of the dangers of eating too much junk food.
P: So, it looks like I should be taking more care over my choice of food. Did you find any changes in people's attitude to living and working in the UK?
CH: Yes. Part of our research centred on how people feel about their general standard of living and their attitudes to the changes that have taken place in working practices. And on the whole most people seem to be less content with their lot than they were twenty years ago.
p: For instance?
Ch: Well, although more people believe that they now have much better access to consumer goods than before, the majority, about 65%, feels less secure in their jobs and are spending more time at work- the average increase here is about 1 hour 20 mintues per week. This situation, of course, is leaving them less time for recreation and hobbies and doctors are reporting an increase in patients with stress-related complaints. The two seem to be connected, but there is at present no proof of this.
p: And what about women in the workplace- are there any changes there?
CH: Although there are now more women than ever before in full-time employment, the increase over the past ten years has been quite small, around 2.2%. Even so, many women are now working full- time, while many more men are opting to say at home and look after the kids. Most men in this position say that they are enjoying their new role and are finding it more rewarding than working up to 48 hours a week stuck behind a desk.
Top answer
Hi, First, do you have any ideas at all about this? For example, how can you get them to start speaking about this? Clive
— Clive
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Objective To be able to use the Past perfect tense when speaking about past and we use the comparative and superlative form to compare and contrast different objects in English.
Objective To be able to use the Past Perfect tense when speaking about past and we use the comparative and superlative form to compare and contrast different objects in English.
A few comments.
It's up to you, but I think you are trying to do too much in 90 minutes. I would focus on just one thing.
You have a recording of a conversation which is part of a radio programme exploring changes and trends in society.You also have tapescript and this is given below. You would like to develop this theme further into a language skills lesson for an Upper-Intermediate class. Your lesson last for 90 minutes.
You have a lot of activity here, but here are a few comments.
You are still talking about comparatives and superlatives. Why? I think that you are teaching much too much for one lesson. I gave you this opinion already.
They need a very good grasp of Present Perfect before they start on Past Perfect.