LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERSENGLISH MANIA*
LinguaHouse
Aug. 18, 2022
Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2-C1)
Type of English: General English
Tags: Education, Teaching and Learning; Society and Change; Languages; Education and Learning; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old; 13-15 Years Old; Article Based; Video Talk
Publication date: 08/18/2022
* This lesson has been updated
This lesson takes a look at English as a global language. Students will watch a video which shows the mania for learning English in China and points out the benefits to learners. They will also read an article which looks at World Englishes and the reasons for the spread of English as well as some of the negative aspects. Exercises focus on related vocabulary and listening and readings skills. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss questions related to the topic (by Joe Wilson).
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- CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
- CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
- CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
- CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
- CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio (MP3).
AUDIO/VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Jay Walker: Let’s talk about manias. Let’s start with Beatlemania: hysterical teenagers, crying, screaming, pandemonium. Sports mania: deafening crowds, all for one idea – get the ball in the net. Okay, religious mania: there’s rapture, there’s weeping, there’s visions. Manias can be good. Manias can be alarming. Or manias can be deadly. The world has a new mania. A mania for learning English. Listen as Chinese students practice their English by screaming it.
Teacher: ... change my life!
Students: I will change my life.
Teacher: I don’t want to let my parents down.
Students: I don’t want to let my parents down.
Teacher: I don’t ever want to let my country down.
Students: I don’t ever want to let my country down.
Teacher: Most importantly...
Students: Most importantly...
Teacher: I don’t want to let myself down.
Students: I don’t want to let myself down.
Jay Walker: How many people are trying to learn English worldwide? Two billion of them.
Students: A t-shirt. A dress.
Jay Walker: In Latin America, in India, in Southeast Asia, and most of all in China. If you are a Chinese student, you start learning English in the third grade, by law. That’s why this year China will become the world’s largest English-speaking country. Why English? In a single word: Opportunity. Opportunity for a better life, a job, to be able to pay for school, or put better food on the table. Imagine a student taking a giant test for three full days. Her score on this one test literally determines her future. She studies 12 hours a day for three years to prepare. 25 percent of her grade is based on English. It’s called the Gaokao, and 80 million high school Chinese students have already taken this grueling test. The intensity to learn English is almost unimaginable, unless you witness it.
Teacher: Perfect!
Students: Perfect!
Teacher: Perfect!
Students: Perfect!
Teacher: I want to speak perfect English.
Students: I want to speak perfect English.
Teacher: I want to speak...
Students: I want to speak...
Teacher: ...perfect English.
Students: ...perfect English.
Teacher: I want to change my life!
Students: I want to change my life!
Jay Walker: So, is English mania good or bad? Is English a tsunami, washing away other languages? Not likely. English is the world’s second language. Your native language is your life. But with English you can become part of a wider conversation: a global conversation about global problems, like climate change or poverty, or hunger or disease. The world has other universal languages. Mathematics is the language of science. Music is the language of emotions. And now English is becoming the language of problem-solving. Not because America is pushing it, but because the world is pulling it. So English mania is a turning point. Like the harnessing of electricity in our cities or the fall of the Berlin Wall, English represents hope for a better future... a future where the world has a common language to solve its common problems. Thank you very much.
Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/english-mania. Accessed on March 17, 2023. © 2008–2023 LinguaHouse.com. All rights reserved.
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