Read the text below and answer the following questions:
Why You Procrastinate (It Has Nothing to Do With Self-Control)
By Charlotte Lieberman
If you’ve ever put off an important task by, say, alphabetizing your spice drawer, you know it wouldn’t be fair to describe yourself as lazy. After all, alphabetizing requires focus and effort — and hey, maybe you even went the extra mile to wipe down each bottle before putting it back. And it’s not like you’re hanging out with friends or watching Netflix. You’re cleaning — something your parents would be proud of! This isn’t laziness or bad time management. This is procrastination.
When we procrastinate, we’re not only aware that we’re avoiding the task in question, but also that doing so is probably going to have a detrimental effect on our morale. And yet, we do it anyway.
“This is why we say that procrastination is essentially irrational,” said Dr. Fuschia Sirois, professor of psychology at the University of Sheffield. “It doesn’t make sense to do something you know is going to have negative consequences.” She added: “People engage in this pointless cycle of chronic procrastination because of an inability to manage negative moods associated with a task.”
The particular nature of our aversion depends on the given task or situation. It may be due to something inherently unpleasant about the task itself — having to clean a dirty bathroom or organizing a long, boring spreadsheet for your boss. But it might also stem from deeper feelings related to the task, such as self-doubt, low self-esteem, anxiety or insecurity. Staring at a blank document, you might be thinking, I’m not smart enough to write this. Even if I am, what will people think of it? What if I do a bad job?
There’s an entire body of research dedicated to the ruminative, self-blaming thoughts many of us tend to have in the wake of procrastination, which are known as “procrastinatory cognitions.” According to Dr. Sirois, the thoughts we have about procrastination typically exacerbate our distress and stress, which contribute to further procrastination.
Although procrastination offers momentary relief, Dr. Sirois argues that it is what makes the cycle especially vicious. In the immediate present, shelving a task provides relief — “you’ve been rewarded for procrastinating,” Dr. Sirois said. This is precisely why procrastination tends not to be a one-off behavior, but a cycle, one that easily becomes a chronic habit. Over time, chronic procrastination has not only productivity costs, but measurably destructive effects on our mental and physical health, including chronic stress, general psychological distress and low life satisfaction, symptoms of depression and anxiety, unhealthy behavior, chronic illness and even hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
If it seems ironic that we procrastinate to avoid negative feelings, but end up feeling even worse, that’s because it is. And once again, we have evolution to thank. Procrastination is a perfect example of present bias, our hard-wired tendency to prioritize short-term needs ahead of long-term ones.
“We really weren’t designed to think ahead into the further future because we needed to focus on providing for ourselves in the here and now,” said psychologist Dr. Hal Hershfield, a professor of marketing at the U.C.L.A. Anderson School of Management.
His research has shown that, on a neural level, we perceive our “future selves” more like strangers than as parts of ourselves. When we procrastinate, parts of our brains actually think that the tasks we’re putting off — and the accompanying negative feelings that await us on the other side — are somebody else’s problem.
The human ability to procrastinate is deeply existential, as it raises questions about individual agency and how we want to spend our time as opposed to how we actually do. But it’s also a reminder of our commonality — we’re all vulnerable to painful feelings, and most of us just want to be happy with the choices we make. In the end, we have to find a better reward than avoidance — one that can relieve our challenging feelings in the present moment without causing harm to our future selves.
Questions:
In the first paragraph, the author thinks that procrastinating:
doesn’t include activities like cleaning and organizing, because they are productive.
involves focusing on very detailed tasks that require a lot of effort.
should not be equated to laziness.
consists of activities like watching Netflix and spending time with friends.
Why does the author say that procrastination is irrational?
We are not conscious of the fact that we are about to avoid a task.
We put off the task despite knowing it will affect us negatively.
People repeat the same behaviour for no reason.
Particular tasks evoke strong negative emotions.
According to the text, where does our reluctance to get on with tasks come from?
Deep negative feelings that were once associated with the task.
Some tasks are gruesome and we want to avoid them.
The dullness of some tasks makes us bored and unmotivated.
It is probably not contingent on one specific origin.
What does the article say about the vicious cycle of procrastination?
Procrastinating provides an immediate and prolonged sense of relief.
The behaviour only takes place once because it has negative consequences.
It is a consequence of the negative effects on our physical and mental health.
Putting off a task can reinforce the procrastinating behaviour.
What is the relationship between evolution and procrastination, according to Dr. Hershfield?
Brains have evolved to place current demands above future consequences.
Procrastination is a product of recent evolution.
It is ironic that we evolved to be procrastinators.
We evolved to avoid negative feelings that may arise in the future.
What is the neural justification for procrastination, according to Dr. Hershfield’s research?
We avoid thinking about the future, even if it affects us in the present.
Putting off a task provides relief from stress and anxiety.
Our brains assign the responsibility for the task to a different entity.
The pursuit of happiness is the most important goal for our brains.
Knowing how much I love engaging and effective exam preparation materials, Peter Clements kindly asked me to review his latest book, which he co-authored with Paul Murphy, so here goes!
Overview
IELTS Reading Practice: Academic, published by Prosperity Education, is aimed at students preparing to take, you guessed it, the IELTS Academic exam. While it specifically focuses on the reading tasks found in the exam, that’s not to say that it scrimps on opportunities for practicing other skills and exam tasks. You can buy the book through the link below and also check out their other exam preparation materials:
The book is divided into 14 units, each of which examines a specific task type from the exam, ranging from tasks such as matching headings and true, false, not mentioned through to other IELTS staples like the table/flow chart/diagram completion tasks.
Each unit is divided into three two-page sections which follow a logical sequence with appropriate levels of scaffolding:
Think and prepare
The first part aims to activate students knowledge of the topic of the upcoming reading texts and also develop their understanding of some key lexis that will both be required later and also prove useful to students’ general communicative competence.
Here is an example of the “think” section:
You’ll notice that students are also directed to the bank of extra activities at the back of the book, where, in this case, they will find a topic card based on IELTS speaking part 2 covering the same topic as the unit. This is just one example of how the book offers teachers scope for planning varied, engaging, topic-based lessons, something that can be difficult to find in published exam preparation materials.
Students then move onto the “prepare” phase, which comprises short activities focusing on key topical lexis:
Students are led through a definition match activity followed by some controlled practice:
And finally some discussion questions:
While the structure may get repetitive – the same series of activities is repeated in each unit – it’s hard to argue with the logic of the stages and it’s one I use myself all the time so, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The lexis chosen is extremely relevant to the topic and pitched at the perfect register. Aside from aiding students’ comprehension of the upcoming texts, they are exactly the kinds of expressions candidates will be expected to produce in the writing and speaking parts of the exam.
There are also extra activities for this section which act as nice learner training exercises to nudge students towards good habits such as effective note-taking:
I was particularly drawn to this example of a graphic organiser. Students are encouraged to make notes on specific lexis and also associate it with an image, something I’ve been experimenting with in my own exam preparation classes.
I feel like activities like this can be extremely valuable for students who haven’t developed good study skills or learning habits; the examples in the book are clear, simple and can be easily replicated.
Practise
In the next section of each unit students are presented with a shorter version of the given reading task, along with an action plan and strategies. They are then encouraged to reflect on the efficacy of the plan and their own performance.
Students first do an introductory skimming task, for example:
They are then walked through an action plan for the task stage by stage:
Put it to the test
Finally, students are let loose on a full-length example exam task in order to put their newfound strategies into practice. The book contains 14 full-length texts, one for each task type. However, it doesn’t end there, in the extra activities section you will find one additional task for each of the 14 texts. These extra activities focus on a different task type, so for example, students could work on a true/false/not mentioned task in class and then complete a headings match task based on the same text for homework. In the back of the book there are also additional post-reading vocabulary tasks for each of the full length texts. This means that each of the texts is fully exploited.
Task information & tips
The book also contains a detailed analysis of each of the tasks and specific, detailed tips for approaching each one. I was particularly impressed by the rationales given for each tip:
I particularly liked the example of drawing students’ attention to topic sentences in paragraphs for the heading match task.
Summary
As you can probably already tell, I was really impressed by the book for a number of reasons:
Ease of use
Flicking through the pages as a teacher, I can immediately form a lesson plan in my head for a 90 minute class on each unit plus at least one homework task. I know it’s all there and I can pick and choose the order based on my students. I know they’re going to get lots of valuable exam practice and I can spin off into speaking tasks or vocab recall games when their motivation starts to wane towards the end of the class.
Topic-based exam prep
I know I’ve already mentioned it but it bears repeating, in exam prep classes it can be difficult to stick to the themed/topic-based classes we know we should be teaching, especially when there’s a big scary official exam looming. I know that IELTS and the Cambridge main suite exams are different beasts, but in my experience, intensive exam technique-focused prep classes for the Advanced and Proficiency can end up feeling like a poorly assembled patchwork quilt of different themes and topics due to the range of different texts students have to tackle. However, in this book the topics hold equal billing with the task type, which surely helps make for more cohesive classes and also aids students’ assimilation of the lexis.
Fully exploited texts
With the time constraint associated with exam preparation classes, it can sometimes feel overindulgent to linger for too long on a reading text to really drill down into it and exploit it for all its worth. The way this book manages to combine that impulse with further exam practice and vocab activities is really ingenious, hats off!
Clear strategies with clear rationale
It can be difficult to get students to take exam techniques and strategies on board, some can be stuck in their ways or view them as waste of time. The detail and rationale behind each strategy presented here make them easy to follow with plenty of opportunities to put them into practice straightaway.
In short, if you’re teaching IELTS Academic, get yourself a copy! Here are the details:
IELTS Reading Practice: Academic | Student Book, by Peter Clements and Paul Murphy
The latest episode of our podcast for English teachers and B2+ students is now live! It’s part of a new series of book club episodes in which we discuss a short story. This episode we discuss The Landlady by Roald Dahl. We recommend that you read the story before you listen.
I’ve recently been teaching some A1 adults as part of the Cert TESOL at TEFL Iberia in Barcelona. It’s been a while since I’ve taught really low levels and it’s been a great experience. I’ve made quite a few of my own materials for the class and I’ll try to upload them over the coming days and weeks. Let me know what you think.
This particular lesson plan was designed to help students practice using the present simple to talk about their daily routines using a loose TTT structure and then teaching from a short text. It was designed as a demo class for trainees during the first week of the course. I may have underestimated some of the timings of the tasks but students seemed to get a lot out of it.
This is a lesson plan for C1+ students on the topic of bad habits based around a TED talk by Judson Brewer and an article from Yahoo Health. You can find the TED talk, students’ handout, reading text and teacher’s notes below:
What do you think these expressions mean? Do they exist in your language?
He’s been smoking since he was 15 years old and he just can’t kick the habit.
When my grandad retired he didn’t stop getting up at 6am and putting a suit on. Old habits die hard.
I could never go backpacking I’m too much of a creature of habit, I can’t stand changes to my routine.
I’ve always written my essays at the last minute and I normally get good marks. Why break the habit of a lifetime?
Kick the habit = give up/quit a bad habit
Old habits die hard = it’s difficult to stop a habit you’ve been doing for a long time
A creature of habit = someone who likes the security of a routine
Why break the habit of a lifetime? = something you say to a person you know isn’t going to change their habits.
Step 2: Brainstorm bad habits on the board
Step 3: Reading
Give out the reading handout, put students in groups of 3. Students read each section then discuss the meaning of the vocabulary in bold. Then they answer the discusssion questions. Then they move onto the next bad habit.
Step 4: TED Talk
Students watch the TED talk and answer the following questions:
What bad habits does he mention? Being unable to concentrate, phone/internet addiction, stress eating, smoking, distracting yourself from work.
What solution to these bad habits does he suggest? Using mindfulness to focus on the cravings we feel and see them as physical moments that pass.
After watching students discuss:
What do you think of the talk?
Do you have any of the bad habits he mentioned?
Do you think mindfulness would work for you?
Have you ever meditated? Would you consider it?
Step 5: Vocab Focus – Meaning from Context
Students try to guess the meaning of the expressions in bold from the context.
When I was first learning to meditate, the instruction was to simply pay attention to my breath, and when my mind wandered, to bring it back.
Why is it so hard to pay attention? Well, studies show that even when we’re really trying to pay attention to something — like maybe this talk — at some point, about half of us will drift off into a daydream, or have this urge to check our Twitter feed.
Instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach, this emotional signal — feeling sad — triggers that urge to eat.
Maybe in our teenage years, we were a nerd at school, and we see those rebel kids outside smoking and we think, “Hey, I want to be cool.” So we start smoking. The Marlboro Man wasn’t a dork, and that was no accident.
What if instead of fighting our brains, or trying to force ourselves to pay attention,we instead tapped into this natural, reward-based learning process?
She moved from knowing in her head that smoking was bad for her to knowing it in her bones, and the spell of smoking was broken. She started to become disenchanted with her behavior.
When the prefrontal cortex goes offline, we fall back into our old habits, which is why this disenchantment is so important.
And this is what mindfulness is all about: Seeing really clearly what we get when we get caught up in our behaviors.
We start to notice that cravings are simply made up of body sensations — oh, there’s tightness, there’s tension, there’s restlessness.
These are bite-size pieces of experiences that we can manage from moment to moment rather than getting clobbered by this huge, scary craving that we choke on.
Mind wanders/drift off into a daydream = get distracted
Have/get an urge to do something = a strong desire/impulse
Trigger (v) = activate/set off/cause to function
Nerd = unpopular, studious person
Dork = unpopular, studious person, more pejorative than nerd
Tap into = manage to use something in a way that gives good results. Get access to a resource. Collocations: tap into an energy source, tap into creativity, tap into the water supply.
Know in your bones = feel something using intuition, synonyms: know in my guts, a gut-feeling.
Break a spell = end magic/enchantment
Disenchanted = two meanings. 1. Free from illusion/magic 2. Disappointed, demotivated, disillusioned.
Fall back into old habits = return to old habits after having changed
Get caught up in st = to become completely involved in something, normally bad connotation.
Craving = a consuming desire, normally physical related to addiction.
Restlessness = a state of discomfort, can’t stay still/relax. A restless night.
Bite-size pieces = small easy to manage pieces
Get clobbered = to be beaten/hit severly
Choke on st = not able to breath because of something in your throat
Step 6: Sentence Completion
Students put the expressions from the vocab focus into the following sentences:
He was always so restless at school, he couldn’t sit still for a second.
I’m a bit weird, whenever I go near the edge of a cliff or a tall building I get the sudden urge to jump off!
Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright, I don’t know how but I feel/know it in my bones.
I managed to stop biting my fingernails for 6 months but recently, because of all the stress at work, I have fallen back into old habits.
Most voters are completely disenchanted with politics in general and extremist politicians like Donald Trump are simply tapping into the anger and resentment.
When my Mum was pregnant she had strong cravings for avocado even though she normally hates them.
The earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that hit the coast at 10am.
When I was at school I always used to get into trouble for drifting off into a daydream during class.
3 hours into the film I got a bit bored and my mind wandered to what I was going to have for dinner.
A man suddenly started to choke on a prawn and a fellow diner had to give him the heimlich maneuver.
I was definitely a bit of a nerd at school but I certainly wasn’t a dork.
I got so caught up in the excitement of the party that I didn’t realise I had missed the last train home.
He caught the rugby ball, turned around and was immediately clobbered by a huge opposition player.
I broke the carrots up into bite-size pieces so that the children wouldn’t choke on
Step 7: Discussion
Students answer questions in pairs.
Were you restless at school? Did you use to drift off into a daydream?
Do you know the heimlich maneuver? Have you ever choked on anything?
Were you a nerd when you were at school?
Do you ever get so caught up in something that you lose all sense of time?
Do you ever get the urge to do something silly or outrageous in social situations?
Do you agree with sentence 5 above? What can we do to change the situation?
Students’ Handout
Expressions with habit
What do you think these expressions mean? Do they exist in your language?
He’s been smoking since he was 15 years old and he just can’t kick the habit.
When my grandad retired he didn’t stop getting up at 6am and putting a suit on. Old habits die hard.
I could never go backpacking I’m too much of a creature of habit, I can’t stand changes to my routine.
I’ve always written my essays at the last minute and I normally get good marks. Why break the habit of a lifetime?
TED Talk
What bad habits does he mention?
What solution to these bad habits does he suggest?
Discussion
What do you think of the talk?
Do you have any of the bad habits he mentioned?
Do you think mindfulness would work for you?
Have you ever meditated? Would you consider it?
Vocabulary Focus
Read the sentences from the transcript and discuss the words/expressions in bold with your partner.
When I was first learning to meditate, the instruction was to simply pay attention to my breath, and when my mind wandered, to bring it back.
Why is it so hard to pay attention? Well, studies show that even when we’re really trying to pay attention to something — like maybe this talk — at some point, about half of us will drift off into a daydream, or have this urge to check our Twitter feed.
Instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach, this emotional signal — feeling sad — triggers that urge to eat.
Maybe in our teenage years, we were a nerd at school, and we see those rebel kids outside smoking and we think, “Hey, I want to be cool.” So we start smoking. The Marlboro Man wasn’t a dork, and that was no accident.
What if instead of fighting our brains, or trying to force ourselves to pay attention,we instead tapped into this natural, reward-based learning process?
She moved from knowing in her head that smoking was bad for her to knowing it in her bones, and the spell of smoking was broken. She started to become disenchanted with her behavior.
When the prefrontal cortex goes offline, we fall back into our old habits, which is why this disenchantment is so important.
And this is what mindfulness is all about: Seeing really clearly what we get when we get caught up in our behaviors.
We start to notice that cravings are simply made up of body sensations — oh, there’s tightness, there’s tension, there’s restlessness.
These are bite-size pieces of experiences that we can manage from moment to moment rather than getting clobbered by this huge, scary craving that we choke on.
Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences with the expressions above.
He was always so ______________ at school, he couldn’t sit still for a second.
I’m a bit weird, whenever I go near the edge of a cliff or a tall building I get the sudden __________ jump off!
Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright, I don’t know how but I ______________________.
I managed to stop biting my fingernails for 6 months but recently, because of all the stress at work, I have __________________________________.
Most voters are completely __________________________ politics in general and extremist politicians like Donald Trump are simply ____________________________ the anger and resentment.
When my Mum was pregnant she had strong _____________ for avocado even though she normally hates them.
The earthquake _______________ a huge tsunami that hit the coast at 10am.
When I was at school I always used to get into trouble for _______________________________ during class.
3 hours into the film I got a bit bored and my ____________________________ to what I was going to have for dinner.
A man suddenly started to ________________ a prawn and a fellow diner had to give him the heimlich maneuver.
I was definitely a bit of a _____________ at school but I certainly wasn’t a ____________.
I _________________________________ in the excitement of the party that I didn’t realise I had missed the last train home.
He caught the rugby ball, turned around and was immediately ___________________ by a huge opposition player.
I broke the carrots up into __________________ so that the children wouldn’t ___________ them.
Discussion
Were you restless at school? Did you use to drift off into a daydream?
Do you know the heimlich maneuver? Have you ever choked on anything?
Were you a nerd when you were at school?
Do you ever get so caught up in something that you lose all sense of time?
Do you ever get the urge to do something silly or outrageous in social situations?
Do you agree with sentence 5 above? What can we do to change the situation?
Reading Text
Common Bad Habits
Everyone has habits that they would probably be better off without. You may not have any major vices but minor ones add up and deserve attention too. “The small stuff really matters in our lives,” says Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion. “Life is full of the little things.”
In reality, you’re probably not eating poorly or shirking on sleep just once a month, but, more likely, multiple times a week. If you need some help identifying changes you might aim to make, here are some of the most common bad habits and two universal fixes from Goldstein about how we can change for the better.
Stress-Eating
We’re a country of high-stress and high-calorie foods, so it should be no surprise that emotional eating is a common issue. There are many reasons people turn to food when they experience negative emotions, like stress, sadness, and boredom. First of all, food can serve as a distraction from unpleasant goings-on. Research has also suggested that foods that are high in fat and sugar may actually (temporarily) quiet parts of the brain that create and process negative emotions.
Do you stress eat? If so what?
How do you relieve stress?
Sitting Around
Surveys have found that people, on average, spend more than six hours a day sitting. Many people sit while commuting, at work, and while unwinding at the end of the day. It may feel like your body is happier taking a seat, but spending so much time off your feet has serious health effects including increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cognitive decline (like dementia), cancer, bone loss, and even a weakened immune system.
How much of the day do you spend sitting down?
What do you think of the idea of a standing office? Or a standing school?
Not Getting Enough Sleep
Days can feel far too short, especially when you want to catch up with friends at a late dinner or binge-watch your favorite show. Late nights in moderation are okay but getting too little sleep — less than seven hours — on a regular basis can make you more prone to long-term diseases, like hypertension and diabetes, and even short-term illness. Being tired can also affect how you function during the daytime, making you less productive and more prone to errors and accidents.
How much sleep do you need to function well?
How much do you usually get?
Are you more productive in the mornings or the evenings?
Over-Grooming
Picking at your nose and mouth and biting your nails are already social faux pas. They can also be bad for your health. As you should already know, our hands are usually teeming with nasty germs. Putting your fingers in your nose or mouth — even to fish unwanted spinach out of your teeth — is a good way to give those germs easy access to your body. Nail biting, in particular, can also raise your risk of getting skin infections on your fingers and spreading warts to other parts of your hand. In some cases, excessive grooming behaviors are considered a mental disorder related to obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Do you bite your fingernails?
Can you think of any other social faux pas’s? What topics are faux pas when your first meet someone?
Smoking
This may feel like beating a dead horse but more than 42 million people in the U.S. still smoke cigarettes. Although this number continues to drop, it’s good for people to remember why this habit is such a serious one. Smoking is known to cause several types of cancer — including cancers of the lung, mouth, stomach, and pancreas — and increases a person’s risk of heart disease. It’s also harmful to people who are inhaling second-hand smoke. Plus, smoking is expensive. Even a “cheap” $5 pack every day adds up to $1,825.00 each year.
Do you smoke?
Have you ever smoked? If so how did you quit?
What’s the best way to quit smoking? Hypnosis? Acupuncture? Patches? Gum?
Skipping Breakfast
There are mixed findings about whether or not skipping breakfast can help people lose weight. Generally, experts support eating a healthy morning meal because it fuels your body and mind for the beginning of the day. Research has shown that people who eat breakfast perform better in school and at work. If that’s not enough incentive, a recent study from Harvard found that men who regularly skipped breakfast were 27 percent more likely to experience a heart attack or death from coronary heart disease.
Do you have breakfast?
Find out who has the healthiest breakfast in your group.
What’s your favourite meal of the day?
Overspending
Another common bad habit is overspending, usually in the form of compulsive shopping. Credit is partially to blame because it is easy to obtain and use, helping people forgo responsibility and knowledge about their finances. Overspending is also an easy trap to fall into because buying things makes people feel good in many different ways. It can give us a sense of control and add some excitement to a dull day. Being able to spend money can also make us feel better about ourselves.
Do you often overspend?
Are you a compulsive shopper? If so what do you normally buy?
Listening to Loud Music
Hearing is something that often goes with age but there are still steps people can take to give theirs its best possible chance. Very loud, short-term sounds and sounds that may not seem so loud (but occur over a long period of time) can both contribute to noise-induced hearing loss. This affects about 15 percent of Americans, ages 20 to 69 according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Some loud sounds may be unavoidable but exposure anything above 85 decibels (equal to the sound of heavy city traffic) should be minimized. If you have to raise your voice to speak with someone two to three feet away, the sound level is likely over 85 decibels.
Do you listen to loud music? If so how often?
Have you got god hearing?
Phone Addiction
No, your phone isn’t exactly the most threatening addiction. That doesn’t mean it’s something to ignore. Thanks to the advent of push notifications, many of us are now trained to grab our phone the second it flashes — or when we only think it has. This behavior takes our attention away from other things that we should probably value more, like the work in front of us or talking with friends and family.
One of my post-proficiency students asked me for a list of books he could read. He’s going to Glasgow on Erasmus so the list I wrote him has a Scottish flavour to it. I thought it might also be useful for other high-level students.
Here are some books to read, most of them are just ones I like so maybe we have a different taste in books but try them out and se what you think:
My favourite author is Cormac McCarthy so read anything by him:
The Road (Post apocalyptic horror)
The Border Triology
Suttree
Blood Meridian
No Country for Old Men (they made it into an excellent film)
Child of God
They’re all pretty dark but very well written.
Another favourite of mine is Graham Greene, here are some of his books that I recommend:
Brighton Rock
The Quiet American
Our Man in Havana
The Third Man
The Power and the Glory
The Heart of the Matter
Another of my favourite books is:
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Seeing as you’re going to Scotland you should read some Irvine Welsh, although it might be tough because he uses a lot of Scottish slang, but you can always ask the locals if you need something translated into “English”. Here are some of his books:
Trainspotting
Filth
Glue
Porno
The Acid House
Another book by a Scottish author that I liked was:
How late it was, how late by James Kelman
Another great author is Roddy Doyle, he’s Irish and he has written lots of great ones:
A Star called Henry
The Commitments
Paddy Clarke ha ha ha
The Woman who walked into doors
Or you could try some Ian Banks, he’s also Scottish, he writes science fiction as Ian. M. Banks and dark dramatic fiction as just Ian Banks. I haven’t read any of his sci-fi but I’ve heard it is good. Here are some of his dramatic fiction books, as I said, most of them are quite dark.
The Wasp Factory
Complicity
The Crow Road
Espedair Street
Dead Air
That should be plenty for you to be going on with,
Let me know how it goes!
Tim
What other books would you recommend to high-level learners?
This is a grammar lesson on the theme of mysterious ancient monuments. I taught this class as my assessed lesson for the grammar assignment of my DELTA. Download the procedure, powerpoint and handouts below.
Let me know if the lesson procedure is clear enough as it’s written in Cambridge DELTA speak!
Thousands of years ago, an ancient civilization raised a circle of huge, roughly rectangular stones in a field in what is now Wiltshire, England. Stonehenge, as it would come to be called, has been a mystery ever since. Building began on the site around 3100 B.C. and continued in phases up until about 1600 B.C. No written records exist to explain how or why it was built.
How was Stonehenge built?
The biggest of Stonehenge’s stones, known as sarsens, are up to 30 feet (9 meters) tall and weigh 25 tons (22.6 metric tons) on average. Scientists believe that they must have been brought from Marlborough Downs, a distance of 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the north. Transporting the stones that distance can’t have been easy.
Smaller stones, referred to as “bluestones” (they have a bluish tinge when wet or freshly broken), weigh up to 4 tons and come from several different sites in western Wales, having been transported as far as 140 miles (225 km). It’s unknown how people in antiquity moved them that far. Scientists speculate that during the last ice age glaciers might have carried these bluestones closer to the Stonehenge area. An earlier theory was that the builders could have used rafts to transport the stones over the water. However, more recent research suggests that this method can’t have been used because of the weight of the stones.
Where do scientists think the Sarsen stones came from?
What does the writer say about transporting the Sarsen stones?
Where did the blue stones come from?
How do scientists think the blue stones were transported to the site?
What was Stonehenge?
There are a number of theories as to what the site was used for. Archaeologists agree that the site must have had a spiritual significance. It may have originally been a cemetery, according to a new study. After examining bones exhumed near the stones, scientists believe that the burials must have taken place at the same time as Stonehenge was built, suggesting that the stones could have been gravestones for religious or political elite.
What are scientists certain about the significance of Stonehenge?
Scientists are sure that Stonehenge was a cemetery T/F
Stonehenge may have been constructed with the sun in mind. One avenue connecting the monument with the nearby River Avon aligns with the sun on the winter solstice; archaeological evidence reveals that pigs were slaughtered at Stonehenge in December and January, suggesting that ancient pagan sun celebrations might have taken place there.
Steven Waller, a researcher in archaeoacoustics has revealed that before part of the ring collapsed it must have had excellent acoustics and speculates that it might have been an ancient concert hall or cathedral.
Why do scientists think the builders chose the location for the stones?
What other events possibly happened at Stonehenge?
What does Steven Waller say about Stonehenge?
Wild theories about Stonehenge have persisted since the Middle Ages. Some say Merlin the wizard may have cast a spell to make the rocks as light as a feather to help with the construction. UFO enthusiasts believe that ancient aliens could have built Stonehenge as a spacecraft landing pad.
What unscientific methods for Stonehenge’s construction have been suggested?
Form – Past modal verbs of speculation
Look at the sentences on the board and complete the table
Subject +
Modal +
_____________ +
_____________
I
You
He/she/it
Etc.
Could
Might
May
Must
Can’t
_______
…………………
…………………
…………………
…………………
Etc.
Practice – Memory Test
Answer the questions with your partner using past modals.
What did the text say about transporting the larger Sarsen stones?
What did the text say about glaciers?
What are scientists sure about the significance of Stonehenge?
What did the researcher in archaeoacoustics say about Stonehenge?
What were some of the more wild theories about its use?
Easter Island Heads
Scientists are almost certain that the stones had a religious significance.
Scientists believe that the stones________________________________ a religious significance.
Scientists think that it’s impossible that the stones came from a different island.
Scientists think that the stones _________________________________ from a different island.
It’s possible that the stones were carved to resemble a famous leader of the tribe.
The stones _____________________________________ to resemble a famous leader of the tribe.
Some people believe that there’s a possibility that the stones came from another planet. Some people believe that the stones _______________________________________from another planet.
Lesson Procedure
Stage
Time
Focus
Procedure
Aim
Pre-reading
5 mins
OC
In pairs
Show picture of Stonehenge. Ask if anyone has been there. Share information with class.
Sts speculate. How old is it? How was it built? What was it?
Introduce topic. To allow sts to apply top-down knowledge
Reading 1
2 mins
Pairs
Give out handout. Sts read intro. Report back to open class. How old is Stonehenge?
To confirm speculation and generate interest.
Reading 2 + language focus (meaning)
20 mins
Pairs
OC
Instruct sts to read next section quickly then read questions and answer in pairs.
Check answers – nominate – check across class.
Board first 5 sentences that answer questions with modal verbs.
Ask questions: “How certain are the scientists?” to develop understanding of meaning.
This is a reading and conversation lesson plan based on an article from the guardian about some of the latest inventions. Download the text below or read the full article here:
Basically students need to identify the inventions by reading the first section of each text in which the inventor describes them. They will then reread in order to answer detail questions in pairs and respond to the text by answering discussion questions.
Here’s the key:
The selfie-stick
Emojis
The cronut (a doughnut crossed with a croissant)
Read this inventor describing his invention and see if you can guess what it is.
I’ve been fascinated with photography since I was a kid. I used to develop my own prints and experimented with Polaroids and early video cameras.
In 2002 I took my daughter on holiday to Italy. I wanted photos of us together but if you take it yourself you always end up with a head off centre. In the end, we’d wait for a passer-by who looked savvy enough to use my digital camera, then explain what we wanted usually without a common language. Then we had to deal with people walking in front of us while the photo was being taken. I just thought: “There has to be an easier way.”
It took about 100 prototypes to get it right. Every pin, spring, lever and gear had to be up to the job. I wanted each one to last 20 years and be able to withstand use under the sea or in the heat of the Sahara.
Why did he invent it?
Why do you think they became so popular?
What problems do you think the inventor has encountered since the product has taken off?
It wasn’t the first time someone had come up with the idea of sticking a camera on the end of a pole – the BBC claims to have unearthed a picture showing a couple using a selfie stick in the 1920s. Originally, I called it The Quik Pod Extendable Monopod – we only started using the term “selfie stick” when it became part of the lexicon. The first take-up happened in the extreme sport community – it was really popular with skiers, paragliders and divers.
Sales have grown every year since launch but one of the problems I’ve encountered is cheap, rip-off selfie sticks – it’s too time-consuming to go after any but the most blatant copycats.
But money was never my main motivation. I’m far more interested in creating a world where families have good pictures in which everyone is present. In earlier decades, one of the parents tended to be the “designated photographer” and was often all but invisible in their photo albums. Now, for the first time, everyone can always be present. CB
What do you think of the invention?
Do you agree with his justification?
Read the first paragraph, can you guess what the invention is?
It was the 1990s, and we were designing a new online language to use in text messages. Before mobile phones in Japan, we used to have pagers called Pocket Bells. They were cheap and really popular among young people, partly because they had a heart symbol. I knew that symbols absolutely had to be part of any texting service.
How many do you think there are now?
The original emoji were black and white and very simple.
I drew inspiration from symbols used in weather forecasts. At first there were 200, for things like food, drink and feelings – including the heart, of course. Now there are over 1,000.
I didn’t think emoji would spread and become so popular internationally. When I’m introduced as the man who invented emoji, people are taken aback. Emoji is incredibly useful because it transcends language – sometimes a single emoji can say more than words.
Where did he get the inspiration from?
What do you think of the invention?
Read the first section. Can you guess the invention?
I started in kitchens when I was barely 16. My parents didn’t have much money but I found a cookery school. I spent some time in the military and then I worked for the French bakery Fauchon, and Daniel Bouloud in New York, before I opened my own bakery in Soho in 2011.
Someone pointed out that we didn’t have any kind of donut on the menu. I said OK, let’s try it. But I’m French, I don’t know about donuts. Let me work with a texture I grew up with – the croissant.
How do you think they became so popular?
The dough itself is not croissant dough, there’s a different ratio of ingredients. I wanted it to be light but I didn’t want to change the flavour. When I finally found the right balance, it had the perfect texture – the crunch on the outside, the flaky layers within. The team always tastes new recipes together. They said: “Yeah, it’s good. It should go on the menu.”
After that everything happened really fast. By chance, a blogger for Grub Street (New York magazine’s restaurant blog) came into the shop and tried the Cronut. He put it on the blog. Then he called me – overnight, there had been more than 140,000 links to his blog post. He said: “I think you should make a few more.”
The first day I made 30. The next, 45. By the third day we had more than 100 people queuing and the craze began. The line stretched back over four blocks. The enthusiasm is still as strong. Most days we have a line of between 100-180 people, no matter the weather. We serve them hot chocolate while they’re queuing.
I don’t take this success for granted. We have auctioned Cronuts to raise thousands for food banks and food charities here in New York.
I believe in creativity and in innovation. We’re always thinking about how we can impress, how we can touch people with food, so we never stop inventing. I get inspired by all kinds of things – by art, by painting. Recently I was looking at nail art on Instagram. The details, the colour, the mix of techniques are fascinating. Maybe someday I will glaze a cake and be reminded of those details.
Baking’s still pretty much the same wherever you go: bakeries are mostly French, Italian or German. It’s not like cooking, where you have chefs from all kinds of backgrounds fusing different foods. So this is just the beginning. There’s plenty of room to grow.RI
This is a reading and speaking lesson plan based around an article about the WHO’s recent revelation linking consumption of red meat to cancer for B2+. Download the student’s and teacher’s copy of the article below:
Influenced by my wonderful DELTA tutors I’ve split the text up into sections. Before reading each section students make a prediction about what they’re about to read and then read to confirm their predictions. They then read again and complete comprehension questions that go into more detail.
Lesson structure:
Predict/speculate about section 1
Read to confirm
Read section 1 again and answer comprehension questions
Predict/speculate about section 2
Read to confirm
Read again, answer comprehension questions
Repeat
Give students ample time between sections and after finishing the article to respond and interact with the text.
Who do they agree with?
What’s their reaction to the text?
How important is meat in their culture?
The article:
Argentinians react to report linking meat to cancer.
How do you think Argentinians reacted to the news?
As he prepared to order lunch in one of Buenos Aires’ many steak restaurants, Jorge Bacaloni declared himself unlikely to change his beef-centred diet despite the World Health Organisation’s conclusion that red meats are more carcinogenic than previously thought.
In a report published on Monday, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that red meat is “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
But in Argentina, which has one of the highest levels of meat consumption in the world, the study was met with scepticism.
“I’m aware of the health risks, but it’s part of our culture,” said Bacaloni, who estimates that he eats between a kilogram and 1.5kgs of meat each week.
Do you think Jorge will change his ways because of the news?
Most of that is from cattle, putting Bacaloni around the average in Argentina, where consumption per capita was 59.4kg of beef in 2014.
As well as the pure pleasure of home grills and estraña dishes in beef houses, the lawyer said that it was a custom. “This is part of our history. Part of our life,” he says. “And at least cows in Argentina are raised on pastures rather than in sheds. It’s more natural.”
But he was more concerned for his family that the World Health Organisation had classified processed meat in the same cancer-risk category as cigarettes, alcohol and asbestos.
“I have a three-year-old son. We’ve been giving him sausage, but I’ll stop that,” he said. He too is adjusting his diet, though for different reasons. “I’ll have chicken today, but only because I’m on a diet.”
What changes will he make?
What reasons does he give for his scepticism?
Why does he think Argentine beef is better than in other countries?
Why do you think Argentines eat so much meat?
Fashion designer Marcela Duhalde laughs when she explains how often she eats steak. “l hate cooking so when I have to make food I always choose a T-bone steak and tomatoes because it’s easy and delicious. I have it maybe four or five times a week,” she says. “I ought to be huge.”
Raised on a farm, she says eating meat is a custom. “My family was very carnivorous. If we didn’t have meat, we didn’t consider it a meal.”
This is a common refrain. The first cattle were introduced by the Spanish conquistadores in the 16th century and they soon became a feature on the pampas – the vast grasslands that stretch across much of the country – while their meat was an integral part of the gaucho “cowboy” culture.
Why does Marcela eat meat so often?
How often does she eat steak?
Is this too often?
Why do some people say that they could never be vegetarian?
What effect do you think the WHO’s decision will have on people’s habits?
Duhalde says she is concerned about the agrochemicals, antibiotics, tainted cattle feed and the generally poor conditions that many cattle are kept in, but vegetarianism is not option. Nor it seems is cutting back.
“Everything I like is unhealthy – steak, alcohol, drugs and other things. I’d rather die than give it all up. I don’t have the energy to be happy without them.”
She didn’t expect the WHO decision to make much of an impact on Argentina’s love of steaks in the short term, but she thought it could make a difference in the distant future if the evidence mounted up and led to the same sort of health campaigns that are now common with tobacco.
“This makes us start thinking about the risks, but there is a big distance between thinking about things and actually changing our habits.”
What things worry Marcela about meat production?
Why could she never be a vegetarian?
What’s her conclusion?
What’s your opinion?
Follow up
Students write an essay examining the importance of meat in their culture and the effect they think the announcement will have.
