Developing speaking
Developing writing
A debate 1 speaking
A magazine article 1a Imagine that you see this announcement in a magazine. Individually, think about your answers to the questions. You and your favourite free-time activity
Do you know anything about sport in US high schools? What sports do you think are popular with boys and girls?
Read the text and answer the questions.
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speaking
1 Were your predictions in 1 correct? 2 Why are some people not happy about sport in US high schools? 3 How similar or different is school sport in your country?
Write an article telling us what you love to do in your free time! How did you get into the activity? What equipment do you need? Where do you go to do it? Why would you recommend your free-time activity to other teenagers? Please write an article for next month’s school magazine!
Culture exchange Sport in US high schools
3a Read the text again and put the words in the spaces. convinced • far • instance • Personally • see • such • Take • view
Speaking bank Useful expressions for agreeing and disagreeing Agreeing or partially agreeing ● I (totally) agree (with you) (that …) ● I agree to an extent (that …)
Compare your answers in 1a.
1b speaking
2 Read this student’s article. Are there any similarities between you or your partner and this student? Don’t pay any attention to the spaces in the text at the moment. 1 ‘Have you got some type of injury?’ ‘Are you too old to do a real sport?’ Those are just some of the things that people ask me when I tell them that my favourite free-time activity is yoga. 2 (a) , I don’t care what people say about yoga because I know how good it is for me. I got into it when a yoga instructor came to school and gave us a lesson just before our exams. The idea was to help us relax and take away our stress. I found it useful and took up weekly classes. My (b) is that it really works! 3 As (c) as I’m concerned, one of the best things about yoga is that you don’t need much special equipment. All you need is a mat and some comfortable clothes. That’s so that you can do all the different ‘asanas’, which are different positions that help you to meditate. Another great thing about yoga is that you can do it almost anywhere. I go to a gym for classes, but you can practise at home, in a park, on the beach … 4 As I (d) it, yoga is the perfect activity for teenagers. (e) stress, for example. Yoga teaches you different techniques (f ) as how to stay calm, relax your mind
Sport is very popular in US high schools. Many students join teams or play sport competitively. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the number of participants in high school sports reached an all-time record high of 7,980,886 in 2017–18. The number one sport for boys is American football, followed by athletics, basketball, baseball, soccer, cross-country running, wrestling, tennis, golf and swimming/diving. Athletics is the most popular sport for girls, followed by volleyball, basketball, football (or soccer as it’s called in the US), softball (a type of baseball), cross-country running, tennis, swimming/diving and competitive spirit (also known as cheerleading). Not everybody is happy about sports in US high schools. Some people believe it is too competitive and sometimes even dangerous. (The number of students playing American football has gone down partly because of the possibilities of serious injuries.) They think that some schools give more importance and publicity to sports than the academic side of school life. They also argue that too much money is spent on sport. Collaborative project 4 page 109
3b Add the completed expressions from 3a to the other expressions in the Writing bank.
● That’s true. ● You’re right.
● You’ve got a point. ● I take your point. ● I see what you mean.
Writing bank Opinions Expressing opinions ● I (don’t) think (that) … ● In my opinion,
Giving examples ● For example,
Disagreeing or partially disagreeing ● I (totally) disagree (with you) (that …) ● I’m not sure that’s true. ● I agree to an extent, ● That’s true,
● ● ●
● ● ● ● ●
● You’ve got a point, ● I take your point, ● I see what you mean,
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Look again at the magazine article
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6 Individually, write down six statements about sport or sports stars. You don’t have to agree with the statements. Winning isn’t the only important thing in professional sport.
speaking
in 2 and answer the questions. 1 What is the purpose of each paragraph? (Look back at the announcement in 1a.) 2 How does the first paragraph get the reader interested and involved? 3 How does the last paragraph end the article in a positive way? Practice makes perfect 5a Use your ideas in 1a and expressions from the Writing bank to write your own article for the announcement. When you finish your article, use the Writing checklist on page 141 to check it. Then exchange articles with other classmates. Which free-time activities would you like to take up and why? 5b speaking
speaking Listen to each other’s statements. React to each statement with expressions from the Speaking bank. You must say what you really think. Practice makes perfect 8a Look at the statement below. Half of the class must agree and half must disagree. Prepare a list of points to support your opinion. Dancing should be an Olympic sport.
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Read the statement below. Make one list to
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speaking
defend and one to challenge the statement. Competitive sport at school has a negative influence.
and be more confident. But it also helps to give your body balance, strength and flexibility, for (g) . I’m (h) that yoga isn’t just for old people. Just try it and you’ll see I’m right!
55 Listen to a boy and girl discussing the statement in 3 and answer the questions. 1 Who agrees with the statement and who disagrees? 2 Do the boy or girl mention any of your ideas in 3? Which? 3 Do you agree more with the boy or the girl? Why?
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8b speaking Have a class debate using expressions from the Speaking bank.
5 55 Look at the expressions in the Speaking bank. What word can be used after all the expressions for partially disagreeing? Listen to the dialogue again if necessary.
Now tell the class what you
8c speaking
really think.
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Unit 7
Unit 7
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