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Britney Spears admits baby driving mistakeDate: Feb 11, 2006Level: Easier (Try the harder lesson.) Downloads: Word Doc | PDF Doc | Listening Audio: (1:30 - 177.4 KB - 16kbps)
THE ARTICLEPop singer Britney Spears is in the headlines for the wrong reasons again. Photographers snapped her driving her car with her four-month-old son on her lap. Ms. Spears has admitted that her actions were dangerous. However, she has blamed the paparazzi for being aggressive toward her. She said the photographers follow her every move. She added that she feels she is always trying to escape from them. Ms. Spears said she put her son on her lap to protect him from the media. The agency that took the pics said the “photographers exhibited no aggressive behavior.” Spears may have to go to court for breaking traffic safety laws. California law requires children to sit in a child-safety seat until they are at least 6 years old or weigh 27 kg. A police spokesperson said Ms. Spears knew this and may have to pay a penalty. He said a deputy sheriff had already visited Spears’ Malibu home. The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services asked the police to question Ms. Spears. The group is angry at the dangerous example set by the singer. The matter is now in the hands of the LA Police Department. WARM-UPS1. CELEBRITIES: Write down the name of some celebrities who have broken the law. Talk about these in pairs / groups. What punishment did they receive? Was it the same as a “normal” person would get? Do you think famous people are treated differently under the law? 2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.
Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently. 3. CAR SAFETY: Which of these points are laws in your country? Would you like to see any of them tightened up?
4. OPINIONS: Do you agree with these opinions on celebrities and the law?
5. HEADLINES: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “headlines”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories. 6. PAPARAZZI: You are a famous star. Everyone in the street recognizes you. The paparazzi constantly follow you and photograph your every move. Talk to the other “stars” in the class about being famous. What do you think of the paparazzi? In what ways is your life not normal? BEFORE READING / LISTENING1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
WHILE READING / LISTENINGGAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text. Britney Spears admits baby driving mistake
LISTENINGListen and fill in the spaces. Britney Spears admits baby driving mistakePop singer Britney Spears is in the __________ for the wrong reasons again. Photographers snapped her driving her car with her four-month-old son on her lap. Ms. Spears has __________ that her actions were dangerous. However, she has blamed the paparazzi for being __________ toward her. She said the photographers follow her every move. She added that she feels she is always trying to ________ from them. Ms. Spears said she put her son on her _____ to protect him from the media. The agency that took the pics said the “photographers exhibited no aggressive ___________.” Spears may have to go to court for ________ traffic safety laws. California law requires children to sit in a child-safety seat until they are at ________ 6 years old or weigh 27 kg. A police spokesperson said Ms. Spears knew this and may have to pay a ________. He said a deputy sheriff had already visited Spears’ Malibu home. The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services asked the police to ________ Ms. Spears. The group is angry at the dangerous example ________ by the singer. The matter is now in the ________ of the LA Police Department. AFTER READING / LISTENING1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘traffic’ and ‘safety’.
2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…? 4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings. 5. STUDENT “CHILD SEAT” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about holidays and sick days.
6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:
DISCUSSIONSTUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.
SPEAKINGCHILD SAFETY: In pairs / groups, think of new laws to make it safer for children to be in cars. Create the penalties for people breaking these laws.
Change partners / groups. Tell each other your laws and penalties. Give each other feedback on them. Return to your original partner(s) and share what you heard from your earlier partner(s). Conduct a class survey to find out what the most common laws and penalties were. HOMEWORK1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word. 2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find information about previous occasions on which Britney Spears has hit the headlines. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things? 3. SURVEY: Conduct your own “child seat” survey among your family and friends. Report your findings to your partner(s) in your next class. Did you all write about similar things? 4. CAR SAFETY: Write an essay on your thoughts about car safety and children. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Did everyone write about similar things? ANSWERSTRUE / FALSE:
SYNONYM MATCH:
PHRASE MATCH:
GAP FILL: Britney Spears admits baby driving mistakePop singer Britney Spears is in the headlines for the wrong reasons again. Photographers snapped her driving her car with her four-month-old son on her lap. Ms. Spears has admitted that her actions were dangerous. However, she has blamed the paparazzi for being aggressive toward her. She said the photographers follow her every move. She added that she feels she is always trying to escape from them. Ms. Spears said she put her son on her lap to protect him from the media. The agency that took the pics said the “photographers exhibited no aggressive behavior.” Spears may have to go to court for breaking traffic safety laws. California law requires children to sit in a child-safety seat until they are at least 6 years old or weigh 27 kg. A police spokesperson said Ms. Spears knew this and may have to pay a penalty. He said a deputy sheriff had already visited Spears’ Malibu home. The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services asked the police to question Ms. Spears. The group is angry at the dangerous example set by the singer. The matter is now in the hands of the LA Police Department. |
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