Short, Human-Interest Articles for Extensive Reading # 19: “Kindness Makes People Look More Beautiful”

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You are on a bus at a bus stop watching passengers get on. A middle-aged woman gets on and sits near you. You notice that she looks just like a normal woman about her age. Two bus stops later, an elderly man who is slowly walking with a cane gets on. Immediately, the middle-aged woman jumps up, smiles and gives the man her seat. As you observe the woman now standing, you notice that she is actually quite attractive.

Researchers have found that your experience is common. When a person does something kind and helpful, they will look more physically attractive to us  ….(See complete article below.)

(This posting includes a handout LINK AT THE END OF THIS POST which you are welcome to use with your students.) *

For background information about these articles and for suggestions for how to use them with your students, see  • Introducing “Short, High-Interest Readings”  Also, I’ll be adding more of these articles in the right-hand column: ESL Reading> Short, High Interest Articles for Extensive Readings

Here is the 19th article. You can download the article for your students by clicking on the link at the end. Also included are three optional exercises: True-False Questions; Paraphrasing Exercise; Reflection Exercise.

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Entering a Lesson with Predictions (Part 2: Pre-Discussion Activities) (Updated)

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Cover pre speaking Pt 2 slide

(This article was originally published in MET (Modern English Teaching) in Spring 1986.)  MET website

In Part 1 ( • Entering a Lesson with Predictions (Part 1: Pre-Listening Activities) , I introduced how we can help student to focus on a particular day’s materials and to become personally involved in its content. We can do it through a “prediction process.” I also described two prediction activities as entries to listening activities.

In this Part 2, I’ll share two sets of “prediction activities” as entries to speaking/discussion activities. In the first one, the prediction activity is indirectly related to the speaking activity. In the second one, it is directly related to what they will be discussing in their groups.

Example of predictions as an indirectly-related “entry” to a speaking activity

Lesson plan:  The students were going to have group discussions about “fun.”

Prediction procedure (which preceded the discussion.) I found online a ranking of the 10 most fun countries in the world.

Step 1: A list of 10 countries in alphabetical order was given to each student. They then individually predicted the ranking of each one according to how fun the online survey found.  Next, they formed groups of three or four and shared their guesses (predictions) with the group members.

Step 2: The teacher read the rankings, as they had been listed in the online source. Students jotted the answers on their lists.

Step 3: Still in their groups, they compared how well they had predicted.

Step 4: The students then formed new groups of three or four. The students were given a list of discussion questions about “fun.” For example
1) Did you have fun last weekend
2) When you were a child, what did you do that was fun?
3) Do you think computers are fun?
4) Is there a country or city you want to go to for fun?
etc.

Observation: Even though the ranking of fun countries had no direct bearing on the discussion that followed, students appeared to automatically think broadly about the topic of fun.

Example of predictions as a directly- related “entry” to a speaking activity

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• Short, High-Interest Articles for Extensive Reading: # 18: “Would You Return a Lost Wallet?”

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(This posting includes a handout which you are welcome to use with your students.) *

Imagine you see a wallet on the sidewalk. You are the only person who sees it. Inside, there is some money and a business card with an email address. Now, you have to decide: do you keep it or return it?

Many people and experts thought most finders would keep the money. However, a large study in 40 countries showed this was not true.

To see if people are honest, researchers left 17,300 wallets in 355 cities around the world. Some wallets had no money, but others contained about $13 of that country’s money ….(See complete article below.)

(This posting includes a handout LINK AT THE END OF THIS POST which you are welcome to use with your students.) *

For background information about these articles and for suggestions for how to use them with your students, see  • Introducing “Short, High-Interest Readings”  Also, I’ll be adding more of these articles in the right-hand column: ESL Reading> Short, High Interest Articles for Extensive Readings

Here is the 18th article. You can download the article for your students by clicking on the link at the end. Also included are three optional exercises: True-False Questions; Paraphrasing Exercise; Reflection Exercise.

Continue reading →

A Six-Word Phrase That Improves Students’ Cooperation

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Early in the term, I realized one of the students, Benji, was the type of student who would have trouble following the social norms of the class—such as coming to class on time. I had heard that other teachers had struggled with him, and I could imagine how they approached him. I knew I was going to have to be creative.

One day, there was a loud lawn mower outside out room, so I asked Benji if he could do me a favor and close the window. He smiled, jumped up, closed it and returned to his seat. Then he looked at me and we smiled at each other. From that day on, I noticed Benji becoming much more cooperative, including coming to class on time.

I suddenly realized the power of the phrase, “Could you do me a favor?”

It seems logical that if we do a favor for someone–like lending them a pen–it will make them more likely to reciprocate and do us a favor, for example, make some photocopies for us. However, the Benji experience was the reverse. Psychologists call it the “Benjamin Franklin Effect.” Asking someone for a small, easily fulfilled favor (like borrowing a pen, asking for directions, or opening a window) is often more effective at building a connection than offering to do something for them, which can sometimes feel transactional or overwhelming.

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