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

See Select Category > ESL Reading Units Free: Reading for Insights (Introduction) for an introduction to these reading units. Reading Units: Reading for Insights (Introduction)

Study Guide, Reflection & Vocabulary  for The Candy Test: Controlling Impulses (and excerpts)

Article: The Candy Test Article

Study Guide, Reflection & Vocabulary: : The Candy Test Study Guide

Answer Key: The Candy Test Answer Key

Excerpts

⁷ Let’s say that the child was “Alice,” and she chose cookies as her reward.  The researcher told Alice that she had a choice.  She could eat the one cookie immediately, or if she waited, she could have the two cookies.  Then the researcher told Alice that he would leave the room.  If she decided to eat the one cookie, she should ring the bell, and he would return and she would only get the single cookie.  But if she could avoid ringing the bell wait until the researcher returned, she could eat the two cookies.

The Ability to Delay

¹⁵ Mischel, the author of The Marshmallow Test, and his research colleagues wanted to know how these pre-schoolers were able to make themselves wait when they really wanted to eat the one piece of the reward; in other words, he wanted to understand how they were able to control their impulses.  If they could find this out, it could help people figure out how to stop engaging in bad activities like smoking, over-eating or even playing video games instead of studying.

See Select Category > ESL Reading Units Free  for links to all the Reading Units.

Onward!

David Kehe

*About the free-download materials. During my 40 years of teaching ESL, I have had many colleagues who were very generous with their time, advice and materials. These downloads are my way of paying it forward.