The Teenage Brain 1 Before reading
Follow-up activities
Lead-in Ask the students to discuss the following question with their partners. Do teenagers behave differently to adults? In what ways? Encourage them to give examples from their own experience.
Discussion Put the following statements on the board: C1 This new research is good because adults won't be able to tell teenagers off for dropping a glass or crashing a car. O This new research is bad because parents and teachers may not want to give teenagers responsibility or freedom. Ask the students which statement they agree with. What are their reasons? Ask for more advantages and disadvantages of this research for teenagers.
Vocabulary 1) You will need t o pre-teach the following words, or ask your students to look them up in their dictionaries: developed, to shrink, judgement, reasoning, impulsive, clums)! to influence, programmed, to warn. 2 ) Before the students read the article, look at the diagram of the brain together. Ask the students what the different parts do so that they become familiar with the new words. If you wish, you could do this as a test by giving them a few minutes t o study the diagram and then, asking them to turn the page over. Use questions like: What happens in the Occipital lobe? Which part o f the brain controls hearing?
ldiomatic expressions Get your students to do the vocabulary extension exercise, activity 3, Idiomatic expressions. 'then, ask them t o discuss the following questions in pairs and then do feedback with the whole class: Who is the brainiest person you know? Do you know anyone who is obssessed with something (i.e. has something on the brain)? Whose brains would you pick if you: a) were going to run a marathon? b) had to write a speech? c) had entered a history quiz? Have you ever had a brainwave? What was your brilliant idea? When was the last time you racked your brain?
Language practice This might be a good time t o get your students t o do activity 1, Word formation. Again, they could attempt this activity from memory and then look back at the diagram in order t o check their answers.
Building a better brain Ask the students t o work in small groups t o make a list of rules of what you should and shouldn't do t o 'programme' your brain.
During reading Reading comprehension Ask the students how they think the brain changes from childhood t o adulthood. Tell them to read the article t o check their answers. They might be surprised by some of the information. After this, they should re-read the article to answer the comprehension questions in activity 2, Comprehension.
Answers 1. Word formation 1 speech, 2 thought, 3 movement, 4 sight, 5 memory. 2. Comprehension 1 false, 2 true, 3 false, 4 false. 3. Idiomatic expressions Id, 2b. 3a. 4c, 5e
The Teenage Brain 1. Word formation Change these verbs into nouns. t o check your answers. Verb 1. t o speak 2 . t o think 3. t o move 4. t o see 5. t o remember / memorise
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Look back a t the brain diagram Noun h
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t----m-----S---
m
t t t y
2. Comprehension Read t h e article and decide if t h e following sentences are true or false. 1. Scientists believe that young children have fully-developed brains. 2 . The teenage brain is bigger than the adult brain. 3. The brain stops developing during the teenage years. 4. The number o f cells in your brain never changes.
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TIMESAVER READING LESSONS O MARY GLASGOW MAGAZINES. AN IMPRINTOF SCHOLASTIC INC.
3. ldiomatic expressions ( w o r d s a n d phrases with 'brain') The words and phrases below all include the w o r d brain! Match each word or phrase w i t h its definition. 1. t o pick someone's brains 2. brainy 3. a brainwave 4. t o have something o n the brain 5. t o rack your brains a) b) c) d)
a sudden, clever idea very intelligent t o be obsessed w i t h something t o get information by asking someone who knows a lot about the subject e) t o try very hard t o think of or remember something