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Listen Up! Hot topics to consider and discuss

Alastair He nry Listen_up_omslag.indd 2

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Contents

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Introduction

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What is Listen Up? The topics The activities The Panel members Chris, CD1, track 1 Johnny, CD1, track 2 Aryana, CD1, track 3 Sophie, CD1, track 4 Jamie, CD1, track 5 Charlotte, CD1, track 6

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Topics for discussion

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1. State control, CD1, track 7

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2. Being climate smart, CD1, track 8

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3. Expression and conformity, CD1, track 9

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4. The Internet and sexuality, CD1, track 10

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5. Safety on the street, CD2, track 1

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6. Pay up! CD2, track 2

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7. Books & reading, CD2, track 3

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8. Emerging adulthood, CD2, track 4

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9. Getting out and about; Nature and the environment, CD3, track 1

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10. Politics – participation and preferences, CD3, track 2

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11. Discrimination, CD3, track 3

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12. Social networking; where do we go from here? CD3, track 4

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13. Euthanasia, CD3, track 5

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AÂ guide to essay writing

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The descriptive essay The compare and contrast essay The persuasive essay The explanatory essay

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Key

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4 Listen Up!

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Introduction

Introduction What is Listen Up? Listen Up! is a set of learning materials for the English C course (step 7) that is based on a series of recorded discussions and is designed to improve advanced-level listening, speaking and writing skills.

Thirteen controversial topics are discussed by a panel of six young people from different parts of the UK, all of whom have different ethnic and regional backgrounds. In their discussions, which on average are roughly 12 minutes in length, the panellists give their own particular views on a range of subjects.

The topics The thirteen topics in Listen Up! deal with issues of current importance.

Whilst some, such as voting and taxation are political in nature, others, such as social networking, identity & conformity, sexuality and the Internet, safety on the street, reading habits and the transition to adulthood focus on issues that are of particular importance to young people growing up today. Other topics, such as discrimination, state surveillance and euthanasia involve ethical issues. All of the topics have durable relevance and have been chosen with an eye not only on today, but on developing trends and likely scenarios in the future.

The activities Linked to every topic/discussion are four types of exercises: questions to check understanding, issues to discuss, an opportunity to tackle some of the difficult – but useful – vocabulary encountered in the discussions and, finally, an essay assignment.

What did they say?

In this section there are a number of questions about the content of the discussion. To answer the questions students need to listen carefully to what the Panel members say. It is important though to tell them that they should not worry if they don’t understand everything as they will be able to answer the questions based on a general understanding of the discussions. Because the discussions are long, the key (with the answers to the questions) indicates where in the discussion the information asked for can be found. This means that you can quickly find the relevant sections of the discussion on the CD and play it back in class.

What do you say?

These tasks are generative and give students an opportunity to voice their own opinions about the topics that the Panel members have discussed. Do they agree with the Panel? What is their position? What do they think?

What do they mean?

In this section, students work with some of the more tricky vocabulary used by the Panel members in their discussion. They are asked to use their knowledge of the context in which the words and expressions are encountered and to try and work out what they mean.

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Introduction

Getting it down on paper – essay writing Every topic is accompanied by a writing task. As the students are likely to be in their final year of upper secondary school (gymnasium) we have decided to introduce four different types of essay that are commonly found in higher education: the descriptive essay, the compare and contrast essay, the persuasive essay and the explanatory essay. A hands-on guide to essay writing (pp 71–85), including four model essays with useful comments and explanatory notes, provides students with the tools they need to write successful essays.

The Panel members The six young people in the Panel, all of whom are in their early twenties, are students at the Guildford School of Acting. All one day hope to become successful in the stage and entertainment industries. Although currently living in Guildford, which is a small town just outside of London, the Panel members come from all over the country. Here are some short descriptions of the three girls and three boys. You can also let your students listen to them introducing themselves at the beginning of CD1.

Chris is from Watford, Hertfordshire, just north of London. As well as learning acting and stage management he also teaches drama to young children and disabled people and freelances as a lighting designer. Chris has won awards for his cocktails and bartending.

Johnny was born and brought up in Taunton in Somerset in the southwest of England. He loves playing football and tennis and is a Manchester United supporter. Johnny also likes going out with his friends and socializing.

Aryana was born in Ireland. Her mother is Irish and her father comes from Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The family moved to Lincolnshire and a quiet little town called Louth. She enjoys studying in Guildford but feels sometimes that becoming an adult is a bit scary.

Sophie comes from Manchester in the north of the UK. Her father is from Iran and her mother is half Italian. Sophie’s grandfather had his own Italian ice cream shop in Manchester and served many of the Manchester United football players. Sophie has always been interested in theatre and started dancing when she was just three years old. She loves reading and travelling.

Jamie is from the sunny Isle of Wight off England’s southern coast.

Coming from an island, Jamie loves the sea and he spent much time on the beach when he grew up. When he was 16 he went to boarding school, which was quite a scary experience, but it was here he says that he first learned to manage on his own. Through his father he got interested in drama and acting.

Charlotte comes from Reading in England. She lived in San Diego, California, for four years and sees this as an interesting experience. She loves loads of things; theatre – of course – tennis, music and arts. She really enjoys discussions and is interested in politics.

We hope that listening to Chris, Aryana, Charlotte, Jamie, Sophie and Johnny discussing the different topics will be an enjoyable experience, and will encourage students to express their own views, both in discussions with their classmates and when tackling the essay assignments.

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1. State control

Topics for discussion

The theme of this topic concerns the problem of achieving a balance between, on the one hand, the protection of the public – for example against acts of terrorism – and, on the other, ensuring that the rights of the individual are not breached. Also, the discussion centres on the issue of whether national or pannational bodies have the right to monitor electronic communication, again as a means of protecting against threats to national security.

Today we live in an age where the threat of terrorism is nothing new.

Even though statistically speaking few of us are ever likely to be the victims of terrorism, we have probably at one time or another been inconvenienced by measures taken to prevent terrorism. We might, for example, have had to undergo rigorous baggage checks and wait for hours in security lines before being allowed to board a plane, especially if we are going to travel to countries like Israel or the United States. Bomb scares mean that the train we might want to take has been cancelled. The underground can all of a sudden be closed down for an indefinite period. Often we might accept things like this – this is after all the reality we live in – but what about more personally invasive security measures?

Panel members Chris, Johnny, Aryana, Sophie

What did they say?

1. What happened to Sophie and her family when they came back from Iran?

2. What are the Panel members’ views on full body searches?

Listen Up!, Engelska C/steg 7 1. State control © 2010 Författaren och Natur & Kultur ISBN 978-91-41639-0

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Topics for discussion

3. The Panel members disagree about singling out certain groups of people for special security checks and interrogations, so called passenger profiling. Who is for profiling and who is against?

4. The Panel talk about a case when the police shot a man who they suspected of being a terrorist and who was about to get on a train.

Chris says that he understands the situation that the police are placed in, saying that it was a “no win situation”. What does he mean? Try to come up with the best explanation you can.

5. The two boys, Johnny and Chris, don’t see state monitoring of electronic communication as a problem at all. What makes them say this? Why is it not a problem?

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What do you say?

1. Have you yourself experienced any inconveniences due to strict security measures either at airports or elsewhere?

Topics for discussion

2. As we know, terrorists are becoming increasingly adept at devising ways and means of avoiding detection by airport security systems.

Arguments for even stricter measures are now being heard. It was not that long ago that full-body scanners were introduced in airports around the world.

In the interests of safe air travel would you, for example: • Be prepared to be subjected to a full body search?

• Be prepared to travel without any hand luggage?

3. Recently a UK MP, Khalid Mahmood, himself a Muslim, has said that an effective way to stop terrorism in the air would be to subject particular groups of passengers to very extensive checks, so called passenger profiling: “If we want to fly safely we have to take measures to stop things like the 2009 Christmas Day plot. Profiling may have to be the price we pay. The fact is the majority of people who have carried out or planned terror attacks have been Muslims.”

• Do you think that passengers identified by security agencies as belonging to a particular ‘risk group’ should be subjected to much more rigorous searches than other passengers before being allowed to embark on aircraft?

• Should people from ‘risk groups’ perhaps even be prevented from boarding a plane?

4. Extreme threats require extreme measures …

A lot of people would say that, at the end of the day, national governments are the good guys and the terrorists are the bad guys.

Does this mean that the security services and intelligence agencies should be able to adopt any methods they believe are right to make sure that we are kept safe? Should they, for example, be able to hold suspected terrorists for indefinite periods of time in order to gather the evidence needed for a conviction?

5. When interrogating persons suspected of acts of terrorism, isn’t it reasonable to expect that the security services should be allowed to use unconventional methods?

Listen Up!, Engelska C/steg 7 1. State control © 2010 Författaren och Natur & Kultur ISBN 978-91-41639-0

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What do they mean?

Work in pairs and read each sentence. What do the highlighted words and expressions mean? If you are not sure, perhaps you can use some of these clues to help you:

Topics for discussion

• What sort of a word is it? (e.g. noun, verb, adjective, adverb) • Can it be broken up into parts? Do you know any of the parts?

• Does the word remind you of a Swedish word?

• Are there any clues in other things that you have heard the Panel members saying that could help you?

1. We’re looking at, on the one hand protection of the public from e.g. acts of terrorism and, on the other, ensuring that the rights of the individual are not breached.

2. Have you ever been inconvenienced by security measures when travelling?

3. Have any of you been in a situation of a bomb scare evacuation?

4. So you think that severe security measures are a necessary evil?

5. I was driving to work and there was a massive police effort, where they got everybody into a car park and searched all the cars.

Obviously for me, on my way to work, this messed up my day.

6. The security measures had been heightened.

7. Going through security we had to take our shoes off, but I think it was a necessary precaution.

8. Is it an infringement of people’s personal freedom?

9. Would you be prepared to go through a full body search every time you board a plane?

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10. I think that a full body search would be inappropriate.

11. They are talking about introducing these things at airports that would scan your whole body outline.

Topics for discussion

12. It’s not a nice experience to be thoroughly searched.

13. A British MP, himself a Muslim, has said that an effective way to stop terrorism in the air would be to subject particular groups of passengers to very extensive checks.

14. If our communication systems, such as Facebook, e-mails etc, were all monitored, it could lead to abuse.

Getting it down on paper How should terrorism be tackled? At what point are civil liberties more important than the prevention of terror? To what lengths can governments go to protect their citizens from the threats posed by terrorists?

Write a persuasive essay in which you argue either for or against passenger profiling or the government monitoring of electronic communication. Read about essay writing on pp 71–73 and about persuasive essays on p 80.

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Listen Up! Hot topics to consider and discuss Alastair Henry Hörövningar i engelska för gymnasiet och vuxenutbildningen, kurs C/steg 7, med innehållsfrågor, diskussionspunkter, ord- och skrivövningar. Tre audio-cd ingår i häftet.

Being climate smart, The Internet and sexuality, Books & reading, Discrimination, Social networking är fem av de 13 intressanta ämnen som diskuteras av The Panel – sex brittiska ungdomar från olika delar av landet och med olika bakgrund.

I grupper om fyra ger de sina personliga åsikter om de olika ämnena under ledning av en moderator. Övningsavsnitten inleds med What did they say?, frågor på innehållet, och följs av What do you say?, diskussionsfrågor. Därefter bearbetas ord och uttryck i What do they mean? och varje avsnitt avslutas med Getting it down on paper, uppsatsskrivning. I A guide to essay writing får eleven hjälp och vägledning att gå vidare i sitt skrivande med en introduktion till fyra olika typer av uppsatser med kommenterade exempeluppsatser.

Förutom att vara ett avancerat hörövningsmaterial, tränar Listen Up! även muntliga och skriftliga färdigheter.

ISBN 978-91-27-41639-0

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