Topic: Mobile Technology: Mobile Mad?

Мети:

1) – удосконалювати мовленеві навички учнів з теми уроку використовуючи тематичний

вокабуляр;
- опрацьовувати вживання умовних речень змішаного типу;
- активізувати навички аудіювання (прослуховуваючи текст Mobile Phones);
- удосконалювати навички читання, метою якого є відшукати деталі;
2) – розвивати навички співпраці у малих групах;
- Розвивати мовленеву реакцію та аналітичне мовлення учнів;
3) – виховувати толерантне відношення до думок співучнів;
- допомогати учням набути сбалансованого розуміння та ставлення до науково-
технічного прогресу.

Lesson Background:

This lesson will continue a series of lessons on the topic “The progress of science: for and
against”. In the previous lessons the students the advantages and disadvantages of using atomic
energy, computers, etc. This lesson offers extended practice on the topic “The progress of
science” and it is the first lesson out of two devoted to the use of mobiles, the device that is vital
for modern teens thus it will sustain students’ interest and ensure meaningful engagement. In this
lesson the students are preparing for the class discussion on the positive and negative role of
mobile phones that will take place in the next lesson. The will work in small groups to carry out
the tasks that will prepare them for the class discussion. The student will use the realia and
authentic material that will give them some ideas on the subject but they will still need to compile
and analyze information for further discussion.

Learning Objectives/Expected Results:

Students will apply vocabulary and collocations they have learned from their previous lessons on
the topic “The progress of science”. They will enlarge and practice the vocabulary on the topic
“Mobile Phones”. They will need to manage their group so that they can carry out the tasks that
should result in the improved collaborative skill. They will propose the arguments in favor or
against mobile phones and develop critical thinking skill when they analyze the arguments trying
to arrange the arguments in the order of importance. They will be practicing all language skills as
they work out the lists of arguments for or against mobile phones.

Materials and Sources:.

Materials:

 Students’ mobile phones (switched to the menu in English)

 Audio “Mobile Phones” (from Learn English | British Council)
 Handouts with the Listening Comprehension assignment, article “Mobile Mad” (from New
Total English Student’s Book Upper-Intermediate), Reading Comprehension assignment; a
handout for making lists of arguments for and against mobiles attached – see below.
 Video files from YouTube
Sources:

 Learn English | British Council | “Mobile Phones” [Audio file]. Available at

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/magazine-articles/mobile-phones
 Mobile Mad. Pearson Longman New Total English Upper-Intermediate Student’s Book, p.14
 “How Has the Cell Phone Changed Your Life” [Video files.] Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI_hIGKIMl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD8et5GFPvY

Activities: pupils

I. Listen to the objectives of the lesson. Warm up.

1) Greeting.
2) Warming up.
Teacher: Today we are going to continue speaking about the progress of science in
our life. We can hardly imagine modern life without countless devices and
innovations that have been created by application of science such as robots, cars,
computers etc. Say what our life would be like if some of them hadn’t been
invented.
(There are slides with the pictures of computer, robot, space craft, atomic energy,
washing machine, penicillin, electric bulb etc.)

Pupils make up Conditional sentences (mixed type) using the pattern written on the
blackboard:
If the … hadn’t been invented (discovered) we would…

Example: If penicillin hadn’t been discovered we wouldn’t be able to cure many diseases.
3) Pupils listen to the objectives of the lesson.

Teacher: Really, we see how much science has changed our life. Today we are going to
concentrate on the device that appeared not so long ago but is taken so much for
granted – the mobile phone. So, our topic today is Mobile Technology: Mobile Mad?

II. Answer the questions the role of the mobile phone in the pupils’ life :
A)
1. Do you have a mobile phone?
2. How long have you had it?
3. Is it important for you? Why?
 B)
How do you use your mobile phone?

(Teacher asks the pupils to take their mobiles, to switch to the menu in English and to tell the
class about the functions their phones have and which ones they use.
Pupils show their devices to the class and speak about the functions they use revising the topical
vocabulary with the help of the menu in English)

III. Listen to the text “Mobile Phones” by Craig Dunkan.

1) Pre-listening.
Do you know anything from the history of the mobile phone?
Who invented it? What opportunities does it give people?

Tapescript:

Mobile phones
by Craig Duncan
When Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it was a revolution in communication. For the first time, people could talk
to each other over great distances almost as clearly as if they were in the same room. Nowadays, though, we increasingly use Bell’s invention for
emails, faxes and the internet rather than talking. Over the last two decades a new means of spoken communication has emerged: the mobile
phone.

The first real mobile telephone call was made in 1973 by Dr Martin Cooper, the scientist who invented the modern mobile handset. As soon as his
invention was complete, he tested it by calling a rival scientist to announce his success. Within a decade, mobile phones became available to the
public. The streets of modern cities began to feature sharp-suited characters shouting into giant plastic bricks. In Britain the mobile phone quickly
became synonymous with the “yuppie”, the new breed of young urban professionals who carried the expensive handsets as status symbols. Around
this time many of us swore that we would never, ever own a mobile phone.

But in the mid-90s, something happened. Cheaper handsets and cheaper calling rates meant that, almost overnight, it seemed that everyone had a
mobile phone. And the giant plastic bricks of the 80s had evolved into smooth little objects that fitted nicely into pockets and bags. In every pub and
restaurant you could hear the bleep and buzz of mobiles ringing and registering messages, occasionally breaking out into primitive versions of the
latest pop songs. Cities suddenly had a new, postmodern birdsong.

Moreover, people’s timekeeping changed. Younger readers will be amazed to know that, not long ago, people made spoken arrangements to meet
at a certain place at a certain time. Once a time and place had been agreed, people met as agreed. Somewhere around the new millennium, this
practice started to die out. Meeting times became approximate, subject to change at any moment under the new order of communication: the Short
Message Service (SMS) or text message. Going to be late? Send a text message! It takes much less effort than arriving on time, and it’s much less
awkward than explaining your lateness face-to-face. It’s the perfect communication method for the busy modern lifestyle

Mobile phones, once the preserve of the high-powered businessperson and the “yuppie”, are now a vital part of daily life for an enormous amount of
people. From schoolchildren to pensioners, every section of society has found that it’s easier to stay in touch when you’ve got a mobile. Over the
last few years mobiles have become more and more advanced, with built-in cameras, global positioning devices and internet access. And in the
next couple of years, we can expect to see the arrival of the “third generation” of mobile phones: powerful micro-computers with broadband internet
access, which will allow us to watch TV, download internet files at high speed and send instant video clips to friends.

Alexander Graham Bell would be amazed if he could see how far the science of telephony has progressed in less than 150 years. If he were around
today, he might say: “That’s gr8! But I’m v busy rite now. Will call U 2nite

The text we are going to listen to will give us the answers to all these questions. In the text the
pupils will come across the new word “a Yuppie”

Yuppies – a generation of young urban professionals, ambitious and goal-oriented.

2) While listening to the text take notes to list the opportunities the mobile
technology gives us.
3) After listening to the text:
 Complete the sentences from the text choosing an appropriate answer (pair-
work):

1. The mobile phone was invented

A) In 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell
B) In 1970-s by Dr Martin Cooper
C) In 1990-s by a yuppie
2. The first mobile phone call took place between
A) Two scientists
B) Two Scotsmen
C) Two yuppies
3. The first commercially available mobile phones looked like
A) Small, pocket-sized objects
B) Telephone masts
C) Giant plastic bricks
4. More people bought mobile phones in the 1990-s because
A) Traditional phones didn’t work any more
B) They were bad at timekeeping
C) mobile phones became a lot cheaper
5. Mobile phones provide all of the following opportunities EXCEPT
A) Watching TV
B) Making you a yuppie
C) Downloading Internet files at high speed
4) Champion Game.

Pupils are divided into 3 teams of “Reds”, “Greens” and “Blues” (random grouping, using colored
cards).

Groups discuss the opportunities of mobiles mentioned in the article using their notes to fill in the
Listening comprehension task (handout 1)

What can people do with the help of mobile technology?

Which of the statements are True or False according to the article?

Put T next to the true statements and F next to the false ones.

People can take photos

People have the Internet access

We can become a yuppie

We can watch TV

People can send letters

We send text messages

We can make phone calls

We can make a revolution in communication

People can keep in touch

The teams stand in lines in front of the blackboard and play the “Champion” game answering the
questions:

- What opportunities does the mobile phone give people?

-What can we do with its help?

Teacher: As we see, the mobile phone gives us a lot of opportunities. So, it must be a blessing!
But is the situation so optimistic?

IV. Read the text “Mobile Mad”.

1) Pre-reading task: comment on the heading of the text “Mobile Mad”. What may
the article be about?
2) Learn the active vocabulary of the text:
Vocabulary:

Alarming – causing the feeling of anxiety, fear; (worrying)

Peers – people of the same age, rank etc.

Superficial - lacking originality, significance

To affect – to influence

To increase – to grow or expand

Emergency - a sudden occurrence, especially of a danger demanding immediate action

3) Read the text in 3 groups paying attention to the problems the mobile phone
may cause.
MOBILE MAD
In Japan, where mobiles have been common among the young for some time and offer
various services, sociologists see an alarming trend. The use of mobiles is so huge that
there is hardly a child between 6 and 15 who does not have one.
Such a density of mobile ownership has led to a new type of neurosis, say sociologists.
Teens have become fanatical about being “always available” and not wanting to lose touch.
“Indeed, many teenagers feel uneasy if they can’t be in touch with their peers countless
times a day, fearing they are becoming socially isolated,” writes sociologist Hisao Ishii, the
author of The Superficial Social Life of Japan’s Mobile Phone Addicts. 15-year-old Miki
Naxamura backs it up saying: “I’m completely out of touch with the world without my phone
and I go into a total panic!”
If this continues, adds Hisao Ishii, two things will probably happen. One is mobile phone
addiction, where a person doesn’t have the necessary skills to form relationships without the
help of the mobiles. The second: superficial communication may kill real conversation. The
act of contacting each other may become all that matters, it may affect the quality of
relationships. The very fabric of society may be threatened.
The sociologist Maiko Seki has also suggested that “children read books less and less as
they are too busy playing with their technological tools”. As well as this, it may be that
academic performance is being affected: according to DaCoMo survey, 68% of children who
said that they owned a mobile phone said they got poor marks at school. In addition to this,
a recent UK government report mentioned the increased health risk to children under 16
using mobile handsets. So, children shouldn’t have unlimited access to mobile phones and
they should be used only in emergencies.

4) After reading the text decide

 a) if the statements are True or False (for group 1)

(Extension activities for stronger students):

b) expand on the True statements (group 2)

c) correct the False statements (group 3)

Say if the following statements are True or False:

1. Sociologists don’t see any problem in the increased number of mobiles owned by teens.
2. Teenagers feel uncomfortable without their mobile phones.
3. Mobile phones may influence real conversation positively.
4. Mobile phones affect the academic performance of teens.
5. The use of mobiles is dangerous for health.
5) Express the opinion whether the author of the article is in favour or against
mobile phones. Why?
V. So, is the mobile phone a curse or a blessing?

?
1) Watch video files from YouTube “How Has the Cell Phone Changed Your Life”
and learn what different people say about the influence of mobiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI_hIGKIMl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD8et5GFPvY

2) Work in 2 teams: work out the list of arguments

a) for mobile phones
b) against mobile phones

Pupils form teams with the teacher’s guidance.

Decide on the roles in the teams (a leader, a scribe, a time monitor, a grammar and vocabulary
monitors etc.)
Brainstorm the ideas and write them in the Brainstorming section.
Discuss the ideas ranking them in the order of importance. Fill in the appropriate section of the
table.
Handout 2
 Brainstorming section











Mobile Phones: For and Against

For Against

1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
6. 6.
7. 7.
8. 8.
9. 9.
10. 10.
. .

Pupils may give the following arguments:

FOR AGAINST
 They help us keep in touch  Poor academic performance
 They help us save money  Cause accidents
 Provide a degree of safety  May threaten live communication
 Music, movies and other entertainment  “Keeping in touch” 24/7 limits your
 Taking pictures & making video freedom
 People can connect and interact with  Using mobiles in certain places may
others quickly and cheaply. distract
 Internet access provides a vast library of  Mobile phone addiction
knowledge and information.

3) Have a group discussion on pros and cons of the mobile technology.

(Use the Conversational Formulas Agreement/Disagreement)

AGREEMENT DISAGREEMENT
 I agree entirely here  There may be something in what you say
  I couldn’t agree more
 You know, that’s exactly what I think
 What you say is perfectly true
 I won’t deny that…
 I am of the same opinion
but…
 I see your point but…
 It might be right but…
 You don’t seem to realize that…
 Well, I’m not so sure
 I’ve got some reasons to disagree
 I’ve got an argument to oppose
 I wouldn’t say that exactly

4) Draw the conclusion about the role of the mobile phones in our life.
VI. Summing up and evaluation.
Pupils: sum up what they have done and learnt in the lesson.
Teacher: comments on the results of the pupils’ performance and evaluates them.
VII. Home task: write the essay “Mobile Phones: a curse or a blessing?”