Web International Advanced Salon 12

Advanced Salon 12
Ranking and Stating Values

Goals of the Lesson

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This lesson allows students to practice asking for and giving reasons, agreeing and disagreeing. It also
works with listening skills and comprehension of argument.

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Classroom Activities

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I. Warm-up

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Activity 1: Job Prestige. [20’] on
The students are given a list of 14 occupations. They then have to rank them according to two criteria.
First they should arrange them in the order in which these jobs are regarded and paid for in our society.
Then in pairs they should make a list in which they show how important they think each job should be.
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They should attempt to reach agreement with their neighbour on the rankings. Where they cannot
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agree they should mark this on their sheet.

The results are presented by each pair and noted on the board.
The first list will probably be very similar with groups of low and high prestige jobs clearly emerging.
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The ranking of job importance in the students’ own opinion may differ wildly and should stimulate a
discussion on the possible ‘upgrading’ and ‘downgrading’ of certain jobs.
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Dentist
University Professor
Taxi driver
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Actor
Secretary
Nurse
Schoolteacher
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Shop assistant
Policeman
Librarian
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Lawyer
Engineer
Journalist
Farmer

(In a situation where there is only one student the teacher can play the role of another student).

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 Web International Advanced Salon 12

II. Main Activities

Activity 2: The Values Ladder [25’]

The students are asked to draw a flight of nine steps on a piece of paper, like this:

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The lowest step is supposed to symbolize the weakest emotional reaction- the negative or positive- the
highest is the strongest feeling either negative or positive.
The teacher presents a series of statements, which call for value judgments by the students. Each
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statement is characterized by a keyword. After hearing each statement the students enter the keyword
on their values ladder according to the strength of their reaction. The teacher does not read the next
item until everyone has entered the key word on their ladder. Students may change the position of
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their key words when new items have been read or change the order at the end.

At this stage the students should think about why they decided on such a ranking. They are expected
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to describe their reactions to individual items.

[Key words in brackets.]

A group of young people engages in shoplifting as a kind of sport. When they are caught they defend
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their actions by pointing out that shopkeepers may make high profits anyway.
[Shoplifting]
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A group of student’s want to do something about nature conservation. They meet regularly and go for
walks in the country in order to observe wildlife.
[Conservation]

A group of women have started to boycott certain products, which they believe are heavily
contaminated by chemicals, antibiotics and pesticides. They have formed a collective to sell
organically grown health food.
[Food collective]

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 Web International Advanced Salon 12

A doctor regularly cheats on his income tax but gives all the money he saves to a hospital in the
African countryside.
Income Tax]

Some poor students use the local buses without paying fares. When they are caught they pay the fines.
They say this is still cheaper than paying for tickets.
[Bus Fares]

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An American couple living in Fiji publish a book that shows how the lives of the Fijians have been
changed by tourism. They distribute the books to all the schools in Fiji.
[Fiji]

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Some young people in Britain design colorful car stickers and badges against the destruction of the

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world by technology and science.
[Stickers]

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A group of lawyers set up an office to provide free legal aid to foreign refugees who want to apply for
political asylum.
[Legal aid]

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A newspaper reporter finds out that a manufacture of fruit juice is mixing dangerous chemicals in his
product. His report on the factory is suppressed by his paper when the manufacturer threatens to
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withdraw his advertisements.
[Fruit Juice]

The group discussion is based around the feelings each student has about each situation.
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III. Wind down

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Activity 3: Is there any value in being different? [15’]

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This is a group activity. Ask the students to think about the following statements. They should decide
and state their feeling about each:

It’s OK to overspend on clothes.

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Shopping for clothes is a worthwhile pastime.

One should buy new clothes for every season.
One can chose clothes using the guidance of fashion magazines.
It is important to wear fashionable clothes.
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Jewellery denotes social status.

Body piercing is just a way of showing off.
High heel shoes are bad for women’s health.
Getting dressed up is expected of women.
Fashion models are bad role models for young people.
Dressing up is important for people’s mental health.

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 Web International Advanced Salon 12

Student Salon Preparation Material – Advanced Salon 12

Review this vocabulary。

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Subordinate, ranking, perceived, perception, value and worth, social pressure, socially acceptable,
socially acceptable, worthwhile, boycott.

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Think about the following;

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Which jobs do you think are worthwhile? Do you think your ideas are the same as these of your
society? Which jobs can be worthwhile but of low status? Can a job be socially unacceptable but

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valuable to society?

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