The Joy of Housework British English Teacher

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GENERAL ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · ADVANCED (C1-C2)
THE JOY OF
HOUSEWORK
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1 Warm up
You are going to watch a short news report called, "Cleaning motivation videos take over social
media." (00:00-02:29).
1. The report asks the question: "What makes these motivational cleaning videos so riveting?" What
do you think riveting means?
2. Watch the report and then explain why the videos have become so popular, using your own words.
3. Have you ever watched / would you watch any of these?
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THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK
2 Reading 1
Quickly read the article on the next page and find three pieces of extra information about motivational
cleaning videos that were not included in the news report.
Now, work in A/B pairs. Read the article again and find words or phrases that match the
meanings in your list. Then share your answers with your partner.
Student A
1. dirty and disgusting (informal)
2. the effects of a disaster, or the period which follows one
3. describing a full account of a situation which also includes negative points (3

words)
4. getting worse and worse resulting in an inability to react productively (4
words)
5. make something seem recognised and acceptable
6. a worthwhile and important type of job that deserves respect (3 words)
Student B
1. making a lot of money from a particular activity (idiom and phrasal verb)
2. the opposite of attractive, desirable and exciting
3. quick and incomplete looks at something
4. manage a complicated situation so that it remains under control and/or on

schedule (5 words)
5. boring and physically demanding work
6. the act of becoming more popular or successful
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Cleanliness is next to godliness ...

... and it’s also next to mindfulness
1. Who would ever have believed described as "the opposite of 3. One big question that deserves
that anyone would willingly Instagram," offering warts and all some attention has to be: why
sit down to watch a video of glimpses into domestic messes now? While the rise of social
someone doing the laundry that everyone is familiar with, as media in general, and the ascent
or emptying the dishwasher, well as the hard work required of TikTok in particular, clearly
let alone cleaning a scuzzy to keep the chaos from spiralling play a part, pandemic lockdowns
drain with a toothbrush? Yet, out of control. Whether people also reset many people’s interest
"cleanfluencers" like Jessica Tull are watching these videos for in and engagement with how
in the United States and Mrs information or company while their homes looked. However,
Hinch (Sophie Hinchcliffe) in the they clean their own houses or cleaning and organizing our
United Kingdom have amassed as a way to motivate themselves homes is deeply rooted in
millions of followers on social to eventually tackle their own how we meet our day-to-day
media and are literally "cleaning kitchens or bathrooms, it’s clear emotional needs, especially
up" as a result, with some pulling that this genre has brought important in these anxious
in six-figure salaries. These renewed focus to housework. times. Psychologists have
videos, often speeded up for Viewers feel comforted that they several theories to explain why
maximum impact, even have aren’t the only people struggling we benefit from these low-level
sub-genres, like Cleaning After to stay on top of everything at household chores.
Dark - when the kids have gone home. What’s more, the videos
4. Sources: New York Times, BBC,
to bed, or Complete Disaster - validate the usually invisible
Good Housekeeping
showing the aftermath of wild drudgery of housework so that
weekends. it seems like a noble calling -
2. satisfied fans report that they

This type of anti-glamorous
"feel seen."
social media post has been

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3 Language point - mediation

What do you understand by the term mediation? Read the definition in the box below.
Mediation is a type of communicative competence which relates to improving understanding

between people and enables them to understand detailed information and use this
understanding to work together to achieve a specific goal. This type of skill can be
demonstrated in both monolingual and multilingual environments and is highly valued by
employers.
Evaluate your mediation skills here - you don’t have to show this score to anyone, but it’s useful to
consider what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Match these phrases to the I can statements from the table.
1. Sorry, I didn’t quite follow that.
2. Let me put that another way.
3. I’m not sure I have that information to hand in at the moment. Can I get back to you?
4. There are a couple of terms I think you should know before I start my presentation.
Can you think of any other useful phrases for these four situations?

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4 Reading 2 and mini-presentations
Work in A/B/C groups. You will each will read a different text which explains one piece of research
investigating the connection between housework and psychological well-being. You will then prepare
a mini-presentation for the other students in your group which must cover the things in the box. You
can make brief notes to help you remember what to say, but do not write full sentences.
• Who did the research.

• How the research was organised.
• What the results of the research were.
• What we can conclude from the research - this may include your own
evaluation.
You also need to use the three vocabulary items in bold in your
presentation. These are defined in the glossary, and you must plan to
include an explanation of their meanings.
Demonstrate mediation skills from the list above. Try to improve in your
weaker areas.

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Student A
You certainly don’t have to be a psychologist to realize that doing chores

keeps our minds busy and this stops us from obsessing about our worries.
But research has demonstrated that this displacement activity is even
more effective if we make a deliberate choice about how we approach
household tasks.
Researchers at Florida State University carried out an experiment
where two groups of people were asked to read some information and
then wash some dishes. Group 1 were given instructions on how to wash
dishes effectively and then set to work, while Group 2 were asked to read
a text which directed them to focus their thoughts on the sensations that
washing dishes evoked.
When both groups completed a questionnaire afterwards, Group 2
reported that their mood was significantly elevated, they felt less nervous
and even refreshed and inspired, in comparison with Group 1. In fact,
washing dishes (or doing other chores) as a spiritual act of mindfulness
and thanks can be part of Buddhist religious practices.
Glossary:
a displacement activity: an activity that you choose to do in order to avoid another unpleasant or difficult
activity
evoked: brought to mind as a memory or feeling in response to a stimulus
obsessing: thinking about something all the time without being able to stop or focus on anything else

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Student B
Stressful situations involve a loss of control. Feelings of helplessness

amplify anxiety, and this leads to increased levels of stress hormones
called cortisol. When this situation is sustained over a long time, there
can be long term physical damage to the immune system. However,
experiencing a sense of “perceived control” in another setting such as
cleaning can allow people to develop a compensatory sense of well-being
which can be transferred to reduce their anxieties about other issues.
These conclusions were reached after an experiment involving
nursing home residents by scientists at Harvard and Yale universities.
The residents were divided into two groups, and everyone was given a
houseplant to put in their room. One group was told that they had total
control over their own room, including looking after their plant.
The other group were told that the nursing home staff would take full
responsibility for the upkeep of their room and the care of their plant.
The residents were monitored for a period of 18 months, and those in
the first group experienced better physical health and were less likely to
die during the study period than those in the second.
Glossary:
amplify: increase the effect or size of something
compensatory (UK)/ compensatory (US): reducing the negative effect of something
sustained: continued at a high level for a long time

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Student C
Cleaning isn’t everyone’s cup of tea - some of us prefer tidying up, or

decluttering in its most extreme form. Our internal mental state can
mirror the state of our immediate physical environment. So, sitting in
an untidy and disorganised room may trigger negative feelings including
a sense of unpredictability and loss of control.
Brain imaging studies done by the University of Massachusetts show
that people in visually chaotic environment have increased levels of brain
activity, with each object seeming to vie for the brain’s full attention.
Dealing with this level of input makes the brain tired and unable to focus
on other tasks. Interestingly, it’s possible to ameliorate the situation
without performing a full de-clutter.
Rearranging the objects so that they appear to be organised,
for example by stacking books and papers, placing items neatly at
right angles to each other, or grouping items by colour, can boost
concentration, even if this is just a temporary fix.
Glossary:
ameliorate: improve or make a bad situation better
decluttering: the act of tidying the house by putting away items, reorganising drawers or closets, and/or
making decisions about throwing or giving away unneeded or worn-out items.
vie: compete with each other in order to gain something
Share the information with your group.

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Now, answer these questions with your group.
1. Which experimental results may have been due to one group of participants doing more exercise
than the other group?
2. Which experiment shows the fastest way to reduce anxiety?
3. Which experimental results were the most surprising?
4. Which of these three strategies are the most relevant to your own life? Have you already tried
any of them? How can you implement the others to improve your well-being?
5. Can you remember the new vocabulary that you heard in your groups’ presentations? Go back to
read the other articles quickly to see these words again in context.
5 Talking point
Look at this graph and answer the questions in pairs or small groups.
www.statista.com
1. How would you describe the type of tasks men do and the type of tasks women do in the UK?
2. Why does this gender divide exist?
3. Do you think the "cleanfluencer" videos re-enforce negative gender stereotypes?
4. How would this graph be different for your country?
5. How has housework changed over the last 50 years? What’s the future of housework?
6. How important is it for children to take on household chores? Do you think they should be paid
or otherwise rewarded for doing these?
7. What should couples do if they have lots of disagreements about housework?

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6 Optional extension
How are these pairs of items from the lesson the same and how are they different?
1. a noble calling & drudgery
2. decluttering & cleaning up
3. amplify & ascent
4. scuzzy & anti-glamorous
5. a displacement activity & compensatory
6. validate & ameliorate
Are there any other pairs of words/phrases from the lesson which have interesting similarities and
differences?

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TEACHER MATERIALS · ADVANCED (C1-C2)
Transcripts
1. Warm up
Robin: We have the latest way now to become a social media sensation. Folks are
getting millions of views, even book deals, by posting videos of themselves
doing something really so normal it’s almost hard to believe - cleaning their
homes. Amy’s going to tell us all about these cleaning motivators. Good
morning, Amy.
Amy: Good morning, Robin and I love this story. Yeah, they’re actually called
“cleanfluencers” and they’re taking over the internet, becoming so popular
for doing something we all do just about every day. So now we’re going to
take a look at what makes these motivational cleaning videos so riveting.
Narrator: Ever think you would watch someone clean for 45 minutes?
Various cleanfluencers: And today I am going to be cleaning my very messy apartment. ... Today
my house was a little bit of a wreck. ... Today we are doing some extreme
cleaning.
Narrator: In this new video trend sweeping the internet that’s exactly what you do.
Jessica Tull: And thank you so much for coming back for another motivational cleaning
video.
Narrator: Posted with the hashtags cleaning motivation and clean with me,
motivational cleaning videos inspiring people to tackle those messy around-
the-house tasks.
Jessica Tull: We’re starting with the dishes, of course.
Cleanfluencer: It’s hard to keep up with cleaning and seeing someone else to do it, it
motivates them to also do it.
Narrator: Jessica Tull has been motivational cleaning on YouTube for three years,
reaching more than three million views on some of her videos. What’s her
secret? She keeps it real.
Jessica Tull: My life was just a complete mess and I decided to just show the real ... the
... my real life, how it actually is me, being a single mom with three kids.
Narrator: And Faith Matini’s motivational cleaning channel gaining popularity during
the pandemic, hitting one million views for the first time.
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Faith Matini: Gosh, we all need something, we all need some sort of distraction from
what’s going on in our lives, so when you can kind of, um, turn on the tv,
turn on YouTube and you see something that kind of lifts you up, it’s really
really beneficial and really needed right now.
Narrator: It is pretty satisfying to watch, so in order to motivate yourself to start

cleaning, especially during this pandemic, experts say it’s best to start small,
then move from one small project to another and then repeat the process.
Sites like YouTube can provide plenty of videos that provide great new
cleaning techniques and ways to stay motivated. Robin, I know what I’m
doing this afternoon.
Robin: Okay, I’m in, I’m in. Thank you, Amy and so we’ve tackled cleaning this
morning how about tomorrow?
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Key
1. Warm up
5 mins.
This video clip introduces the topic that will be explored in various aspects during the lesson. Go over the
introduction and elicit/explain the meaning of riveting. Play the video from 00:00-02:29, and then elicit some
answers from students and pose the follow-up question for some brief responses. Students will be exploring the
topic in greater depth in the next stages, so move them on fairly quickly.
1. Riveting means that something is so interesting that you can’t stop watching. (A rivet is a type of very secure
metal fastener that you can find on some jeans and is also used in shipbuilding).
2. Students’ own answers.
2. Reading 1
15 mins.
This stage recaps and extends the information from the video and serves as a lead-in to the jigsaw reading stage
which follows. Ask students to read the article on page 3 quickly and identify how it expands on the information
given in the report. They should use their own words and you can accept any sensible responses. Sample answers:
these videos are also being created in the UK; there are various sub-genres of video; some people watch for
company and information rather than for motivation; cleaning meets some of our deep psychological needs.
For the vocabulary task, set up A/B pairs and go over the instructions - the number of words in the phrases is
given in brackets, otherwise students are looking for a single word. Students can work initially in A+A/B+B pairs
to identify the words and phrases before recombining into A+B pairs to explain the items to each other. Check
answers including pronunciation - be careful with the /aI/ sound in spiralling. You may also want to elicit or explain
that warts are bumps on a person’s skin which are caused by a virus and that a drudge is a term for a person who
performs low-level difficult physical work.
Students can react to the article by discussing the three follow-up questions in pairs, or you could work through
these with the whole class. Tell students they will read more about the relationship between cleaning and well-
being in the next stage of the lesson.
Student A
1. scuzzy 2. aftermath 3. warts and all
4. spiralling out of control 5. validate 6. a noble calling
Student B
1. cleaning up 2. anti-glamorous 3. glimpses
4. stay on top of everything 5. drudgery 6. ascent
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/29/realestate/cleaning-videos-youtube.html
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220323-puttering-around-why-small-tasks-feel-so-therapeutic
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/a37961697/cleaning-videos-cleanfluencer-behind-the-scenes/
https://harpersbazaar.my/lifestyle/culture/the-rise-of-cleanfluencers-introducing-the-new-social-media-mavens-
releasing-best-sellers/
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3. Language point - mediation
10 mins.
Before students continue with the lesson, they consider the importance of the skill of mediation, which is now part
of the CEFR level descriptors. Note: mediation has another meaning relating to the formal solution of problems
between two parties, for example in a divorce.
Go over the definition in the box and then invite students to self-assess privately. They don’t need to share
their scores with anyone, but this exercise is useful for them to prioritise areas for improvement. Ask students to
complete the matching exercise which gives them some natural phrases they can use to achieve their communication
goals, and elicit any other ideas they have, correcting any errors or unnatural usage. Tell students they will be using
these in the next stage of the lesson.
Source: https://www.english.com/blog/teaching-mediation/
1. as a listener, I feel confident to ask questions ...
2. use a variety of strategies to repair communication ...
3. handle questions ...
4. plan what I say ...
4. Reading 2 and mini-presentations
15 mins.
This jigsaw reading activity offers students a chance to implement some of the mediation strategies from the
previous stage and extend their understanding of the relationship between housework and well-being. Set up
groups of three and go over the instructions and information in the box.
Make sure students are looking at the correct text and give them a few minutes to read and prepare their mini-
presentations. Monitor and support while students speak in groups of three. When students have spoken, they
should move on to the follow-up questions, which finish by instructing them to read the other two articles. You
could round off this stage by highlighting successful examples of mediation that you observed.
1. The experiment with nursing home residents - those who lived longer were the ones who had to take
responsibility for their own room and plant.
2. It wouldn’t take long to tidy up your desk before you started work, although if it’s really messy, then the
washing-up strategy might yield faster results.
5. Talking point
15 mins.
Encourage students to use vocabulary from the lesson and offer reasons and examples in support of their ideas.
Monitor and support as necessary and conclude the stage with some feedback and error correction, including
pronunciation.
https://www.statista.com/chart/20835/household-tasks-uk-by-gender/
6. Optional extension
10 mins.
This type of question is a good way to review a range of aspects of vocabulary items including meaning, grammar,
collocation and connotation. Demonstrate the first item and then students can work in pairs or small groups to
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compare the other pairs. Encourage them to refer back to the original contexts for the items. Check answers -
sample answers are given but students may phrase their ideas differently or even have other ideas.
If time is tight, pairs of students could report on one item to the whole class. If you have extra time, pose the
follow-up question to encourage students to consider the rest of the vocabulary items from the lesson.
1. Both these nouns were used to refer to housework, but a noble calling is positive (and countable) while drudgery
(and uncountable) is negative.
2. Decluttering is a radical act of tidying/organising/ getting rid of one’s possessions, while cleaning up has two
meanings - its more idiomatic meaning relates to making money, while its more literal meaning simply refers to
daily acts of cleaning and tidying.
3. Both indicate some kind of increase in level, but amplify (verb) means make something stronger while ascent
(noun) indicates a rise in popularity, power or influence.
4. Both are adjectives with negative connotations, but scuzzy refers to the physical qualities of something dirty
or disgusting while anti-glamorous was used to describe a genre of media.
5. These both relate to the idea of transferring something from one context to another. A displacement activity
(noun) is something you do instead of something else, while compensatory (adjective) describes something that
makes up for a problem in another area.
6. These are both verbs with positive connotations but validate refers to making something seem more positive
in the eyes of oneself or others, while ameliorate means improve or make something better in a more general way.
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HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

GENERAL ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · ADVANCED (C1-C2)

QrrkoD Scan to review worksheet

3. Have you ever watched / would you watch any of these?

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/10

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

1. dirty and disgusting (informal)

2. the eﬀects of a disaster, or the period which follows one

3. describing a full account of a situation which also includes negative points (3

6. a worthwhile and important type of job that deserves respect (3 words)

2. the opposite of attractive, desirable and exciting

3. quick and incomplete looks at something

4. manage a complicated situation so that it remains under control and/or on

6. the act of becoming more popular or successful

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THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

Cleanliness is next to godliness ...

2. satisﬁed fans report that they

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/10

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

3 Language point - mediation

Mediation is a type of communicative competence which relates to improving understanding

Match these phrases to the I can statements from the table.

1. Sorry, I didn’t quite follow that.

2. Let me put that another way.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 4/10

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

4 Reading 2 and mini-presentations

• Who did the research.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 5/10

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

You certainly don’t have to be a psychologist to realize that doing chores

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 6/10

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

Stressful situations involve a loss of control. Feelings of helplessness

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 7/10

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

Cleaning isn’t everyone’s cup of tea - some of us prefer tidying up, or

Share the information with your group.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 8/10

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

Now, answer these questions with your group.

2. Which experiment shows the fastest way to reduce anxiety?

3. Which experimental results were the most surprising?

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THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

1. a noble calling & drudgery

2. decluttering & cleaning up

3. amplify & ascent

4. scuzzy & anti-glamorous

5. a displacement activity & compensatory

6. validate & ameliorate

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 10/10

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

Jessica Tull: We’re starting with the dishes, of course.

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

Narrator: It is pretty satisfying to watch, so in order to motivate yourself to start

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

3. Language point - mediation

4. Reading 2 and mini-presentations

THE JOY OF HOUSEWORK

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