Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A History of Teenagers British English Student
A History of Teenagers British English Student
A HISTORY OF
TEENAGERS
Expemo code:
19LV-DCEF-LND
1 Warm up
Look at these two photos of teenagers and answer the following questions.
picture A picture B
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
2 Vocabulary
Part B: Complete the gaps using the words above. Note the form of the word may be different.
1. Rabbits are able to quickly as female rabbits can become pregnant again almost
immediately after giving birth.
2. The inventor had a lot of ideas for new technology to improve the environment.
3. Samantha’s aunt became her legal after her mother was unable to take care of her.
4. experience a lot of change as they are still growing and developing into adults.
5. Cho liked to go for a walk along the beach every day, of the weather.
6. The closing of the bank caused shockwaves to the financial markets, which across
the rest of the economy.
8. Volunteers and professionals worked each other in order to get the job done.
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
You are going to read an article (page 4) about different generations of teenagers. First read the
statements below and try to guess possible answers. Scan the text to check your guesses.
a. neolithic period
b. 1500s
c. 1900s
d. 1950s
a. 1910s
b. 1920s
c. 1930s
d. 1940s
3. In the US, a teen aged 17-18 is more likely to have tried alcohol than those of the same age 20
years ago.
a. true
b. false
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
1. Working like adults: 1500s teenager – has been created by the businessmen who
exploit it." Back then it was all about rock and roll
In the 1500s most Western adolescents would have
and now it’s all about TikTok. But, regardless of the
already been working alongside adults from as early
form it takes, teenage music, fashion and language
as seven, according to historian, Hugh Cunningham
ripples across the rest of society, encouraged by the
of the University of Kent. In many cases this was
industries which profit from them.
likely to have been farm work, but as industrialisation
spread in the 18th and 19th centuries, many teens 4. Teens are growing up more slowly
became factory workers. According to Cunningham,
In recent times there has been an interesting change
in the late 1800s children in the US were contributing
in teenage life. Psychologist Jean Twenge of San
around a third of family income by the time their
Diego State University notes that by some measures
father was in his 50s. There was no universal
teens are growing up more slowly. For example, a
schooling. The word and concept of teenager simply
typical 17-18-year-old in the US is now less likely
did not exist.
have tried alcohol, had sex, or acquired their driver’s
2. Teen culture: 1940s and 50s licence, compared with similarly-aged teens only 20
years ago. A 13-14-year-old is less likely to have a job
The first mention of a ‘’teen-ager” appeared in the
or to have gone on dates. Her hypothesis is that teens
1900s. Despite this, it remained rarely used. It only
behave differently depending on their environment,
started to become common in the 1940s and 50s as
an idea known as "life history theory". In tougher
a result of changes to living standards and education
times, teens were forced to take a "fast life strategy",
policies in the developed world. In the early 20th
reproducing earlier and focusing on basic needs.
century, young people were able to stay with their
Now life is generally more forgiving, and families are
parents or guardians for longer, supported financially
wealthier on average, so it’s possible for teens to
and emotionally. As such, teens became more likely
delay the transition to more adult behaviours.
to stay in school. In the late 1940s, schooling until
15 in the UK was made compulsory. And in the US, 5. Have teenagers changed?
high school graduation went from less than 10% in
While some things may have changed, others stay the
1950 to around 60% by the mid-1950s. This also
same. Bioarcheologists have been able to find out a
helped young people develop their own customs in
surprising amount about the teens of thousands of
an environment away from work and family, where
years ago by examining bones and teeth and other
they could create their own social rules and culture.
archaeological data. Their evidence shows that in the
3. It’s all about the money Upper Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods, teenagers
were innovative and played an important role in the
Companies began to sense an opportunity to tap
origin and spread of new ideas. They were highly
into this emerging teenage culture. In the 1950s
mobile, creative and driven to interact with new
companies realised that teenagers were trendsetters
groups - much like the teens of today.
who could be marketed to. As a writer for The
New Yorker stated in 1958: "To some extent, the Sources: BBC, The Conversation, The Saturday Evening
teenage market – and, in fact, the very notion of the Post
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
4 Discussion questions
Have a look at some useful language you can use when comparing and contrasting pictures.
In this picture, a man is walking his dog. The woman is wearing a green hat.
There are two boys playing football.
• There is..., eg: In this picture, there is a large box sitting on the floor.
• We can see..., eg: I can see an older man who is talking on the phone.
• I can see..., eg: I can see an older man who is talking on the phone
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
• Whereas, eg:
a) Whereas in this picture the woman is working hard, in the other picture
the man is being lazy and doing nothing.
b) In this picture the woman is working hard, whereas in this picture the man
is being lazy and doing nothing.
• While, eg:
a) While in this picture the man is walking in the forest and getting fresh air,
the man in the other picture is inside a small dark office.
b) In this picture the man is walking in the forest and getting fresh air, while
the man in the other picture is inside a small dark office.
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
6 Practice
Look at the following pictures of teenagers. Choose two to describe and compare and contrast in
pairs.
picture 1 picture 2
picture 3 picture 4
picture 5 picture 6
picture 7 picture 8
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
7 Video: slang
You are going to watch a video from 1958. It uses a lot of slang from its time. Try to guess the
meanings of these slang words.
1. hep -
2. with it -
3. a square -
4. a cat -
5. a joint -
6. dig someone -
7. shoot away -
8. gay -
10. getup -
8 Watch video
Watch the video carefully and listen out for slang terms.
9 Talking point
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
10 Vocabulary
Group 1
5. golden way to a big dividend (phrase) e. doing well, strong and healthy
Group 2
Group 3
3. mass hero-worship (phrase) c. very different from the thing it’s being compared
to
4. a far cry (idiom) d. the admiration of someone by a lot of people
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
11 Debate
Decide if you will be for the statement (meaning you will agree this statement is true) or against the statements
(you will argue this statement is false). Your teacher can decide or you can flip a coin.
Once you know your side, come up with at least five points that support your argument.
In order to prepare better for the debate, also come up with five points the other side might argue. Be
ready to refute them (show how their argument is wrong).
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
A HISTORY OF TEENAGERS
12 Extension/homework task
Choose one of the following tasks to complete.
Write some short notes and be prepared to tell someone else what you found out.
Task 2:
Look up slang from the year or decade you were born. Do you know any of these words? Are any of
them still used today?
Task 3: Use the vocabulary from exercise ten to complete the gaps in sentences from the video. Watch
and listen to the video again to help you.
a far cry a raw deal cashes in
glimpse golden way to a big dividend live the gospel
mass hero-worship outlandish popularity with a capital P
some tune splendid the drab lounge suit
thriving throw off the tyranny well-off teenagers
1. But everywhere the cats have their own little places where they that this is the
age of the teenager.
3. I think they’re and I’m delighted you’ve asked me that question because I sometimes
think they get rather .
4. The shops know it so every town has a store with teenage departments on giving
the young people the fashions they demand.
5. And if the getup seems to border on the , why not look on them as the beginnings
of something new.