the ARTICLE (for teachers)

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1 the ARTICLE (for teachers) Computers have become woven into our societies and our lives, and their disappearance would be unfathomable. We take them for granted, as we do the technological advancements that appear every few years. Computers get quicker, the Internet offers more information, and other household devices like TVs and DVD players simply do more. But what would happen if the advancements arrived at the pace of a tortoise instead of a hare? Or what would happen if the advancements came to a complete standstill? It's a realistic scenario, and microchip manufacturers are concerned. The chips, which power all our electronics nowadays, have begun to reach technological limits because they just can't get much smaller in size. Therefore, manufacturers have poured billions of dollars into research and development, working toward chips that will behave in innovative ways. The microchips of the future will handle their tasks with greater finesse, and thereby hopefully avoid the looming problem. The smart chips will adjust their function to the needs of the program and the user. However, there aren't many answers beyond that point, and it could signal the end of the digital age by It's a race among chip manufacturers, as they scramble to maintain Moore's law. Gordon Moore, who founded Intel, anticipated that the processing power of a chip would double every two years. He's been right so far. In fact, microchips have more than met expectations, because their processing power has better than doubled every two years. A slow down of the digital age would seriously affect economies around the world. Electronics would cost more. Consumers wouldn't upgrade because of fewer new products. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - 1

2 WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "digital age" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner(s) words and ideas associated with "digital age" for 2 minutes. Spend another 5 minutes or less discussing the words and ideas together. 3: Title: Speculate and/or discuss the contents of today's article from its title: "." 4: Speculate: Write in the missing words for today's article title: "The End of the ( ) Age." Why did you choose this word for the blank? 5: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. The Internet is the most important invention of the last 100 years. b. The computer is the most important invention of the last 100 years. c. In 20 years, computers will be the size of a watch. d. In 20 years, computers will run most of our homes and businesses. e. There will be a computer or Internet crash in the future. Heads Up English - 2

3 VOCABULARY Select one of the following vocabulary acquisition activities. 1: Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. a. weave q. story b. unfathomable r. rush c. standstill s. hard to believe d. scenario t. improve e. innovative u. approach f. finesse v. creative g. loom w. predict h. scramble x. delicacy i. anticipate y. mix j. upgrade z. stop 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. standstill woven scramble scenario anticipated looming upgrade innovative unfathomable finesse a. Computers have become ( ) into our societies and our lives. b. The disappearance of computers would be ( ). c. What would happen if advancements in computers and technology came to a complete ( )? d. It's a realistic ( ), and microchip manufacturers are concerned. e. Manufacturers have worked to develop chips that will behave in ( ) ways. f. The microchips of the future will handle their tasks with greater ( ). g. This will hopefully avoid the ( ) problem. h. It's a race among chip manufacturers, as they ( ) to maintain Moore's law. i. Gordon Moore ( ) that the processing power of a chip would double every two years. j. Consumers wouldn't ( ) because of fewer new products. 3: Define: Define each word, correctly pronounce it, explain the meaning and/or usage, and offer an example sentence to the class. a. weave c. standstill e. innovative g. loom i. anticipate b. unfathomable d. scenario f. finesse h. scramble j. upgrade Heads Up English - 3

4 WORD RECOGNITION 1: Word Search: Find the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how many words you can find in three minutes. In five minutes. In ten minutes. standstill woven scramble scenario anticipated looming upgrade innovative unfathomable finesse E R T L K I C E P L S D G M U E L N Q N N D F L P C E N X Z Z W B L G A T I I S R T I C M O J X A R T T J C T A A M V Y I Y N G M S B E T I M P O W G H N P D D O N O G L B I O O H S U N N V A H E I A L C L V W Q G A O R O K T A R E I F E M K T P I V V F U A I A T Y N X S J O E S A D I O F G N T H G S T I L L S T A N D N A E X W E L B M R C S I U E P U S S I G Z O A O B N T V A S G L O V F I N E S S E H G E T E T D A T D E T J A M D K Q Q P H F M 2: Target Word Pool: Find the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how many words you can find in three minutes. In five minutes. In ten minutes. standstill woven scramble scenario anticipated looming upgrade innovative unfathomable finesse looms crumble standup upgrade renovate unanticipated unfavorable wove standstill serial scene participation loomed fitness anticipated invention fibbed wives innovative anticipation upend scenery woofer looming weaving graded finesse fathomless scrambled scrabble finite standoff unfashionable scenarios blooming stood still innovated scenario glooming upgrading scrambling unfathomable upgraded woven scramble innovation fathomable anticipating windowsill finiteness Heads Up English - 4

5 pre- or post-comprehension 1: Word Association: Brainstorm words associated with today's topic for two minutes. Present to the class. 2: Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer the questions without looking at the article. 3: True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) whether the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence. a. According to the article, we take computes and technology for granted. T/F b. Microchip manufacturers don't think there will be a problem. T/F c. Because microchips can't get much smaller, there could be a slow down in five years. T/F d. Moore's law states that the power of microchips will double every five years. T/F e. If the scenario proves true, there could be economic problems, too. T/F 4: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. According to the article, what do we take for granted? b. What do microchip manufacturers think about the problem? c. What are microchip manufacturers doing about the problem? d. What is Moore's law? e. Has Moore's law proved true so far? 5: Vocabulary: In pairs/groups, remember how the words were used in today's article. a. woven c. standstill e. innovative g. looming i. anticipated b. unfathomable d. scenario f. finesse h. scramble j. upgrade 6: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article. a. Computers have become woven into our societies and our lives... b. The chips, which power all our electronics nowadays, have begun... c. However, there aren't many answers beyond that point, and it could... d. Gordon Moore, who founded Intel, anticipated... e. In fact, microchips have more than met expectations... Heads Up English - 5

6 post-comprehension 1: Vocabulary: Circle any additional unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand the meanings. Present to the class. 2: Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to discuss in pairs/groups or as a class. Discuss. 3: Summarize: Work with a partner to summarize the article in your own words. 4: Discuss: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers! a. Did you like this article? b. What was your general impression after reading this article? c. Do you think the proposed scenario will happen in the future? Why/not? d. What do you think would happen if technological advancements came to a standstill? e. What do you think would happen if there were a technological crash? f. How often do you use computers? Would a technological slow down concern you? Why/not? g. Could you live and/or be happy if there were no computers? Why/not? h. Do you think there are greater problems facing the world in the near future? If yes, what are they? i. What do you think computers will be like in 2020? Please explain. j. What do you think the world will be like in 2020? Please explain. 5: Imagine: What will the year 2020 be like? With a partner, discuss the various categories below. Don't forget to think of possible problems for each, too. Present the ideas to the class. computers: cars: entertainment: travel: language learning: 6: Google Search: Type "digital age" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - 6

7 STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) Computers have become woven into our societies and our lives, and their disappearance would be unfathomable. We take them for granted, as we do the technological advancements that appear every few years. Computers get quicker, the Internet offers more information, and other household devices like TVs and DVD players simply do more. But what would happen if the advancements arrived at the pace of a tortoise instead of a hare? Or what would happen if the advancements came to a complete standstill? It's a realistic scenario, and microchip manufacturers are concerned. The chips, which power all our electronics nowadays, have begun to reach technological limits because they just can't get much smaller in size. Therefore, manufacturers have poured billions of dollars into research and development, working toward chips that will behave in innovative ways. The microchips of the future will handle their tasks with greater finesse, and thereby hopefully avoid the looming problem. The smart chips will adjust their function to the needs of the program and the user. However, there aren't many answers beyond that point, and it could signal the end of the digital age by It's a race among chip manufacturers, as they scramble to maintain Moore's law. Gordon Moore, who founded Intel, anticipated that the processing power of a chip would double every two years. He's been right so far. In fact, microchips have more than met expectations, because their processing power has better than doubled every two years. A slow down of the digital age would seriously affect economies around the world. Electronics would cost more. Consumers wouldn't upgrade because of fewer new products. Notes: Heads Up English - 7

8 STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. standstill finesse development scenario tortoise scramble unfathomable upgrade anticipated innovative processing hare looming woven advancements Computers have become (a. ) into our societies and our lives, and their disappearance would be (b. ). We take them for granted, as we do the technological advancements that appear every few years. Computers get quicker, the Internet offers more information, and other household devices like TVs and DVD players simply do more. But what would happen if the (c. ) arrived at the pace of a (d. ) instead of a (e. )? Or what would happen if the advancements came to a complete (f. )? It's a realistic (g. ), and microchip manufacturers are concerned. The chips, which power all our electronics nowadays, have begun to reach technological limits because they just can't get much smaller in size. Therefore, manufacturers have poured billions of dollars into research and (h. ), working toward chips that will behave in (i. ) ways. The microchips of the future will handle their tasks with greater (j. ), and thereby hopefully avoid the (k. ) problem. The smart chips will adjust their function to the needs of the program and the user. However, there aren't many answers beyond that point, and it could signal the end of the digital age by It's a race among chip manufacturers, as they (l. ) to maintain Moore's law. Gordon Moore, who founded Intel, (m. ) that the processing power of a chip would double every two years. He's been right so far. In fact, microchips have more than met expectations, because their (n. ) power has better than doubled every two years. A slow down of the digital age would seriously affect economies around the world. Electronics would cost more. Consumers wouldn't (o. ) because of fewer new products. Heads Up English - 8

9 STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. a), and their disappearance would be unfathomable. We take them for granted, as we do the technological advancements that appear every few years. Computers get quicker, the Internet offers more information, and other household devices like TVs and DVD players simply do more. b)? Or what would happen if the advancements came to a complete standstill? It's a realistic scenario, and microchip manufacturers are concerned. The chips, which power all our electronics nowadays, have begun to reach technological limits because they just can't get much smaller in size. Therefore, c), working toward chips that will behave in innovative ways. The microchips of the future will handle their tasks with greater finesse, and thereby hopefully avoid the looming problem. The smart chips will adjust their function to the needs of the program and the user. However, there aren't many answers beyond that point, and it could signal the end of the digital age by It's a race among chip manufacturers, as they scramble to maintain Moore's law. Gordon Moore, who founded Intel, anticipated that the processing power of a chip would double every two years. He's been right so far. In fact, microchips have more than met expectations, d). e). Electronics would cost more. Consumers wouldn't upgrade because of fewer new products. Heads Up English - 9

10 STUDENT HANDOUT (notes) Heads Up English - 10

11 ANSWER KEY Vocabulary 1. Vocabulary Match: 2. Fill in the Blanks: a. y f. x b. s g. u c. z h. r d. q i. w e. v j. t a. woven f. finesse b. unfathomable g. looming c. standstill h. scramble d. scenario i. anticipated e. innovative j. upgrade pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. T b. F c. F d. F e. T a. and their disappearance would be unfathomable. b. to reach technological limits because they just can't get much smaller in size. c. signal the end of the digital age by d. that the processing power of a chip would double every two years. e. because their processing power has better than doubled every two years. Student Handout 1. Fill in the Blanks a. woven i. innovative b. unfathomable j. finesse c. advancements k. looming d. tortoise l. scramble e. hare m. anticipated f. standstill n. processing g. scenario o. upgrade h. development 2. Extended Listening a. Computers have become woven into our societies and our lives b. But what would happen if the advancements arrived at the pace of a tortoise instead of a hare c. manufacturers have poured billions of dollars into research and development d. because their processing power has better than doubled every two years e. A slow down of the digital age would seriously affect economies around the world Heads Up English - 11

the ARTICLE (for teachers)

the ARTICLE (for teachers) Many couples have two or three children. But in the future, what if the population of the world became too large for the resources because everyone had two or three children?