the ARTICLE (for teachers)

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2 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? What if humankind's future survival were in danger? Could too many children end the human race? For example, America consumes huge amounts of resources. The ecological footprint of the US is twenty-four acres per person. In other words, one person requires the resources of twenty-four acres of land per year. If everyone on Earth lived like Americans, then we would need the resources of 5.5 planets. On the other hand, China uses fewer resources than America, but they have very high pollution levels. Europe pollutes far too much as well. It should be said that only a few people believe two children per family would cause a problem. The birthrate of developed nations has dropped, and this will happen in other developing countries in the future too. As a result, the global population will eventually stop increasing. And with more green technology in the future, nations will probably pollute less too. The ecological footprint will decline to a more stable and manageable level. Surprisingly, there are some organizations who want humankind to become extinct. Although they support a voluntary end to the human race by stopping reproduction, some wouldn't mind seeing the world spiral out of control. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - 1

3 WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "apocalypse" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner words and ideas for "apocalypse" for two minutes. Next, talk about the words and ideas for five minutes. 3: Title: Today's article is: "" What will you read about? 4: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. Global warming will kill the human race. b. Humankind will end in one hundred years. c. America is the biggest polluter in the world. d. If couples have fewer children, this will help the environment. e. I don't care about the environment! Heads Up English - 2

4 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. survive u. use b. consume v. die out c. require w. steady; not changing d. stable x. optional e. extinct y. continue to live f. voluntary z. need 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. requires stable voluntary extinct survival consumes a. What if humankind's future ( ) were in danger? b. America ( ) huge amounts of resources. c. One person ( ) the resources of twenty-four acres of land. d. The ecological footprint will decline to a more ( ) level. e. There are some organizations who want humankind to become ( ). f. They support a ( ) end to the human race by stopping reproduction. 3: Define: Look in your dictionary for each word. Write the definition, correctly pronounce the word, and give an example sentence to the class. a. survive: b. consume: c. require: d. stable: e. extinct: f. voluntary: Heads Up English - 3

5 WORD RECOGNITION These activities are optional. They reinforce vocabulary and increase reading speed. 1: Word Search: Find only the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. requires stable voluntary extinct survival consumes N E K L H R Z O N P C R Y S W V O L U N T E R Y O W R E U T J T P V Y K Z Q N C A D E R C B O W N I C B S U T T L U V N O C N D Y V U D N I B J E I I J K Z C J M R U I A R U C V T M Y H W E N L U T Q V E S A X W F O S M O Y S S D Q B S L E D B P A V S T A L B E V P G L U J K D R C E Y X K M O T I S D P M P Q O G P F J H D U K K M X Y M P Y V R J P J E C F E P D C U L Y G B X D A Y U B R T A M I K S E R U I Q E R T N X Y P U T L F A F A Z O K F B 2: Target Word Pool: Find only the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. requires stable voluntary extinct survival consumes survivals succinct requirement voluntarily survival required exit consumed stable consumer extinct consumers requiem voluntary stables survive voluntaries surviving consumes volunteers stabilized extinctions requires require volunteer stability survivalist extinction unstable consume Heads Up English - 4

6 pre- or post-comprehension Select one or more activity to direct students before the article is read, or to check understanding after the article is read. 1: Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer a partner the questions. He shouldn't look at the article when he answers. 2: True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) if the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence. a. The human race will end if everyone has a second child. T/F b. If everyone lived like Americans, we would need more than five planets. T/F c. China has the largest ecological footprint. T/F d. Many developed nations have experienced a drop in birthrates. T/F e. Some organizations want the human race to end. T/F 3: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. Who is the world's largest polluter? b. According to the article, does Europe pollute a lot too? c. What is happening to the birthrate in many developed countries? d. Why will the ecological footprint of many nations drop in the future? e. According to the article, how do some groups recommend the human race end? 4: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence. a. If everyone on Earth lived like Americans, then we... b. The birthrate of developed nations has dropped, and this... c. The ecological footprint will decline to a... d. Surprisingly, there are some organizations who... Heads Up English - 5

7 post-comprehension Select one or more activity to discuss the contents of the article. 1: Vocabulary: Circle any other unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand these words. Write an example sentence for each one. 2: Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to talk about in pairs/groups or as a class. Answer the questions. 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 and ask more questions with your partner. a. Did you like this article? Why/not? b. Do you think humankind will become extinct? Why/not? c. What is the birthrate of your country? Is the population increase or decreasing? d. What's your opinion on organizations that want the human race to end? e. How responsible are your when it comes to maintaining a low ecological footprint? f. Argue your value to the human race. What do you do that benefits humankind? 5: Discuss: Find four ways to lower your ecological footprint! Work with a partner to make a list, then share that list with another group of students. Lastly, in the group, reach a unanimous agreement on the best three. #1: #2: #3: #4: 6: Google Search: Type "ecological footprint" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - 6

8 STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) 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? What if humankind's future survival were in danger? Could too many children end the human race? For example, America consumes huge amounts of resources. The ecological footprint of the US is twenty-four acres per person. In other words, one person requires the resources of twenty-four acres of land per year. If everyone on Earth lived like Americans, then we would need the resources of 5.5 planets. On the other hand, China uses fewer resources than America, but they have very high pollution levels. Europe pollutes far too much as well. It should be said that only a few people believe two children per family would cause a problem. The birthrate of developed nations has dropped, and this will happen in other developing countries in the future too. As a result, the global population will eventually stop increasing. And with more green technology in the future, nations will probably pollute less too. The ecological footprint will decline to a more stable and manageable level. Surprisingly, there are some organizations who want humankind to become extinct. Although they support a voluntary end to the human race by stopping reproduction, some wouldn't mind seeing the world spiral out of control. Notes: Heads Up English - 7

9 STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. stable consumes population voluntary pollution nations extinct green survival requires Many couples have two or three children. But in the future, what if the (a. ) of the world became too large for the resources because everyone had two or three children? What if humankind's future (b. ) were in danger? Could too many children end the human race? For example, America (c. ) huge amounts of resources. The ecological footprint of the US is twenty-four acres per person. In other words, one person (d. ) the resources of twenty-four acres of land per year. If everyone on Earth lived like Americans, then we would need the resources of 5.5 planets. On the other hand, China uses fewer resources than America, but they have very high (e. ) levels. Europe pollutes far too much as well. It should be said that only a few people believe two children per family would cause a problem. The birthrate of developed (f. ) has dropped, and this will happen in other developing countries in the future too. As a result, the global population will eventually stop increasing. And with more (g. ) technology in the future, nations will probably pollute less too. The ecological footprint will decline to a more (h. ) and manageable level. Surprisingly, there are some organizations who want humankind to become (i. ). Although they support a (j. ) end to the human race by stopping reproduction, some wouldn't mind seeing the world spiral out of control. Heads Up English - 8

10 STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. 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? What if humankind's future survival were in danger? Could too many children end the human race? For example, America consumes huge amounts of resources. The ecological footprint of the US is twenty-four acres per person. In other words, one person requires the resources of twenty-four acres of land per year. If everyone on Earth lived like Americans, then we would need the resources of 5.5 planets. On the other hand, a), but they have very high pollution levels. Europe pollutes far too much as well. b). The birthrate of developed nations has dropped, and this will happen in other developing countries in the future too. As a result, the global population will eventually stop increasing. And with more green technology in the future, nations will probably pollute less too. The ecological footprint will decline to a more stable and manageable level. Surprisingly, there are some organizations who want humankind to become extinct. c), some wouldn't mind seeing the world spiral out of control. Sentence #1: Sentence #2: Sentence #3: Heads Up English - 9

11 ANSWER KEY Vocabulary 1: Vocabulary Match: 2: Fill in the Blanks: a. y a. survival b. u b. consumes c. z c. requires d. w d. stable e. v e. extinct f. x f. voluntary pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. F b. T c. F d. T e. T a. would need the resources of 5.5 planets. b. will happen in other developing countries in the future too. c. more stable and manageable level. d. want humankind to become extinct. Student Handout 1: Fill in the Blanks: a. population f. nations b. survival g. green c. consumes h. stable d. requires i. extinct e. pollution j. voluntary 2: Extended Listening: a. China uses fewer resources than America b. It should be said that only a few people believe two children per family would cause a problem c. Although they support a voluntary end to the human race by stopping reproduction Heads Up English - 10

the ARTICLE (for teachers)

the ARTICLE (for teachers) What if it came to the point where a second child in every household tipped the scales irreparably towards environmental apocalypse? After all, despite treaties, bans, conferences,