Lexical area: Inventions and technology
Cross curricular links: Science and technology
Instructions for language assistants in Italics
Classroom materials
Introduction
This lesson is based on the topic of gadgets. It may be difficult for you or students to think of a direct translation of the word ‘gadget’ in their language. A dictionary definition is, ‘A gadget is a device that has a useful specific purpose and function. Gadgets tend to be more unusual or cleverly designed than normal technology.’ The best way to explain what gadgets are is by giving lots of examples of them. With very low levels make sure you have some pictures of gadgets to help you get started.
Task 1 is a multi-level picture dictation task. Task 2 looks at some of the crazier gadgets that are currently available in the UK. Task 3 is a class survey to find out which are the most popular gadgets amongst your students. Task 4 is based on the idea of a website message board and looks at some typical comments about gadgets from readers who were asked which gadgets they loved and hated. Task 5 is a Trend UK reading task about the favourite gadget of a British University student and Task 6 asks students to work in groups to invent their own gadget.
1. Guess the gadget
This is a picture dictation activity to get students into the topic. Give students a copy of the grid in task one or get them to draw a similar grid. Then describe six gadgets for them to draw in the boxes. Grade the language of the descriptions depending on the level you’re teaching. Here are some suggestions of possible gadgets to get you started but make sure you use gadgets that students will know about and may use themselves.
Mp3 player , electric toothbrush, remote control, cordless mouse, electric screwdriver, key-ring torch etc. etc.
Task 1 Guess the gadget
Your teacher is going to describe six gadgets to you. Listen carefully and draw what your teacher describes in the boxes below. Then write the name for them in your language or in English.
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Gadget 2 |
.Gadget 3. |
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Gadget 5. |
Gadget 6. |
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2. Get the latest gadget.
You can use the list of gadgets in different ways. Chop up the list of items and give each student in the group one. Ask them to read about their gadget and describe it to the class. You could then get the class to put them in order from the best to worst, most / least useful etc. Alternatively, if you have a big class, put students into groups and chop up a list for each group. Get them to read about the gadgets and order them in the ways mentioned above, then compare the decisions of the different groups.
Task 2 Get the latest gadget.
Read about some unusual gadgets you can buy on the internet.
Gupi – the interactive guinea pig An electronic guinea pig that feels and acts like a real guinea pig. It can play, walk around without hitting things and it can even find its way out of a maze. If you look after Gupi, it will be your friend and play with you. If you abandon Gupi it will hide in a dark corner of the house. When Gupi’s battery is low, recharge it through a carrot shaped battery! |
Flu Fleur Flower This is a cyber plant that doesn’t need water or light. It is a pink flower that opens when it hears sounds. It also glows! It’s perfect for people who work in dark offices and can’t have real flowers. |
TV-B-Gone This is a small gadget you put on a key-ring. You press a button and it switches off any television within seven metres. In the United States it is a really popular gadget. People use it to switch off TVs in restaurants, airports etc. |
The Chocolate Fountain This gadget is for choco-holics! You put blocks of chocolate in the pan at the bottom, switch it on and the chocolate melts, goes up the centre of the fountain and then falls down. You can put fruit and biscuits under the fountain of melted chocolate. Yum! |
Electronic Sudoku Game If you’re a puzzle fan this gadget is for you. It has 10,000 Sudoku puzzles in different levels of difficulty. It’s quite small and looks like a game-boy so you can do the puzzles anywhere and at anytime without even needing a pen. |
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3. What’s your favourite gadget?
Ask some of the students what their favourite gadget is and why. Tell students you’re going to do a class survey to find out which are the most popular gadgets amongst your students. They will need to speak to ten class mates and ask them what’s their favourite gadget and why. If you have very low level students demonstrate the task first and try to encourage them to give a reason why. Give some examples of reasons before your start. With younger students you could get them to make a bar chart or a pie chart to show the results graphically.
Task 3 What’s your favourite gadget?
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- Look at the results from your class survey. What’s the most popular gadget?
- Do you agree with your classmates? Why / why not?
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4. Gadgets: Love them or hate them?
This is a reading task that could be used as a lead-in to a discussion about gadgets and which ones we love and hate. You could cut up the comments and share them out amongst students. Ask each students to read their comment to the group and then discuss whether or not you agree with the opinions. Finally students can write their own views in the blank box at the bottom.
Task 4 Gadgets: Love them or hate them?
A website asked readers to write in their comments about gadgets. Here is a selection of comments. Read the comments and then write your own comment in the box below.
| Johnny: I love gadgets and for me, my Mp3 player is the best gadget. I love it! I had a huge record and CD collection that took up a lot of space in my flat. Now, all my music is in one place on my Mp3 player and I can listen to music when I go running. The only bad thing about having nice gadgets is that I spend a lot of time worrying about them. I nearly lost my digital camera the other day and I was in a real panic! |
| Jen: For me, Messenger is the best gadget, if you can call it a gadget. Well, I love it and I hate it at the same time! I love the fact that my friends can get in touch with me whenever I am on the computer but I hate it because I waste a lot of time using Messenger when really I could just pick up the telephone and have a chat to them. |
| Anne Marie: Lots of gadgets are a waste of time and money. Some of my hi-tech friends have PDA things, you know, those electronic diaries and it always takes them so long to find any information. I just have a normal paper diary and it’s much more efficient! I still use a Walkman to play cassette tapes! Last week on the bus I got some strange looks as I changed the tape in my Walkman! Yes, I think one day we’ll realise we don’t need half the gadgets that have been invented and we’ll all go back to basics. |
| Paul: This may sound silly but my favourite gadget at the moment is a cling-film cutter! I was given it for Christmas last year and thought it would be one of those useless gadgets that I would never use. However, it’s really useful. I always used to get in a mess using cling-film and the cutter makes it so much easier. I also have an avocado cutter. I don’t use it very much though so that one’s a bit of a waste of space. |
| Alison: The best gadget ever invented is the remote control for the TV. I can’t believe we used to have to get up and walk to the TV to change the channel! A gadget I hate at the moment are telephone ring-tones, you know, when people download a silly tune to their mobile phone so when it rings the tune plays. I hate novelty ring-tones, especially on buses and trains! |
Write your comments here. |
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5. Reading: Inspector Gadget
If you remember the cartoon character of Inspector Gadget you could start by describing him to your students! Better still, find a picture of him on the internet and ask students if they know anything about him. In fact, Inspector Gadget would be a nice introduction to the whole lesson.
Task 5 Reading: Inspector Gadget
Before reading the text discuss these questions with a partner or small group. Make a note of your answers.
- What is your favourite gadget at the moment and what does it do?
- How has it changed your day-to-day life?
- What would your life be like without it?
- Do lots of your friends have similar things?
- What do you think the next big thing will be or what would you like to get next?
- Do we need gadgets?
Now read the text and see how your answers are different or similar to Collin’s answers.
Inspector gadget Take a photo, talk to your friend, play games and download PowerPoints for your university course - all with one gadget! The new generation are using gadgets for everything. We interviewed Colin a first year student at Huddersfield about his favourite gadget. What is your favourite gadget at the moment and what does it do?
At the moment I am using my phone for everything. It acts like a USB so I can put files on it like PowerPoints. I can download MP3s, video clips, Sky headlines, business reports, the weather and even trailers for films. I can also find the nearest café with its GPS (Global Positioning System) function or get road directions. Or I can type in my postcode and get directions to someone else’s house with their postcode. I get business news sent to my phone every morning so I can go into my lecture and blag that I know what’s going on. How has it changed your day-to-day life? What would your life be like without it?
Without my phone I wouldn’t be able to keep up with what’s happening as I don’t have a TV (due to the licence cost). I also don’t know my way round Huddersfield very well and I can use it to find the nearest cash point to me or find the cinema is and what’s on. Do lots of your friends have similar things?
My phone seems popular with most of my friends – a top of the range 3G phone. What do you think the next big thing will be or what would you like to get next?
In Oxford they are developing a 3G system where you can watch TV live on your phone. When analogue TV is switched off in the UK and everyone moves to digital they will be able to broadcast. I would like to have radio on my phone too. It is on a lot of the simpler cheaper phones and my brother and sister have it on theirs. I would also like a flash for when I am filming. Do we need gadgets? Other people’s views
As we discovered in the interview, Colin finds his phone really useful to keep him up-to-date. However, as Dan says, ‘He could always read the newspaper… I can see it has its uses but I wouldn’t generally need it. Advertising tries to convince you it’s essential to your life, but we did survive before.’ Kate has a phone that can tell her where the nearest takeaway is, ‘I only used it once to see if it works but don’t use it as I know my area. I can see how it could be useful but I just want to use my phone to ring people and text.’ Such sophisticated gadgets obviously don’t appeal to everyone but for many it’s become a necessity. |
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6. Invent a gadget
This is a creative task for students to work on in groups. Introduce the task by asking questions such as:
- Do you think the inventors of gadgets make a lot of money?
- What sort of person would be a good inventor?
- How do you think people come up with new ideas for gadgets? Etc.
Then put students into pairs or groups to think of invent their own gadget. You should monitor carefully and be available to support students and supply them with new vocabulary.
Task 6 Invent a gadget
You’re going to invent a gadget. Discuss your ideas with your group and then decide which is the best idea for a new gadget. When you have decided draw the gadget and write a short description about it.
Our Gadget
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Internet links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadget The Wikipedia definition : A gadget is a device that has a useful specific purpose and function. Gadgets tend to be more unusual or cleverly designed than normal technology.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-science-homepage.htm British Council’s LearnEnglish website. Pass this link onto your students who are interested in science.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/science.htm Information on the British Council work in the area of science.
http://www.tv.com/inspector-gadget/show/2412/summary.html Information about Inspector Gadget.
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