Icons

Lead-in

  • What abilities do you have?
  • What abilities do you admire or want to have?
  • What do you think about musical abilities?

Presentation

Pre

  • What kind of music do you like?
  • Who is your favorite singer?
  • Do you go to concerts? What do you think about them?

Top Down

  • What does the text talk about?
  • The definition of pop culture
  • The dangers of pop culture
  • The benefits of being part of pop culture
  • The definition of pop culture
  • The dangers of pop culture
  • The benefits of being part of pop culture

Top 10 Pop Culture Icons

Pop culture or popular culture is a set of objects, beliefs or practices that are ubiquitous and dominant in a society at a given point in time. Pop culture also encompasses the feelings or activities produced when these principal objects interact. Mass media heavily shapes society’s attitude towards certain individuals or topics. There is no precise definition of pop culture since it is considered to be a conceptual category which can have different meanings depending on the context in which it appears. Pop culture can, therefore, be defined through different theoretical perspectives such as structuralism, postmodernism, and psychoanalysis, but it is very different from other forms of culture such as high culture, working-class culture, folk culture and mass culture.

The different categories of pop culture include entertainment (video games, television, music, and movies), news (people and places), slang, technology, fashion/clothes, and politics. Fame comes at many different levels. For example, you could be famous in your neighborhood or city. You could be famous in your hometown or your state. You could go for ultimate fame and attempt to be famous around the world.

A pop icon is an object, character or a celebrity whose exposure to pop culture defines a characteristic of a given era or society. The categorization of a pop icon is associated with such elements as distinction, ubiquity, and longevity.

The use of distinction applies when a pop icon creates a distinguished association with the archetype of a society. This makes the pop icon to have a nickname that is more popular than their real names. In fact, in many cases, most people do not even know their real names. Their nicknames are synonymous with ideas or common words in some societies. Some pop icons such as the Simpsons, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, The X-Men, Darth Vader, Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh are fictional characters whose nicknames conjure up ideas by themselves. Ubiquity is a standard pop icon element that makes the pop icon achieve allusion or an imagery status. For instance, Albert Einstein’s legacy continues in representations of his image on T-shirts, in comedies, greeting cards and several other things. The longevity or notoriety of a celebrity is also used to determine a pop icon. Some pop icons have maintained their celebrity status. They have left an indelible mark in their career fields. This has helped them secure a lasting recognition in society at large. 

Modified from Source 

Bottom Up

  • Answer the questions according to the text.
  1. What is Pop Culture?
  2. What are some of the categories of pop culture?
  3. Is there just one level of fame?
  4. What is a pop icon? 
  5. What pop icons are mentioned in the text?
  1. What is Pop Culture? “There is no precise definition of pop culture”
  2. What are some of the categories of pop culture? “entertainment, news, slang, technology, fashion/clothes, and politics”
  3. Is there just one level of fame? “Fame comes at many different levels.”
  4. What is a pop icon? “an object, character or a celebrity whose exposure to pop culture defines a characteristic of a given era or society.”
  5. What pop icons are mentioned in the text? “The Simpsons, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, The X-Men, Darth Vader, Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and even Albert Einstein.

Post

  • Which pop icons from the text do you know?
  • Which category of pop culture from the text do you like? 
  • How is Social Media influencing pop culture?

Target Language

Could + Past

Affirmative 

Subject + could + Infinitive without ‘to’

  • I could play volleyball at the age of nine.
  • He could spell big words when he was ten.

Negative

Subject + could + not +  Infinitive without ‘to’

  • She couldn’t read when she was eight.
  • He couldn’t walk at the age of two.

 

 

Interrogative 

Could + Subject + Infinitive without ‘to’

  • Could you drive six years ago?

-Yes, I could. 

-No, I couldn’t.      

 

 

ABILITIES

Controlled Practice

  • Match the words to their meanings. There is one example.

  1. Rollerblade

  2. Swim

  3. Tie your shoes

  4. Sing

  5. Drive

  6. Cook

  7. Play the guitar

  8. Climb

  9. Read

(   ) To guide, control, or direct.

(   ) Tightening the laces and tying knots so the shoes don’t fall off your feet.

(   ) Look at and comprehend the meaning of (written or printed matter) by mentally interpreting the characters or symbols of which it is composed.

(   ) To move upward on, especially by using the hands and feet.

(   ) Prepare a dish by combining and heating the ingredients in various ways.

(   ) To move through or on top of water.

(1) An in-line skate.

(   ) To have the ability to perform on a guitar. 

(   ) To produce musical tones by means of the voice.

  1. Rollerblade

  2. Swim

  3. Tie your shoes

  4. Sing

  5. Drive

  6. Cook

  7. Play the guitar

  8. Climb

  9. Read

(5) To guide, control, or direct.

(3) Tightening the laces and tying knots so the shoes don’t fall off your feet.

(9) Look at and comprehend the meaning of (written or printed matter) by mentally interpreting the characters or symbols of which it is composed.

(8) To move upward on or mount, especially by using the hands and feet or the feet alone.

(6) Prepare a dish by combining and heating the ingredients in various ways.

(2) To move through or on top of water.

(1) An in-line skate.

(7) To have the ability to perform on a guitar. 

(4) To produce musical tones by means of the voice.

Freer Practice

  • When you were 10 years old, did you know how to …
  • Read?
  • Drive?
  • Swim?
  • Cook?
  • Tie your shoes?
  • Climb?
  • Rollerblade?
  • Play the guitar?
  • Sing?

Production

  • Create 10 sentences using could or couldn’t. 

Homework

Choose the best option for each sentence.

Example: I could / can walk when I was 7 months old. >  I could walk when I was 7 months old.

  1. She could / cold sing for hours / hour when she was a kid!
  2. I could rollerblade when I were / was younger.
  3. Alex could drive / drives before he was sixteen years / year old.
  4. Could he speak when he was 1 year / years old?
  5. They could code at the age of / off eleven.
  1. She could sing for hours when she was a kid!
  2. I could rollerblade when I was younger.
  3. Alex could drive before he was sixteen years old.
  4. Could he speak when he was 1 year old?
  5. They could code at the age of eleven.

Complete the sentences using the words given.

HOME – GERMANY – COULD – COULDN’T – DRIVE – PLAY

Example: John Lennon could ____ the guitar. > John Lennon could play the guitar.

  1. It was better when I could take care of her at ____.
  2. Janine ____ sew at the age of twelve.
  3. Everyone knew she could ____.
  4. Fran ____ cook but now he can.
  5. When we traveled to ____ he couldn’t speak.
  1. It was better when I could take care of her at home.
  2. Janine could sew at the age of twelve.
  3. Everyone knew she could drive.
  4. Fran couldn’t cook but now he can.
  5. When we traveled to Germany he couldn’t speak.

Turn the sentences into interrogative form.

Example: I could play the drums. > Could I play the drums?

  1. Kim could model when she was four years old.
  2. Sarah could sing at the age of five.
  3. They could study for hours when they were younger.
  4. She could eat fifteen slices of pizza!
  5. Jim could remain silent for a whole day.
  1. Could Kim model when she was four years old?
  2. Could Sarah sing at the age of five?
  3. Could they study for hours when they were younger?
  4. Could she eat fifteen slices of pizza?!
  5. Could Jim remain silent for a whole day?

Put the words in the correct order

Example: 14. / I / age / could / of / the / babysit / at  > I could babysit at the age of 14.

  1. she / do / wanted. / could / anything / She
  2. old. / ten / He / was / climb / years / could / when / he / trees
  3. at / could / the / yoga / age / of / do / Thais / 5.
  4. speak / Najme / at / of / two. / the / could / Spanish / age
  5. Patrick / he / sew / could / was / when / younger.
  1. She could do anything she wanted.
  2. He could climb trees when he was ten years old.
  3. Thais could do yoga at the age of 5.
  4. Najme could speak Spanish at the age of two.
  5. Patrick could sew when he was younger.

Find and correct the mistakes.

Example: He could’nt talk. > He couldn’t talk.

  1. Arthur could play game all day long.
  2. Fernanda could reads a whole book in a day.
  3. Chris could make handmade gifts when she were eleven.
  4. Heloisa couldn’t swim before the age of tirtheen.
  5. Bruce couldn’t babysit when he was yonger.
  1. Arthur could play games all day long.
  2. Fernanda could read a whole book in a day.
  3. Chris could make handmade gifts when she was eleven.
  4. Heloisa couldn’t swim before the age of thirteen.
  5. Bruce couldn’t babysit when he was younger.

Writing

Write a short text about things you could do when you were a child.

Example: When I was 3 years old I could…