Lead-in

  • How would you define the word “kid”?
  • What about “adult”?
  • What differences between adults and kids or teenagers can you think of?

Presentation

Pre

  • What makes you angry about today’s society?
  • Talk about our society and how it has made you the person you are now. 

Top Down

  • What would be a good title for the text? Read it and find out.
  • Society
  • Living beings
  • Human traits
  • Mind, body and soul
  • Society
  • Living beings
  • Human traits
  • Mind, body and soul

We’re living in an overly and overtly divisive age. Various groups of people in this country and around the world are deservedly claiming their own cultural turf in the noble pursuit of inclusion. I myself have dedicated my professional life to making Big Business more “age-friendly” toward Baby Boomers in the larger effort to change our (negative) narrative of aging.

While recognizing our diversity and celebrating our differences is happily going a long way towards making us a more equal society, we are in the process of tending to overlook the things that we have in common and unite us as human beings.

To be clear, the desire to carve out our identity in our increasingly splintered, Balkanized world can be understood and appreciated. Defining ourselves is one of our primary goals in life; after all, a means of addressing the ultimate existential question: “Who am I?”

Otherness

There’s a flip side to these steps toward self-awareness and positive social change, however. As we establish our individual and group identities, we’re too often labeling those who are different from us in some way as the “other.” More than ever before in history, perhaps, we’re focusing on an individual’s race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political affiliation, and a myriad of other variables to define a person. I saw a bumper sticker on a car the other day that simply read, “Vegetarian.”

Otherness is everywhere these days, much of it grounded in artificially constructed social divisions that are better left to actuarial tables. In addition to all the demographic slicing and dicing, psychological profiling is an often-used device to determine what kind of personality you have (and, more importantly, what kind you don’t). I’m an INTJ, one might proudly declare after taking the Myers-Briggs test, distinguishing myself from all those ESFPs.

Such bucket sorting is not just silly but unhealthy and destructive. We’re all humans and, despite what MSNBC and Fox News might say, have much in common on a fundamental level. In fact, we all share the same basic DNA, making us genetic cousins of varying degrees. Americans seem especially split on many levels, something not consistent with our democratic ideals. In our quest to fulfill our motto of e pluribus unum—out of many, one—I’m concerned we’re prioritizing the pluribus over the unum.

Traits we share as a species

To that point, I propose that there are 10 universal human traits that we share as a species. Concentrating on these instead of our alleged differences is a much more useful way to have, as Garrison Keillor used to say in his radio ad for Powdermilk Biscuits, “the strength to get up and do what needs to be done.”

These traits are, in no particular order:

  1. Belonging. We’re all social beings, meaning we rely on meaningful relationships with others.
  2. Community. Likewise, we have a longing to be part of something bigger than our individual selves.
  3. Creativity. All humans share the drive to use their imaginations to make something that previously didn’t exist.
  4. Curiosity. We are inquisitive organisms, part survival device and part neurological mechanism to want to figure out what makes things tick.
  5. Family. The desire for kinship, biologically based or otherwise, is hard-wired into our genetic makeup.
  6. Love. Our strongest and chemically induced emotion is nature’s trick for us to perpetuate the species.
  7. Memory. Our brains are receptacles of the past, a means of passing on our life stories to the next generation for continuity.
  8. Purpose. Each of us is here for a reason, and our mission is to find out what that is and then do it as best we can.
  9. Storytelling. Chronicling and documenting some aspect of the human condition in some way to someone else is our primary form of communication.
  10. Voice. All of us have the need to express ourselves in a unique way to tell the rest of the world who we are.

These 10 universal traits transcend all the superficial differences we spend way too much time thinking and talking about. Let’s use them as ways to bring us closer together, even as we acknowledge and respect our wonderful diversity.

Modified from Source

Bottom Up

  • True or False?

Example: 11 traits were mentioned in the text. False

  1. Our society is overly and overtly divisive.
  2. We are avoiding the process of overlooking the things that we have in common and unite us as human beings.
  3. The most important existential question is: “Who am I?”
  4. We define a person by their race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political affiliation…
  5. We all share the same exact DNA.
  1. Our society is overly and overtly divisive. True
  2. We are avoiding the process of overlooking the things that we have in common and unite us as human beings. False
  3. The most important existential question is: “Who am I?” True
  4. We define a person by their race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political affiliation… True
  5. We all share the same exact DNA. False

Post

  • Which of the traits mentioned in the text is the most important one for our society? Why?
  • Which one is the least important? Why?

Target Language

Physical Description

Age:

  • about thirty
  • in his fifties
  • fortyish
  • twenty (years old)

Height:

  • of average height
  • tall
  • short

Body Build:

  • athletic
  • a bit overweight
  • skinny
  • slim
  • stocky

Face:

  • square
  • oval
  • round

Hair Length:

  • shoulder-length
  • short
  • long

Hair Type:

  • frizzy
  • curly
  • spiky
  • bald
  • straight
  • wavy

Hair Color:

  • a brunette
  • a redhead
  • a blond
  • grey
  • brown

Skin:

  • wrinkles
  • dimples
  • freckles
  • flawless
  • beauty spot

Eyes:

  • hazel
  • grey
  • blue
  • brown
  • green

Giving Personal Details

Professional:

  • I am responsible for…
  • I graduated in…
  • I’m currently working as…

Character:

  • I have the discipline to…
  • I have initiative making/doing…
  • I have confidence in my ability to…

Controlled Practice

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

  2. Brunette

  3. Spiky

  4. Wavy

  5. Flawless

  6. Bald

(   ) A person with dark brown hair.

(   ) Lacking a natural or usual covering.

(   ) Having a form or edge that smoothly curves in and out.

(   ) Without any blemishes or imperfections; perfect.

(   ) A small depression in the flesh, either one that exists permanently or one that forms in the cheeks when one smiles.

(3) Resembling a spike or spikes.

  1. Dimples

  2. Brunette

  3. Spiky

  4. Wavy

  5. Flawless

  6. Bald

(2) A person with dark brown hair.

(6) Lacking a natural or usual covering.

(4) Having a form or edge that smoothly curves in and out.

(5) Without any blemishes or imperfections; perfect.

(1) A small depression in the flesh, either one that exists permanently or one that forms in the cheeks when one smiles.

(3) Resembling a spike or spikes.

Freer Practice

  • Complete the sentences according to your own ideas.
    • I don’t have the discipline to…
    • I graduated in…
    • I wish I had the initiative…
    • I have confidence in my ability to…
    • I can’t be responsible for… because…
    • I’m currently working as…

Production

  • Look at the people in the pictures. Talk about them using the Target Language.

Example: She looks like someone who has the discipline it takes to be a lawyer. She has dark hair and…

Homework

Look at the pictures and describe each one of them using the following words.

WRINKLES – BLONDE – STRAIGHT HAIR – HAZEL EYES – DIMPLES – BEAUTY SPOT

Match the collocations with their respective definitions. There is one example.

  1. Hazel

  2. Frizzy

  3. Freckles

  4. Blond

  5. Curly

(   ) Clusters of concentrated melanized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion.

(   ) Flaxen, golden, light auburn, or pale yellowish-brown color.

(   ) Made, growing, or arranged in curls or curves.

(1) A reddish-brown or greenish-brown color, especially of a person’s eyes.

(   ) Formed of a mass of small, tight curls or tufts.

  1. Hazel

  2. Frizzy

  3. Freckles

  4. Blond

  5. Curly

(3) Clusters of concentrated melanized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion.

(4) Flaxen, golden, light auburn, or pale yellowish-brown color.

(5) Made, growing, or arranged in curls or curves.

(1) A reddish-brown or greenish-brown color, especially of a person’s eyes.

(2) Formed of a mass of small, tight curls or tufts.

Match the sentences with the proper trait description. There is one example.

  1. Body

  2. Hair

  3. Skin

(1) A stocky man who was seated near the head of the table was voicing his sarcastic opinion.

(   ) Her face was creamy white with a scattering of light freckles on her high cheekbones.

(   ) Gone was the slightly long wavy blond framing the roughish good looks.

(   ) The beauty spot on her hand, just by her little finger, had grown larger.

(   ) The brunette just sighed sadly and looked out the window, a few red tinted curls slipping from her loose ponytail to fall in her eyes.

(   ) A skinny woman in her forties wearing jeans and a white undershirt sat on the couch.

(   ) Her smile cut deep dimples into each cheek and revealed pretty white teeth.

  1. Body

  2. Hair

  3. Skin

(1) A stocky man who was seated near the head of the table was voicing his sarcastic opinion.

(3) Her face was creamy white with a scattering of light freckles on her high cheekbones.

(2) Gone was the slightly long wavy blond framing the roughish good looks.

(3) The beauty spot on her hand, just by her little finger, had grown larger.

(2) The brunette just sighed sadly and looked out the window, a few red tinted curls slipping from her loose ponytail to fall in her eyes.

(1) A skinny woman in her forties wearing jeans and a white undershirt sat on the couch.

(3) Her smile cut deep dimples into each cheek and revealed pretty white teeth.

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.

Example: was / She / smiling / the / she / redhead / to / still / for / as / and / the / waited / leave. / brunette > She was still smiling as she waited for the redhead and the brunette to leave.

  1. is / curvy / or / is / girls / girls. / of / skinny / whether / shaming, / shaming / regardless / body / it / at / directed / Body
  2. life. / tall, / dark, / come / that / going / handsome / is / to / I / predict / your / and / someone / into
  3. the / blue-eyed, / square-faced / he / much / He / detective. / that / recognized / to / owed
  4. exquisite / cannot / Without / to / creativity, / even / and / long / hair / be / beautiful / fashionable. / said / the / most / be
  5. the / are / home / day, / talking / the / about / next / early / brunette / going / again. / and / redhead / The
  1. Body shaming is body shaming, regardless of whether it is directed at curvy girls or skinny girls.
  2. I predict that someone tall, dark, and handsome is going to come into your life.
  3. He recognised that he owed much to the blue-eyed, square-faced detective.
  4. Without creativity, even the most exquisite and beautiful long hair cannot be said to be fashionable.
  5. The next day, the brunette and the redhead are talking about going home early again.

Find and correct the mistakes.

  1. A man is dining in a fancy restaurant and there is a gorgeous headred sitting at the next table.
  2. Three of the brothers, oval-faceded men in heavy jackets, met us.
  3. After all, if the desk is highest, a short person can always get a booster seat.
  4. She was quite tall, with long, blonde, braided hair, dinples in her cheecks and a dazzling smile.
  5. Mike was in his late teens to early 20s, tall, of slimm build with spiky hair.
  1. A man is dining in a fancy restaurant and there is a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table.
  2. Three of the brothers, oval-faced men in heavy jackets, met us.
  3. After all, if the desk is higher, a short person can always get a booster seat.
  4. She was quite tall, with long, blonde, braided hair, dimples in her cheeks and a dazzling smile.
  5. Mike was in his late teens to early 20s, tall, of slim build with spiky hair.

Writing

Write short descriptions of your 3 favorite celebrities. Remember to use as much of the Target Language as possible.

Example: Madonna is blonde…