Конспект уроку “The Price of Fame”

“The Price of Fame”

(Suggested Level –Intermediate)

Olha SYVOKIN,

a teacher of English,

Lubny Specialist School №6,

Poltava Region

Objectives:

• to practice listening for specific information;
• to practice agreeing and disagreeing;
• to develop creative thinking;
• to develop language thinking and communicative culture.

By the end of the lesson students will be able to use “Mass Media” vocabulary and speak giving their opinions.

Equipment: audio player, computer, screen.

PROCEDURE

1.    Introduction     

Teacher: Good morning, dear students! How are you today?

Students: We are fine, thank you. And you?

Teacher: I’m fine, thanks.

II. Warming-up:

Teacher: Now, make yourselves comfortable. Try to be active and engaged.

Look at the following slide and predict the topic of our lesson.

 (Slide № 1,2)

Teacher: Yes, but today we are going to speak about the price of popularity and our topic is “The price of Fame”. (Slide № 2)

Please answer the questions.

1. What do you know about these people?

2. Would you like to be famous? Why or why not?

(Students watch slides for more specific information.)3,4,5,6.7

II. MAIN BODY

Teacher: Just now look at the key words on the screen associated with being famous.  Match the words with the definitions (1-6). There is one word extra. (Slide № 8)

1. a keen follower
2. a famous person
3. radio, TV and newspaper
4. pressure caused by difficulties in life
5. the state of being well-known
6. journalists and photographers
 

a   celebrity
b   fame
c   fan
d   mass hysteria
e   mass media
f   the press
g   stress

Key: 1-c, 2- a, 3-e, 4-g, 5-b, 6-f.

Listening

Pre - Listening

Teacher: Look at the screen again and read the quotation and speak your mind about it. “A famous person is someone who works hard all his life to become famous, then wears dark glasses so that nobody will recognize him” ( Fred Allen) (Slide № 9)

Students work in pairs

Teacher: So how can you explain this quote?

Students present their ideas.

While – Listening

Teacher: Sometimes we think that celebrities don’t have any problems, that they have everything they want and that’s why can’t be unhappy at all. Now read the sentences below. Listen to a radio programme about fame and answer true (T) or false (F).

1. The first big ‘star’ appeared in the USA in the 1930s.

2. Rudolph Valentino attracted a lot of excited fans.

3. Celebrities are more famous nowadays because of the mass media.

4. Film stars do adverts as part of their film contracts.

5. Paparazzi are aggressive photographers.

6. John Lennon was killed in a car crash.

7. Many famous celebrities have died young.

8. James Dean starred in three films.

Answers

1 F (They appeared in the 1920s.) 2 T 3 T 4 F (Doing adverts is not part of their contracts.) 5T 6 F (He was murdered by a fan outside his New York apartment.) 7 T 8 T

After Listening

Now, I'd like you to listen to the radio programme again. After that you’ll have to list the advantages and disadvantages of fame mentioned there. 

Teacher: So, what are the pros and cons of fame according to the programme? What can you add? Put them in two columns on the board.

(Possible answers: - Celebrities get enormous amounts of money. - They demand huge contracts. - Some of them earn a fortune from advertising.)

And what about disadvantages? (Possible answers: - Celebrities have no privacy because paparazzi and fans always follow them. - Rather many famous people die young because of their stressful lifestyles. - People expect them to be always successful and that’s stressful.)

Teacher: Well, we continue, now you will listen to the dialogue-discussion. Your task will be to try to understand and match opinions to Katy, James or both. It’s very important to give opinions, agreeing and disagreeing. 

1 The media should respect famous people's privacy.

2 Famous people shouldn't complain when the press follows them.

3 The papers are getting worse and worse.

4 There is too much gossip and sex in the papers nowadays.

5 There should be some control over the newspapers.

Key: 1-K, 2-J, 3-B, 4- B, 5-B

Teacher: Look at the discussion, you can see some expressions in bold. Read them and classify them into: (Slide № 10)

a)expressing an opinion, b) agreeing, c)partly agreeing,  d)asking for agreement, e)disagreeing.

Discussion

1. It's terrible, isn't it?

2. Personally, I think it's her problem.

3. Oh, I disagree.

4. Everyone's got a right to privacy, don't you think?

5. That's true, but if you sell your story….

6. you can't really complain, can you?

7. Well, I don't think it's fair.

8. You may be right, but I think she…

9. Well, in my opinion, this shows that…

10. I agree. You're right, there's…

11. I totally agree.

12. I'm against too much control.

13. I'm in favour of some control.

Key: 1d  2a  3e  4d  5c  6d  7a  8c  9a  10b  11b  12a  13a

 expressing an opinion               agreeing                                     partly agreeing

asking for agreement                                                            disagreeing

Speaking

Teacher: Read the statements (1-5) below. Decide if you agree or disagree with them. Write notes giving reasons for your opinions.

1. Fame and money bring happiness.

2. The press shouldn't write about the lives of famous people.

3. Famous footballers and pop singers get too much money,

4. The government should tax very rich people a lot more.

5. The government should have more control over newspapers, TV and the Internet.

III. SUMMING-UP

Teacher: Our lesson is over. You were very active today. I’m pleased with your work. Thank you for the lesson. And as a summing up I want us to read one more quotation by John Wooden. (Slide № 11)

IV. HOMEWORK

Teacher: Your homework is to prepare a short presentation. Give your opinions on the statement “Is the fame worth its price?”

Example

I don't think fame and money bring happiness. Marilyn Monroe is a good example. She was rich and famous but she was very unhappy.

Tapescript 1

Presenter: Good evening and welcome to Spotlight, this week's look at the media. Tonight we're going to look at “fame”. We have Dr Lindbrow from Florida State University in the studio.

Dr L: Good evening.

Presenter: Dr Lindbrow. You've just written a book called The Price Of Fame. Could you tell us why celebrities are so important nowadays?

Dr L: Well, of course, fame’s not just a modem thing. The idea of the 'celebrity' developed in the USA in the 1920s with radio, cinema and glossy magazines - sports stars, singers, and above all film stars, became superstars, like the incredibly famous Rudolph Valentino. There were scenes of mass hysteria wherever Valentino went - huge crowds of fans tried to get near him, screaming and pushing - and girl fans fainted and went crazy in the cinema when he appeared on the screen!

Presenter. As early as the 1920s?

Dr L: Yes, as early as that. But celebrities’ve become much bigger with today’s mass media. This has happened in every country all over the world.

Presenter: And what’re the advantages of fame?

Dr L: Well, the obvious thing is that celebrities can get enormous amounts of money, of course! Hollywood stars can demand huge contracts nowadays. Film stars and other celebrities can also make a fortune from advertising. For example, some footballers and basketball players make literally millions of dollars from advertising sports clothes or soft drinks.

Presenter: But the title of your book suggests that there is a price to pay tor fame.

Dr L: Yes, that's right, there are disadvantages. Nowadays, celebrities find it more and more difficult to hide from the press, especially the paparazzi, the aggressive photographers. The paparazzi will do anything to get an exclusive photo which they can sell to a newspaper or magazine.

Presenter: As was the case with Princess Diana.

Dr L: Sure, and it’s not just the media, but their own fans who follow them everywhere. John Lennon, the famous member of the Beatles, was murdered by one of his own fans outside his apartment in New York.

Presenter: Yes, I remember... terrible.

Dr L: Yes, it was. And once you're famous, people expect you to be successful all the time. There's a lot of pressure on you to make another good film, make another best-selling album, score more goals. Celebrities suffer from a lot of stress. And, you know, many of them have died young, like Rudolph Valentino, who I mentioned earlier, or Marilyn Monroe, or James Dean.

Presenter: Mm. And many celebrities seem to lead a fast life. Are they at greater risk?

Dr L: Yes, they are. James Dean is a good example. He starred to three hugely successful movies before he was twenty-three years old, His career was moving very fast, he was a cult figure for American youth, and, as you know, he died in a crash driving a fast sports car.

Presenter; Tell us, Dr Lindbrow, what  do you think about the suggestion that...

Tapescript 2

Katy: Hey, Jamie, have you heard about this?

James: What?

Katy: You know Janice Jones, the film star?

James: Yeah.

Katy: Well, photographers are following her all the time. It's terrible, isn't it?

James: Personally, I think it's her problem. I mean, if you want to be famous, you have to accept lots of attention from the media.

Katy: Oh, I disagree. Everyone's got a right to privacy, don't you think?

James: That's true, but if you sell your story to the papers, you can't really complain, can you?

Katy: Well, I don't think it's fair. Nobody's got the right to follow people everywhere. I mean, there are photographers outside Janice Jones's house all the time. Just because she got married for the third time.

James: You may be right, but I think she Likes all the attention.

Katy: Well, in my opinion, this shows that the papers are getting worse and worse. They're so bad.

James: Yeah, I agree. You're right, there's a lot of rubbish in the papers nowadays.

Katy: I think they should control the papers. It's all gossip and sex.

James: I totally agree. It's not very nice. But people seem to want that kind of thing. I'm against too much control.

Katy: Yeah, not too much, but I'm in favour of some control.

James: Mm, but how can you stop ...